Saturday 30 April 2011

In The Sea There Are Crocodiles: The True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari by Fabio Geda

This is a worthy book.
                                                                                                       
'In The Sea There Are Crocodiles' is the true story of Enaiatollah Akbari. It is a story of hardship, loss and pain. So much hardship, loss and pain in one young life is difficult to truly imagine. This story is told at a distance - emotionally and physically - perhaps to make it easier for us to digest, but more likely to make it easier for Enaiat to relive.

However it is also told with humour and heart. Geda effectively uses the voice and language of Enaiat. The narrative is remembered in a linear fashion with the occasional 'here and now'  conversation between the author & Enaiat. These little moments provide relief as well as explanatory points that Enaiat clears up with the benefit of hindsight and maturity.

This story is not only worthy but worthwhile.

Despite the hardship you leave this story feeling grateful for your own life and grateful to Enaiat for his bravery in sharing his story.  And of course there is hope, the kindness of strangers and the power of the individual to rise above adversity.
Enaiat's story is for young and old alike.

Wednesday 20 April 2011

The Worthies

The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards are for books written with an implied readership under the age of eighteen.

The Judges assess entries primarily for literary and artistic merit, including cohesiveness in significant literary elements; language chosen carefully for its appropriateness to the theme and style of the work with proper regard to the aesthetic qualities of language; and originality in the treatment of literary elements as they apply to the form of the work.

Appeal to an implied readership under the age of eighteen is also taken into account. Judges also consider the quality of illustrations, book design, production and printing. Books written as part of a series or published in serial form will be judged as separate entities and must be able to ‘stand-alone’.

Okay that's the official stuff out of the way.

I've added the judging criteria because I sometimes worry about these kind of awards. The 'worthy' awards - whether they be CBCA awards, the Booker, Miles Franklin etc etc etc - it's always a small group of people (usually unknown to the majority of us) who decide what is a 'worthy' book.

As a bookseller and former teacher I can pick the 'worthies' a mile away.

I mean, was anyone surprised to see 'Mirror' on the picture book shortlist?
And my prediction is it will win.
And it is a fabulous book...for teachers and parents....but very few children are going to pick this book or borrow it from their school library. 'Charlie and Lola' win the popularity award every time!

I still haven't read any of the books shortlisted for last years Booker. 'Room' is the only that intrigues me in the slightest.

So why do we have these awards then?

As a bookseller I can tell you that they are a great way to sell books. Schools always want the shortlist for their library shelves and just before Book Week in August there is a run on the picture books as parents try to work out which is the easiest character to dress their child up as for their school assembly!

Same goes for the Booker shortlist...minus the dress-ups! When the winner is announced we are rushed by all the people who want to be 'worthy' too.

Even though it sounds like I''m dissing all awards and the people who follow them - I'm not. Worthy, great literature should be rewarded. Clever writing, beautiful writing, ground-breaking, challenging writing should be applauded. New writers should be encouraged, experienced writers should be lauded.
But let's not forget the writers who make us laugh and cry. The writers who tell a good yarn and keep us up til 3am with a gripping page-turner. Let's celebrate the writers who give us stories that comfort us, help us get to sleep at night and become old friends. Perhaps these writers do not need awards - their reward is the ringing 'ka-ching' of cash registers around the world!

Children's Book Council Australia website

Crichton Award Shortlist 2011

The Crichton Award aims to recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children's book illustration. It is administered by the Victorian Branch of the CBCA and the judging panel of three is nominated and elected by the executive of the Victorian Branch.

McFadden, ClareThe Flying Orchestra
Mitchell, Sarah KateStarry Starry Night
Stewart, Lisa
Written by Kerry Brown
Can I Cuddle the Moon?
Thomas, Adele K
Written by Peter Macinnis
The Monster Maintenance Manual
Thompson, Jo
Written by Paul Collins
The Glasshouse
Wiltshire, Jonah and Evie & Hamilton, SherylThe Lighthouse Kids of Maatsuyker Island

Children's Book Council Australia Shortlist 2011

EVE POWNALL AWARD FOR INFORMATION BOOKS SHORTLIST

Brasch, NicolasTheme Parks, Playgrounds and Toys
Brooks, RonDrawn from the Heart: A Memoir
Davidson, LeonZero Hour: The Anzacs on the Western Front
Dubosarsky, Ursula
Illustrated by Tohby Riddle
The Return of the Word Spy
Lloyd, Alison
Illustrated by Terry Denton
Wicked Warriors & Evil Emperors: The True Story of the Fight for Ancient China
One Arm Point Remote Community SchoolOur World: Bardi Jaawi: Life at Ardiyooloon
PICTURE BOOK SHORTLIST

CBCA Picture Book of the Year awards will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless picture books, where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations. As a general guideline, the judges may consider the relative success of a picture book in balancing and harmonising the following elements:
 Artistic style and graphic excellence (including typography and its suitability for the implied readership);
 Effective use of media and technique;
 Colour, line, shape, texture;
 Relationship between illustration and text;
 Consistency of style, characterisation, information and setting;
 Clarity, appropriateness and aesthetic appeal of illustrations;
 Quality of book design, production, printing and binding;
 Appeal to the child reader.

