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28 March 2017
Congratulations to our Wonderful Authors and Illustrators!
Profiles:
Congratulations to all those who made it onto the short list for The Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year 2017! A special shout out to our speakers Zana Fraillon, Cath Crowley and Claire Zorn, all champions in the Older Readers category, and to Trace Balla, Wendy Orr, Kate Temple and Bruce Pascoe in the Younger Readers’ division. And finally to Kylie Dunstan for her early childhood sensation ‘Nannie Loves.’
We also want to mention our incredible illustrator, Lance Balchin, who made the shortlist for both Picture Book of the Year 2017 and the Crichton Award 2017, and the wonderful Maree Coote and Neridah McMullin for the Information Books category.
Well done everyone!
27 March 2017
Deakin Research Finds Morris Gleitzman still a Favourite for Young Readers
Profiles:
As part of the Teen Reading in the Digital Era project, researchers from the University of Deakin have found that Morris Gleitzman has maintained his popularity amongst the nation’s younger readers.
Interestingly, the study also found that printed texts are still the preferred medium for reading, despite the rise of digital-based materials like e-books and e-readers.
In terms of local authors, the results found that Morris Gleitzman, author of the ‘Once’ series, was still a national favourite among teen readers. Andy Griffith, author of ‘Treehouse’ series came second and our national treasure and ’Tomorrow’-series author, John Marsden, came in third.
Topping the international category, ‘Harry Potter’ creator J K Rowling continues to dominate, while Suzanne Collins, author of ‘The Hunger Games’ series came in second. Jeff Kinney, author of ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ claimed third place.
The study, aimed at generating insights into the reading habits and preferences of Australian teenagers, was sourced from a survey of 500 Australian teens on their favourite books and series. Although small, its findings give hope for the future of traditional printed literature in the digital era.
For more information and progress of the Deakin study click here:
For a full list of favorites, go to the Books & Publishing website:
7 March 2017
Voss Literary Prize Winner… Leah Kaminsky!
Profiles:
Voss Literary Prize Winner… Leah Kaminsky!
Leah Kaminsky spent years writing her fictional debut, The Waiting Room. The story follows a doctor, Dina, plagued by the painful memories of growing up as the daughter of Holocaust survivors in Melbourne who finds herself in Israel hoping to build a new life. Grappling with the impossible demands of patients, beginning a family, a marriage that seems to be falling apart, through haunting memories the story reaches back into the deep past.
The Waiting Room is a powerful tale that took out the Voss Literary Prize for 2016 and we are excited to share some of the Author’s story. Leah Kaminsky is a doctor who has worked as a family physician for over three decades; her work covers themes of health, illness, trauma and war, and the power of story is something she is deeply passionate about.
Leah is now available for more bookings and is able to run sessions and workshops on a wide range of topics – her medical background coupled with creative writing make her speaking especially interesting.
Congratulations Leah!
1 March 2017
Night of Notables: The CBCA Notables list is announced!
Profiles:
Last night we were thrilled to get along to the Night of Notables, a bubbling evening which included the announcement of the Notable list for the CBCA Book of the Year awards. We heard from Susan LaMarca about the rigorous evaluation and heartache experienced by Book of the Year judges, and Shaun Tan reflecting on the process from the creatives’ perspective.
To capture just a snippet of the wonderful books and the creatives behind them, here is the list of notables for the Older Readers category for 2017:
The Hounded
Simon Butters
Wakefield Press
ISBN: 9781743053959
22 February 2017
Authors in Action: Robert Newton, Felice Arena and Tristan Bancks at The Little Bookroom
Profiles:
Thanks to The Little Bookroom for playing host to three of our favourites, Felice Arena, Robert Newton and Tristan Bancks.
New books, firefighting stories and a free dance lesson!
9 February 2017
New book alert: A Footy Girl’s Guide to the Stars of 2017!
Profiles:
This week, Book Outers Alicia Sometimes and Nicole Hayes released their much-anticipated ‘A Footy Girl’s Guide to the Stars of 2017’!
This fantastic book profiles some of the amazing players taking part in the AFL Women’s very first season, including Daisy Pearce, Darcy Vescio, Kara Juddy Donnellan, and Sabrina Frederick-Traub.
For even more women’s footy goodness, listen to The Outer Sanctum Podcast too – season 2 has just kicked off!
8 February 2017
Readings: Australian books to get excited about in the first half of 2017
Profiles:
Now that we have burned through our summer reading lists (well almost, anyway…) here’s some inspiration for your autumnal must-reads!
Readings have compiled this handy list of Australian books to get excited about in the first half of 2017, featuring a swag of Booked Outers including Davina Bell, Nicole Hayes, Lia Hills, Tristan Bancks Author, Alex Miles, and Felice Arena!
7 February 2017
Congratulations Demet Divaroren on your debut novel, Living on Hope Street!
Profiles:
Finally, the date is approaching us! Demet Divaroren’s long awaited debut novel, Living on Hope Street, will be on the shelves in June. Read more about the story set in the multicultural outskirts of Melbourne on her website: http://www.demetdivaroren.com/portfolio/debut-novel/
The wonderful Oliver Phommavanh on getting kids excited about reading – watch the clip below!
1 February 2017
The Victorian Premier Literary Awards for 2017 have been announced!
Profiles:
A massive congratulations to our speaker Randa Abdel-Fattah for winning the Writing for Young Adults Award and the People’s Choice award for her book When Michael Met Mina.
You can see the full list of winners on the Readings website through the link below…
