Literary Birds

What the Raven Saw's official release date is just over a week away and the book will most likely be going into bookstores this week. It will be so wonderful to see my cranky Raven out there, and to celebrate I thought I would shine a light on some of my favourite avian characters from literature. The raven likes to know he is in good company, after all.

1. The Raven, narrator of Marcus Sedgwick's The Raven Mysteries series. I read a couple of these after I had written What the Raven Saw, because I was interested to see another fictitious raven in action. I guess ravens are rather cranky by nature, because this one, too, is a ball of sly, sarcastic and outraged fun. Maybe they are cousins?

2. Tawny Owl in The Animals of Farthing Wood. Pompous and snobby, but also fiercely loyal. I enjoyed the characterisation in the television series, too (the show was pretty much the highlight of my television week, when I was a kid).

3. Kehaar in Watership Down. Great character, who is memorable far beyond just being the only bird in a tribe full of rabbits. I love his loyalty to Bigwig, his crankiness, his scorn, his idiosyncratic and funny way of speaking, but also his courage and loyalty to the rabbits.

4. The Raven in Peter S. Beagle's A Fine and Private Place. There must be something in the air in raven land, because this one too is a bundle of one-liners and sarcasm. He is a bit of a fan favourite, and adds some much-needed humour to this lovely, wistful and sad book. I remember laughing out loud reading some of his lines.

5. The White Pigeon in upcoming The Last Wild by Piers Torday. This book isn't out yet (I have a proof), but the silly white pigeon is a delight, and was quick to become my favourite.

PW Best Children's Novels of 2012

Publishers Weekly have just published their list of best children's books for 2012 here: click here

As it is an American site, there are some books I am not familiar with but a big yes to some of their other picks.

The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann we got as a proof copy in my bookstore. It looks all kinds of weird and wonderful and that's what I love in children's writing - the absolutely innovative, written well with an emotional impact.

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz is a book I am not familiar with, but I LOVE the sound of it. Will be checking this one out.

Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge - as you might be able to tell, I love anything fairytale-ish, whether it reworks them, takes an idea from them, or remodels them. This one sounds like a treat.

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan - love that an Australian author can get into an American list of best books for 2012. The worlds Margo creates are breathtaking, as is her prose, and this book (Sea Hearts, as it is known in Aus) has been on my 'to read' list for ages.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. A great premise, well told and interesting, with a paranormal romance element that doesn't make me groan.

Apart from these there are some great picks from authors by the likes of Libba Bray, Rebecca Stead and Sheila A Nielson, whose book Forbidden Sea I greatly enjoyed. Go check it out and then go check out some of these great stories - it's a great list.

Promo material for Raven

Had a visit at my bookstore today from the Random House sales rep. He is officially selling What the Raven Saw into bookstores this month, and I got to have a look at some of the promo materials. They are looking absolutely gorgeous, and every time I see the beautiful cover work or indeed even the title of my book, I cannot describe how amazing it is.

I love the raven and his story, of course, but when I hear about others getting excited too and all the positive feedback, I just cannot wait until the raven is in stores inflicting his bad temper on everyone.

Got to know a few of the things I will be doing to support the book as well, and it is all just brilliant. I'm really looking forward to have the opportunity to talk to kids not only about my book but also about my love of children's books in general and how important reading is! I will update of course closer to the date of these things happening.

Any questions about the book please shoot me an email. We are getting some fabulous kid's books in store this month, in the lead up to Christmas, and I will be writing about those soon too.

Happy reading!

Farewelling Literary Greats

Great article from Publishers Weekly on those influential, fabulous children's authors we have farewelled this year. I love this article, not only for the sentiment, but because it highlights some truly important children's authors and their works - including one of my personal favs, SF writer Ray Bradbury.

Link here: In Praise of Titans

CBCA Book of the Year Shortlist 2012

I was going to do a post about it, but they seem to be popping up everywhere.

Kids Book Review has a great summary of all the shortlisted nominees in each category for the 2012 CBCA Book of the Year. Link here: CBCA 2012

I do sometimes feel that the nominees are a little 'safe'. But I am happy to see Andrew McGahan, Bill Condon, Susan Green and John Flanagan nominated in the Older and Younger Readers categories.

Anyway, fantastic news for all nominees. Getting recognised by the CBCA is quite the honour, and actually does have an impact on sales. After the shortlist is announced, at my bookstore we get so many orders from our school clients for the CBCA books, and a lot of customers ask for 'CBCA' books.