Baker, JeannieMirror
Bancroft, BronwynWhy I Love Australia
Greenberg, NickiHamlet
McKimmie, ChrisTwo Peas in a Pod
Masciullo, Lucia
Written by Kim Kane
Family Forest
Riddle, TohbyMy Uncle's Donkey
EARLY CHILDHOOD SHORTLIST

Champion, Tom Niland & Niland, Kilmeny
Ill. Deborah Niland

The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies
Dubosarsky, Ursula
Ill. Mitch Vane
The Deep End
Lester, AlisonNoni the Pony
Niland, DeborahIt's Bedtime, William!
Norrington, Leonie
Ill. Dee Huxley
Look See, Look at Me!
Ormerod, Jan
Ill. Freya Blackwood
Maudie and Bear
YOUNGER READERS SHORTLIST

Bauer, Michael GerardJust a Dog
Bongers, ChristineHenry Hoey Hobson
Branford, Anna
Ill. Sarah Davis
Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot
Carmody, IsobelleThe Red Wind
McKinlay, Meg
Ill. Leila Rudge
Duck for a Day
Murphy, Sally
Ill. Rhian Nest James
Toppling
My aim this year is to read and review as many of these shortlisted books as I can BEFORE the award ceremony on August 19!

OLDER READERS SHORTLIST

Crowley, Cath


Graffiti Moon
Hartnett, SonyaThe Midnight Zoo
Horniman, JoanneAbout a Girl
MacLeod, DougThe Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher
Marchetta, MelinaThe Piper’s Son
Wood, FionaSix Impossible Things

Monday 18 April 2011

The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner

The secret to elegance is simplicity.
Gardner has mastered this beautifully. His writing style is brief, to the point, matter-of-fact...but at times poetic. Lovely images – stark images. A character you care for, feel for, worry about – someone you want to help too.


He mixes in gentle humour and a hint of a mystery. Gardner's sympathetic portrayal gradually reveals the depth and complexity of his characters. The disturbed teen, the gentle boss, his weird daughter....behind them all is the hope that love will win out - over adversity, grief and time.


A moving story of a teen forced to grow up too quickly. The Dead I Know is for mature readers and is certainly one that I will be recommending. And I think I will be having a look at his back catalogue too!

 

Tuesday 12 April 2011

EJ 12 In the Dark

EJ12 was a pleasant surprise. I was expected to be bored or underwhelmed.
Starting with the third book in a series isn't always the best way to get into it. But the easy style and quick re-caps of the important information made this very accessible.

The codes, pictures and diagrams were carefully placed in the chapter so you could decipher them yourself before EJ – lots of fun!


It was well paced and developed age appropriate fears and issues. EJ was given satisfying, modern crimes to solve with modern gadgets and up-to-date technology (think Get Smart and Inspector Gadget). And we could all use an Eco-deco button in our lives - to clean up our messes with an environmentally friendly push of a button!

These books are perfect for 6+ girls (and boys who love gadgets) who are good readers and would be great for the 8+ readers who are struggling a bit with their reading.

Sunday 10 April 2011

Time Slip and Time Travel Books - A List

I've been thinking about my favourite time travel stories ever since reading The Ivory Rose. And thought it was time to create a list for like-minded fans.

*The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (one of my all time favourite reads)
*Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure by Georgia Byng
*A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
*Emily the Strange by Rob Reger
*The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne (series for younger readers)
*The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (obviously!)
*A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
*Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony and The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
*Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
*Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
*Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
*The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy Boston
*Timeline by Michael Crichton (one of my husband's favourites)
*When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
*Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
*Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
*The Magic Half by Annie Barrows
*Time Riders by Alex Scarrow
*Playing Beattie Bow by Ruth Park
*Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
*City of Masks by Mary Hoffman
*My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
*Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
*Orlando by Virginia Woolf
*Guillaume Próvost's Book of Time series
*Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
*The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
*The Night They Stormed Eureka by Jackie French

Authors who write a lot of stuff in this genre - Diana Wynne Jones, Jasper Fforde, Nora Roberts, Stephen King (Dark Tower series in particular), Terry Pratchett, C.S. Lewis, P.C. Cast and anything with Dr Who in the title!


Saturday 9 April 2011

Edie Amelia and the Monkey Shoe Mystery by Sophie Lee

I wanted to like this book more than I did.

It tried too hard to be quirky, sassy and unique. So it came across as being contrived and rather annoying instead. Maybe I was just having a bad day (see I'm still trying to give it a second chance!)

Edie was a likeable character and the mystery was an age appropriate adventure. But the author intruded too much for my liking.

Book 2 is due out next month.
 

Saturday 2 April 2011

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

This book came to me with a big rave review attached to it...so maybe I was expecting too much?

Chapter 2 hit me in the face with "my bright auburn locks'' and only 3 paragraphs later ''her head of shiny black hair''!

Even though the story is (or could be) interesting, I'm feeling so much animosity towards the lazy language usage that I doubt I will finish it. And as for the love interest - pah! I quote - 'time stops' - 'my armour begins to crumble' - 'sparkling pale cornflower blue eyes' - 'he belongs in either Hollywood or heaven'! Spare me and pass the bucket quick!

It's a memory story - the twist being that London (great name!) dreams about the future and forgets the past every night. So she has memories of what will happen to her family and friends in the future, but has to write herself a list each night of exactly who those people might be!!

It's due out in June - read it and let me know if it gets any better.