Gareth Ward, The Traitor and the Thief, Walker Books Australia, August 2017, 352pp, $17.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925381504 The most obvious point about The Traitor and the Thief is that it is a steampunk adventure, and anyone looking for fascinating steampunk features, from the mekanikal fish that direct you where you need to go, to the darkly gothic laboratories that Sin finds himself in, is going to find plenty to enthrall them. Much as I loved the rich steampunk background of this story, though, it was the gripping adventure and the twists of the characters that kept me coming back for more.…
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Dr Gina M Newton won The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books 2017 for Amazing Animals of Australia’s National Parks. The Award was presented at Government House, Hobart on Friday 18 August. This is the acceptance speech she gave on the day…. Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, fellow authors and illustrators, I’m so excited. To be honoured with the Eve Pownall award is a dream come true. I am so grateful to the wonderful and invaluable Children’s Book Council of Australia; 71 tireless years of inspiring children to read and supporting creators to create. It is particularly humbling…
Trace Balla won the Book of the Year, Younger Readers Award for Rockhopping. The Award was presented on Friday 18 August at Government House, Hobart. This is the acceptance speech she gave on the day… I would like to acknowledge the Palawa people and pay my respects to any elders that may be here today, as well as past and future elders, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community, and this country, Lutruwita. I also acknowledge the land where this book is set, Gariwerd, (otherwise known as The Grampians) in the country of the Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung people, and pay my respects to…
Bob Graham won the 2017 Book of the Year, Picture Book Award for Home in the Rain. The Award was presented at Government House, Hobart on Friday 18 August. This is his acceptance speech… I am bowled over to receive this award for Home in the Rain, and I want to make my own small tribute to all at the CBC, past and present. The Book Council and I share a few things beyond our commitment to children’s books. We are both septuagenarians; they being 72 this year and me running just a little ahead of them, trying to catch my breath. It’s…
Claire Zorn won the 2017 Book of the Year, Older Reader Award for One Would Think the Deep. The Award was presented to her at Government House, Hobart, on Friday 18 August. This is the very moving acceptance speech she gave on the day…. I’m supposed to be good at putting things into words, but I’m afraid this time words fail me. It is impossible to describe how much this award means to me. The last twelve months of my life have been some of the hardest I’ve ever experienced due to personal reasons. (If you read my blog you will…
Claire Garth (text), Johannes Leak (illus.), Grover, Stretch and the Broken Leg (Grover McBane Rescue Dog #4), Piccolo Nero, 31 July 2017, 128pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781863959452 This sweet junior novel series is based on a real-life rescue dog, Grover McBane. Grover is the chief office dog at an animal shelter where he ably assists his owner Annie in tending to injured and abandoned animals. In this story, Grover becomes responsible for tending to Stretch – a greyhound puppy with a broken leg and boundless energy. It’s up to Grover to try and keep Stretch from getting into…
Julia Donaldson (text), Lydia Monks (illus.), What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday, Pan Macmillan, 27 June 2017, 32pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9781509837328 Animals, rollicking rhymes and lashings of glitter make this book a winner on all fronts. The ladybird of few words is on holiday in this jaunty sequel and taking in all the sights, from the parks and the palace, to the shops and the zoo. At the zoo, she meets a cacophonous bunch of animals, in the same vein as the farmyard creatures in the first book. But then, the ladybird recognises the farmyard crooks, Lanky Len and…
Gary Northfield, Bundle with the Britons! (Julius Zebra #2), Walker Books Australia, 1 July 2017, 288pp., $12.99 (pbk), ISBN: 9781406373721 Julius Zebra is on top of the world. He’s the people’s champion of the Roman gladiator world and is swamped with fans wherever he goes. The Emperor Hadrian has promised to grant his freedom, after one last task involving a trip with his best buddies to a strange and exotic land, Britannia. But, after a stinky voyage by sea, Julius and his gang of quirky friends discover Britannia is not quite the holiday destination they had in mind. The locals are…
Michelle Worthington (text), Andrew Plant (illus.), Glitch, Ford Street, July 2017, 32pp., $24.95 (hbk), ISBN: 9781925272703 Glitch is a creative little bug with a nervous twitch. Full of fabulous ideas, he makes wonderful new things out of old, recycled scraps from the rubbish dump where he lives. His aim is to make the best billycart ever, so he and his friend, June, can win the annual race. Each year they enter, but they have never finished a race because of Glitch’s twitchiness. June, who is calm and patient, is always encouraging and, this year, she is determined to see Glitch drive…
Winnie Salamon, Pretty Girls Don’t Eat, Ford Street, July 2017, 208pp., $17.95 (pbk), ISBN: 9781925272772 At one time subjects such as youth suicide and eating disorders were considered taboo. In the last few months, movies such as 13 Reasons Why and To the Bone have attracted both praise and criticism, for addressing these complex issues. Some feel that these movies may act as triggers, or provide a ‘how to’ guide for those already teetering on the brink of dark paths, while others think by shining a light on these topics, discussions may be had and some of the misplaced ‘glamour’ associated…