Newbery, Caldecott & the Today show

Newbery, Caldecott & the Today show

An article above from USA website, Publishers Weekly. Found the whole thing rather sad - both authors (especially winners of the Newbery & Caldecott) and children's literature needs every bit of media exposure it can get. People need to be reminded that reading and writing is still as important today as ever and these authors are at the top of their game in sharing their imaginations with the world. Disappointing.

Winners APA 2011 Book Design Awards

Awesome summary over at Fancy Goods of the winners in the Australian Publisher's Association 2011 Book Design Awards. Some very cool stuff. I particularly like the Best Designed Children's Cover of the Year and am happy to see Tony Palmer taking out Best Designed Children’s Fiction Book  for The Midnight Zoo. I have heard him speak about his inspiration and designing process and found him very endearing and enthusiastic. So that's a nice little feather in his cap! Well done to him and all other winners!

Our Australian Girl

Our Australian Girl

This new series, published by Penguin, has caught my eye. I really like the concept behind them and they sound like a good solid series for girls (late Primary readers). Also I think they should enjoy great success in schools.

My only nitpick is the girls on the covers. They look too modern - I really can't place them at the time period they're supposed to be from. I don't know if this an intentional marketing-type thing, but it kind of ruins the otherwise gorgeous front design. I know this is really finicky but to me, it makes quite a difference to how I feel about the book.

Has anyone read these? What do you think?

Diana Wynne Jones

Diana Wynne Jones – author of some of the best and most creative and immersive kids/adult fantasy fiction I have ever read – died on the weekend. There are a number of blogs that have great eulogies up about her, and although I could write tonnes on how much her books meant to me as a child and how I would stay up reading her books, entranced, well into the night, I really just wanted to acknowledge her and encourage everyone to pick up her books. Because she was AWESOME – as a writer and a person.

She is probably best known for books like Hexwood and the Howl’s Moving Castle series, but equally as extraordinary were The Dalemark Quartet series (LOVED The Spellcoats), A Sudden Wild Magic, The Ogre Downstairs and Dogsbody.

Seriously, she created such wonderful worlds and characters, and her World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement was very well-deserved indeed.

EDIT: A good succint summary of DWJ: here



Tinkers, Sydney Bridge Upside Down & 2011 Book Design Awards

In addition to my own blog reviews, I also, through work, do some reviewing of adult fiction books. And I’ve read a couple of amazing ones this past month.

The first was David Ballantyne’s Sydney Bridge Upside Down, a seemingly forgotten ‘New Zealand classic’ that has recently been republished/printed by Text. Just gorgeous – atmospheric, gothic, nostalgic, disturbing, enthralling, well-written; all those things I read it would be. Will get around to publishing a link to my review when it’s published but if you can, in the meantime, get a hold of this book, then it will be well worth your time, especially because it is very nearly YA fiction.

The second was 2010 Pulitzer Prize winning Tinkers, by Paul Harding. The writing isn’t for everyone, but I found it to be a remarkable, ethereal read. So perceptive, such exquisite ways of capturing the transitory moments that leave their mark on our lives forever. There will sometimes be moments in movies when I just want to sob and sob because what I see is so stunning, so perfectly captured, so beautifully tragic that I just ache because I know life can never be like that. It was a similar experience with this book – there is such a perfect mix of tragedy and beauty and hope. I want to cry because Harding has captured, in such delicious prose, the moments where we almost think we can see beyond the here and now, beyond the physical body that holds us to this life. Absolutely loved it.

Other literary news that caught my eye this week is the shortlist for the 2011 Australian Book Design Awards. The full list, incuding the YA and Children’s categories, can be found by following the links here:
http://www.publishers.asn.au/

Brian Jacques and Redwall

I was sad to hear earlier this week about the passing of children’s author Brian Jacques, at the age of 71. He was most famous for his Redwall fantasy series, which largely involved a bunch of anthropomorphic animals living in a huge old Abbey, and the many adventures which took them all over Mossflower wood, to the faraway coast of Salamandastron, and into the heart of battle with the many ‘baddies’ of the woods. With the first being published in 1986, Jacques wrote 21 of these books, which were in turn made into a TV series (never shown in Australia – boo!), an opera and graphic novels, and sold millions and millions of copies all over the world.

I first discovered the Redwall series in my first year of high school, courtesy of the school library. I read them well into my High School years, and probably could have read them all the way through Primary School as well, if I’d known they existed back then. They were full of high adventure and wacky characters, and all the sights and sounds of the Abbey and the surrounding woods were like familiar friends every time you opened up a new book. I absolutely adored these books, and as a young teen they brought the excitement of fantasy story-telling back to me.

