We are thrilled to congratulate the booked-outers who have made the shortlist of the WA Premier’s Book Awards for 2016!

In the Children’s Books section we have Trace Balla who has been and her gorgeous graphic novel adventure Rivertime (Allen and Unwin, 2014), Elizabeth Honey (plus Alison Lester and the children of Gununa) for Our Island  (Viking, 2014), David Metzenthen and Michael Camilleri for One minute’s silence (Allen and Unwin, 2014) and Glenda Millard for  The Duck and the Darklings (Allen and Unwin 2014).

In the Young Adults section Nicole Hayes for One True Thing (pictured, Random House 2015), Sue Lawson for Freedom Ride (Black Dog Books, an imprint of Walker Books 2015) and Claire Zorn  for The Protected (University of Queensland Press 2014) all made the list.

We also have to give a shout out to Nakkiah Lui  who was shortlisted in the Scripts section for Kill the Messenger (Belvoir 2015).

Booked Out would like to wish all of these people our best wishes for the announcement of the awards!

Stay tuned to pba.slwa.wa.gov.au to keep up to date with the prize.

Past episodes have featured interviews from guests such as Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Carlton Board member Kate Jenkins, pioneering LGBTI advocate and ex-footballer Jason Ball, and footy journalist Sam Lane.

Earlier this year co-hosts Nicole Hayes and Alicia Sometimes edited the book From the Outer: Footy Like You’ve Never Heard It (Penguin), which brings together 30 personal stories about Aussie Rules from unexpected voices.

We think it’s pretty specky.

Booked Out would like to congratulate children’s author Corinne Fenton on a very special award!

Corinne’s picture book, Little Dog and the Christmas Wish was the inspiration for Myer’s 2015 Christmas window display, which was recently awarded second place at the Global Department Store Summit 2016 in the World’s Best Store Window Campaign at a Department Store. What a wonderful achievement!

The windows, set on Christmas Eve in Melbourne 1956, featured iconic local landmarks pictured in the book, such as Flinders Street Station, the Hopetoun Tea Rooms and the Skipping Girl neon sign.

The display was shown at both Melbourne’s Bourke Street store and Brisbane’s Queen Street store from November 10, 2015 – January 6, 2016.

Visual merchandiser Stage One has been responsible for Myer’s Christmas windows since 2010. To read more about the display, click here, or to read more about the Department Store Awards 2016, click here.

Image credit: Kid’s Book Review

A great line up of children’s authors and illustrators  were in attendance at the 12th National CBCA Conference last Friday & Saturday. Over 400 teachers, librarians and publishers from the four corners of Australia converged on sunny Sydney for  the event held at the Menzies Hotel.  A bonus for attendees was that the Sydney Writers Festival was held on the same weekend .

Its out! The CBCA Book of the Year shortlist has been announced, and some fine books have made the cut.

Congratulations to the following authors that we have the honor of working with.

Early Childhood

The Cow Tripped Over The Moon – Tony Wilson (Illust: Laura Wood)

Perfect – Danny Parker (Illust: Freya Blackwood)

Mr Huff – Anna Walker

Older Readers

The Flywheel – Erin Gough

Freedom Ride – Sue Lawson

Cloudwish – Fiona Wood

Younger Readers

The Cleo Stories: A Friend and a Pet – Libby Gleeson (Illust: Freya Blackwood)

Soon – Morris Gleitzman

Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars – Martine Murray

The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

We are the Rebels: the Men and Women who made Eureka – Clare Wright

Check out the full list HERE

Booked Out would like to congratulate the winners of the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, including Booked Outer Alice Pung, whose novel Laurinda (Black Inc.) won the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature. Well Done!

Thirty judges had the formidable task of deciding upon a winner from a record 500 entries, selecting Indigenous writer Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu (Magabala Books) as Book of the Year. The culturally significant work, which uses the journals of early explorers to challenge the dominant narrative about the nature of pre-colonial Aboriginal culture was also awarded the first ever Indigenous Writers Prize.

We would also like to congratulate the following Book Outers who made the shortlist:

• Abdi Aden & Robert Hillman, Shining: The Story of a Lucky Man (HarperCollins) – Multicultural NSW Award
• Tony Birch, Ghost River (University of Queensland Press) – Christina Stead Prize for Fiction & Indigenous Writer’s Prize
• Brian Falkner, Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo (Pan Macmillan) – Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult’s Literature
• Sue Lawson, Freedom Ride (Black Dog Books) – Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult’s Literature
• Gabrielle Williams, The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and his Ex (Allen & Unwin) – Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult’s Literature

The Team at Booked Out look forward to reading our way through this impressive selection of Australian stories!

Nova Weetman’s latest book, The Secrets We Keep, was introduced to the world this past Saturday at The Little Bookroom.

Here is a little about the book:

Clem Timmins lost everything when her house burned down – her clothes, her stuff … and her mum. She has to move to a tiny flat with her dad, and to make things worse, she’s starting at a new school where she doesn’t know anyone.