That being said, I did try to read a couple a few years ago, both some old favourites and the latest in the series. Since I first started reading them, I have, of course, read very widely, and the Redwall books weren’t as super-amazing as I remembered. Maybe a bit of plot and character rehashing, not as much imagination, a tendency to be overly sentimental etc. But still, I think they were perfect for my age when I first started reading them, and they are the kind of books I would recommend to a reluctant reader, to get them excited about picking up a book. They were hilarious and sad and exciting and comforting, and for a few years I devoured every one. I’ll remember them, and Jacques, very fondly, for a long time.

Children's Book Festival at the State Library

For all those who love children’s books and live near Melbourne,  keep Sunday 3^rd April free. The Wheeler Centre, in conjunction with the Children’s Book Council of Australia, the State Library, Books Illustrated and others,  are holding a Children’s book festival on the State Library lawns.

Authors and illustrators will abound, there will be readings, activities and the State Library of Victoria’s exhibition ‘Look! The Art of Australian picture books today.’ Link is here: Wheeler Centre

Looks pretty cool, especially the exhibition. There are also some great authors and illustrators attending, including some of my favs: Bob Graham, Elise Hurst, Terry Denton and Sally Rippin.

Which reminds me, I need to do a post soon about some of my favourite picture books and picture book authors. My absolute favourites are so gorgeous they deserve to be gushed over...

Award News - Costa and Indie Prizes

Some book award news from the past week or so:

The Costa Book Award prizes were  recently announced, and the children’s shortlist was as follows:

-         Flyaway, by Lucy Christopher

-         Annexed, by Sharon Dogar

-         Bartimaeus: Ring of Soloman, by Jonathan Stroud

-         Out of Shadows, by Jason Wallace

Jason Wallace won, with judges reporting: “...[this] extraordinary debut novel was a unanimous winner. This compelling portrayal of a nation in crisis gripped us from start to finish and has stayed with us since."

The Costa Book Awards is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in the UK and recognises some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.

The 2011 Indie Book Award shortlists were also announced, with the winners to be revealed in mid-March. On the children’s shortlist are:

-         Museum of Thieves: The Keepers Book, by Lian Tanner

-         Mirror, by Jeannie Baker

-         The Very Bad Book, by Andy Griffiths

-         The Legend of the Golden Snail, by Graeme Base.

I absolutely adore Jeannie Baker and Graeme Base (I couldn’t get enough of Graeme’s The Sign of the Seahorse and The Eleventh Hour as a kid – so clever and brilliant), so I hope either wins. The Indie Awards are chosen by Independent booksellers across Australia, who nominate their favourite books of 2010.

In other news, I have been trying to read Rosie Black, by Lara Morgan, for the past couple of months. I just cannot get into it, so have decided to move on. I think I found it perhaps a bit by-the-numbers, not particularly inspired? It just didn’t grab me. But I hate not finishing books so might try to pick it up again later on.

2011 Newberry Medal Winner

The 2011 Newberry Medal was announced yesterday. The winner was Moon over Manifest, by Claire Vanderpool:

"Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was."

-From Random House

Confession: I don't know much about it. But I am reading last year's winner (When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead) at the moment, and finding it quite lovely and engaging.

The Newberry Medal is awarded every year by a committee of librarians to recognize "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."

Previous winners include Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Scott O Dell's Island of the Blue Dolphins, Robert C. O'Brien's Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh and Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia (all of which I highly reccommend).

My Picks of 2010

I've been reading a fair few 'best of 2010' type blogs and so I decided to do my own. The following is a list of my picks out of all the books I read in 2010 (not just ones that were published in 2010). I have an ever-growing list of back titles that I need to read and so new releases tend to get pushed back a bit. There will probably also be a few picks for most categories - yes, I am that annoying person who can never have just one choice.

Merry Christmas to all, Happy New Year and Happy Reading.
P.S. Don't be a hater ;)

BEST KIDS BOOK READ IN 2010: The Undrowned Child, by Michelle Lovric & Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O Dell

The Undrowned Child is a real story-tellers story, full of fabulous, crazy characters; original ideas; sly, knowing humour and a love of language and books. An absolute delight. Island of the Blue Dolphins is a heartbreakingly good story of survival. Enduring, moving and the writing is just so good - vivid and descriptive and relentless.

BEST YA BOOK READ IN 2010: Raw Blue, by Kirsty Eagar & This is Shyness, by Leanne Hall

I've mentioned these numerous times in my blog. The first is such a powerful, emotional story, made all the better by the author's restraint. Love the whole vibe of the book. The second was just so quirky and original with such great authetic and witty characters. These two were real winners.

BEST KIDS SERIES READ IN 2010: Septimus Heap, by Angie Sage

I feel like this series stuggled under the shadow of Harry Potter, but it can more than hold its own.

BEST WRITING: Winter's Bone, by Daniel Woodrell

Beautiful and bleak but always riveting. His use of language to evoke setting and emotion is outstanding.

BEST DISCOVERY: Merrow, by Ananda Braxton-Smith

Gorgeous central characters, gorgeous use of language and a sense of the otherworldly that lingers with you beyond the final page. 

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

A paranormal romance with just that little bit extra to send it from formulaic to a decent read that can stand on its own. Also The Dead-Tossed Waves, by Carrie Ryan. There is some great writing and passages amongst all those zombies and gore.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T READ UNTIL NOW: Looking for Alaska, by John Green & Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt

The second was a real charmer. The first even more so.

MOST UNPUTADOWNABLE: Raw Blue & This is Shyness

BEST CHARACTER: I loved Ree in Winter's Bone. What an awesome, resilient hard-ass. Those two crazy kids in This Is Shyness. Neen & Ushag in Merrow. Practically anyone fantastical in The Undrowned Child.

FAV COVER: Wildwood Dancing, by Juliet Marillier

MOST DISAPPOINTING: Keeper, by Kathi Appelt

My fault, but it just wasn't what I expected. The mermaids weren't even real! No! Mermaids must always be real! Don't hate on me like that! I need my mermaids!

LEAST FAVOURITE: Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli & Evernight, by Claudia Gray

 My own personal taste, but didn't do it for me at all.

MOST ANTICIPATED FOR 2011: The Mourning Emporium, by Michelle Lovric, Lost Voices, by Sarah Porter & Wolfborn, by Sue Bursztynski

Best Books of 2010

Great post over at Fancy Goods yesterday, the Bookseller and Publisher blog. They have made a fantastic list of all the best 'Best of 2010' book lists, from book stores, newspapers, libraries etc. It's well worth a look.

http://www.fancygoods.com.au/fancy-goods/2010/12/15/list-of-lists-best-books-of-2010/


Pay particular attention to the two Readings lists, under 'Best Children's Books'. Some nice choices - love that This is Shyness is on there. One of my favs this year.

Prime Minister's Literary Awards

The winners of the Prime Minister's Literary Awards were announced today. The young adult fiction winner was Confessions of a Liar, Thief and Failed Sex God, by Bill Condon, and the children's fiction prize was won by Lorraine Marwood for Star Jumps. Confessions concerns the relationship between boyhood's dreams and manhood's desires and Star Jumps depicts the joys and heartbreaks of a farming family as they struggle to cope with the devastating effects of long-term drought.

Well, I lose credibility by saying I haven't read either of these, so I can't comment on whether I agree with the choices! There was some quality competition from the shortlist, in particular Cicada Summer and Tensy Farlow in the kids category, and The Museum of Mary Child in YA. Those are my picks, but I love these awards because they always give me suggestions on what to read next.

The PM Literary Awards celebrate the contribution of Australian literature to the nation's cultural and intellectual identity, economy and life.

The Toymaker on Booklist's Top 10 First Novels for Youth

 The Toymaker, one of my absolute favourite books of the past few years, has been put on the list for Top 10 First Novels for Youth, over at Booklist Online, a book review site run by the American Library Association. I am so pleased it is getting this recognition, because it truly is such an amazing story - beautifully written, wonderfully disturbing and infused with a gothic sort of magic that just makes everything come alive off the page.

It was also put on the shortlist for the 2010 Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, which aims to uncover "hidden talent in children's writing." I've also noticed that there are a fair few covers for it: my personal favourite is still the first one, which is, I think, only for the hardcover version. It captures the feel of what's actually inside the book - something quite delicate but disturbing, something ethereal, something not-quite-right. The latest cover, which I do rather like, kind of looks like a bunch of loons at a circus menacing a wee boy. Eye-catching and clever, but not quite conveying the mood of the first.

Anyway, my point is, I love this book and want everyone to read it, because I think it is wonderful and special and stunning. This could just be my taste in books, but read it anyway ;). I hope Jeremy de Quidt keeps writing because what a book to begin your career with!