When Clem meets Ellie, she thinks she’s found a friend, but will a little white lie about what happened to her mum ruin their burgeoning friendship? How can Clem tell Ellie the truth, when she can’t face it herself?

The The Secrets We Keep is published by U.Q.P and is great for junior secondary readers.

Nova Weetman is a writer for YA audiences, short non-fiction and fiction for various literary magazines and online publications. She is available for workshops on how to develop a ‘Choose Your Own’ story and Ghost Story using 3-act Film Structure.

You can read more about Nova Here, and The Secrets We Keep Here

A balmy Autumn evening in Melbourne this week saw the CBCA host a Night of Notables at the beautiful Library at the Dock.

Many authors and illustrators and publishers were there to celebrate the 90 books chosen.

It is an ultra long list instead of the usual short list announced in previous years at this time of year.

Author William Kostakis spoke about his work and generally everyone present agreed that Australia produces a multitude of wonderful books every year.

An actual short list will be released in May.

Pictured: William Kostakis – Author, Christine Oughtred – President CBC Victoria branch and Professor Margot Hillel – Chair of the CBCA

It’s NEW and it is OUT! The CBCA Notables List 2016 is a new initiative for the CBCA, and it forms the first round of books to certainly keep your eyes on!

There are so many fantastic books on the list, we have listed here the Booked Outers who have made the list….

The Book of the Year: Early Childhood

The Cow Tripped Over The Moon – Tony Wilson (Illust: Laura Wood)
Puddles are for Jumping – Kylie Dunstan
What Do You Wish For?– Jane Godwin (Illust: Anna Walker)
Hop Up! Wriggle Over! – Elizabeth Honey
Perfect – Danny Parker (Illust: Freya Blackwood)
Alfie’s Lost Sharkie – Anna Walker

The Picture Book of the Year

Eye to Eye – Graeme Base (Text: Graeme Base)
Perfect – Freya Blackwood (Text: Danny Parker)
Adelaide’s Secret World – Elise Hurst (Text: Elise Hurst) (pictured)
Why I Love Footy – Tom Jellett (Text: Michael Wagner)
Bob the Railway Dog – Andrew McLean (Text: Corinne Fenton)
Where’s Jessie? – Anne Spudvilas (Text: Janeen Brian)
Mr Huff – Anna Walker (Text: Anna Walker)

The Book of the Year: Younger Readers

The Cleo Stories: A Friend and a Pet – Libby Gleeson (Illust: Freya Blackwood)
Soon – Morris Gleitzman
The Cut Out – Jack Heath
300 Minutes of Danger – Jack Heath
Bridget: A New Australian – James Moloney
Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars – Martine Murray
Helix and the Arrival – Damean Posner (Illust: Jules Faber)
The Fourteenth Summer of Angus Jack – Jen Storer (Illust: Lucinda Gifford)
The Hush Treasure Book – Karen Tayleur (Cover Illust: Kevin Burgemeestre) (with contributions by Kevin Burgemeestre, Michael Camilleri, Jackie French, Jane Godwin, Danny Katz, Doug McLeod, Glenda Millard, Tohby Riddle, Craig Smith,  Mitch Vane,  Anna Walker among many more)

The Book of the Year: Older Readers

The Flywheel – Erin Gough
One True Thing – Nicole Hayes
Freedom Ride – Sue Lawson
The Beauty is in the Walking – James Moloney
For the Forest of the Bird – Sue Saliba
The Guy, the Girl, the Artist and His Ex – Gabrielle Williams
Cloudwish – Fiona Wood

The Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Prehistoric Marine Life in Australia’s Inland Sea – Danielle Clode
Australian Kids Through the Years – Tania McCartney (Illust: Andrew Joyner)
Atmospheric: The Burning Story of Climate Change – Carole Wilkinson
We are the Rebels: the Men and Women who made Eureka – Clare Wright
Alice’s Food A – Z – Alice Zaslavsky

To keep up to date with all the CBCA Book of the Year action, put these dates in your diary:

The Short List will be then announced on Friday May 20
and (drumroll please)….

The Winners will be annouced on Friday August 19.

Happy reading everyone… there are a lot to get through before August!

Booked Outer Ben Wood has been busy drawing up a storm – you may recognise his work from the popular new Squishy Taylor series, which launched earlier this year. Recently, Ben was interviewed by the Kids’ Book Review – to hear more about his life as an illustrator and to catch up on what he’s been up to, click here!

(Speaking of Squishy Taylor – Hardie Grant Egmont is running a super special competition where Squishy fans will have the chance to win a bike, their own height in books, and much more – to enter, click here!)

Ben will be participating in the Sydney Writers Festival’s Storytime Clubhouse event on Sunday, 22 May from 3:00 – 3:30 pm at the Bangarra Studio Theatre. Settle in to a beanbag and enjoy some some stories from the man behind the playful illustrations in the Squishy Taylor series, as well as picture book titles such as Small and Big, Underneath a Cow, and The Bush Book Club.

Ben will also be touring interstate later in 2016. You can catch him in Queensland from 22 – 26 August, and in Melbourne from 29 August – 2 September.

Photo credit: Kathy Luu Photography