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Archive for August, 2015

CBCA Awards 2015

It is that time of year again, the Children’s Book Council of Australia has announced its award winners. So for you information here they are:

OLDER READERS

WINNER

The ProtectedTitle: The Protected

By: Claire Zorn

Publisher: University of Queensland

ISBN: 780702250194

HONOUR BOOKS

Nona and Me

Title: Nona & Me

By: Clare Atkins

Publisher: Black Inc

ISBN: 9781863956895

The Minnow

Title: The Minnow

By: Diana Sweeney

Publisher: Text Publishing

ISBN: 9781922182012

YOUNGER READERS

WINNER

The Cleo Stories

Title: The Cleo Stories: The Necklace and the Present

By: Libby Gleeson,  Ill. Freya Blackwood

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

ISBN: 9781743315279

HONOUR BOOKS

Two Wolves

Title: Two Wolves

By: Tristan Banks

Publisher: Random House Australia

ISBN: 9780857982032

Withering-by-Sea

Title: Withering-by-Sea: a Stella Montgomery Intrigue

By: Judith Rossell

Publisher: ABC Books, Harper Collins Publishers

ISBN: 9780733333002

EARLY CHILDHOOD

WINNER

Go to Sleep Jessie

Title: Go To Sleep Jessie!

By: Libby Gleeson,  Ill. Freya Blackwood

Publisher: Little Hare, Hardie Grant Egmont

ISBN: 9781742977805

HONOUR BOOKS

Scary Night

Title: Scary Night

By: Lesley Gibbs Ill. Stephen Michael King

Publisher: Working Title Press

ISBN: 9781921504631

Noni the Pony

Title: Noni the Pony Goes to the Beach

By: Alison Lester

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

ISBN: 9781743311141

PICTURE BOOKS
WINNER

My Two Blankets

Title: My Two Blankets

By: Irena Lobald Ill. Freya Blackwood

Publisher: Little Hare, Hardie Grant Egmont

ISBN: 9781921714764

HONOUR BOOKS

 
One Minute's Silence

Title: One Minute’s Silence

By: David Metzenthen, Ill. Michael Camilleri

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

ISBN: 9781743316245

the-stone-lion

Title: The Stone Lion

By: Margaret Wild, Ill. Ritva Voutila

Publisher: Little Hare, Hardie Grant Egmont

ISBN: 9781921894855

EVE POWNALL AWARD FOR INFORMATION BOOKS

WINNER

A-Z of Convicts

Title: A-Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land

By: Simon Barnard

Publisher: Text Publishing

ISBN: 9781922079343

HONOUR BOOKS

Tea and Sugar Christmas

Title: Tea and Sugar Christmas

By: Jane Jolly, Ill. Robert Ingpen

Publisher: National Library of Australia

ISBN: 9780642278630

Audacity

Title: Audacity: Stories of Heroic Australians in Wartime

By: Carlie Walker

Publisher: Department of Veterans’ Affairs

ISBN: 9781877007934

There you have it, a huge congrats to all the winners and to all the nominees as well.

 

 

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News

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13 Days of Midnight

I received my copy from the publisher
thirteen-days-of-midnight
By: Leo Hunt

Luke Manchette is just like any other teenager from a broken home, he loves his mum and barely knows his dad. Unlike most teenagers his dad is sort of famous and Luke does everything he can to distance himself from the reality tv show host because let’s face it ghost hunting isn’t a cool thing. Then his dad dies and Luke discovers that he has inherited six million dollars but to get it he has to sign some papers he doesn’t understand. Signing something you don’t understand is never a good thing though and Luke finds he has also inherited 8 ghosts who would like nothing better than to be free and for that to happen Luke has to be dead. A pretty serious problem to have and one that throws his life into turmoil. He has 13 days before the ghosts will be at the height of their power and will use every dark magic trick they know to end him.
This story is intriguing. It’s dark overtones a big draw card because quite honestly there is nothing much to like about Luke. How reality and the supernatural interact is well done and makes for a more interesting tale. The addition of Elza is good because she balances Luke out even though she is a little cliched. All in all I enjoyed this book and it’s worth a look if you like ghosts stories and the supernatural.
Suggested age 10+.
Publisher: Orchard Books
Published: 2nd July 2015
Format: Paperback 379 pages
Genre: Supernatural, Adventure
ISBN:9781408337462

Category:

Fiction 8-12

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The Rest of Us Just Live Here

I received my copy from the publisher
the-rest-of-us-just-live-here
By: Patrick Ness

Life for a high school student is filled with stresses related to dating and exam scores and that is how it should be, not everyone can be a chosen one. Not everyone is the one who has to face the zombies, kill the vampires or defeat whatever the latest threat to a town might be. Stories are always told of those people but what of those who share the town with them. This is the story of those whose lives go on at the edges or outside all that action. To Mikey though that is as it should be. Mikey just wants to graduate, get the chance to go to prom before the high school gym gets blown up again and maybe kiss the girl. This is life.
This book is a wonderfully engaging story. As a counterpoint to Mikey’s life we do get hints as to what is happening in the extraordinary world, but so what? Mikey’s life is interesting, filled with stresses that we can all identify with. (Well apart from a mother who basks in the spotlight of fame.) Mikey has a close group of friends, is protective of his sisters and protective of his best friends secret, no small ask when that friend might be something pretty spectacular, such as a god. Then of course there is the girl he believes he should be with and the guy she seems to fancy.
Ness has taken the concept of a story about the spectacular or supernatural and turned it on its head. In the process he has given us a wonderful tale rooted in the mundane, it is a highly relatable tale dealing with depression, mental health issues and eating disorders. There are some serious topics packaged here and as always Ness deals with them in a manner that makes them seem less taboo. Once again Patrick Ness has proven what a masterful story teller he is.
Highly recommended.
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: 27th August 2015
Format: hard cover 352 pages
Genre: fantasy, high school, growing up, friendship
ISBN: 9781406331165

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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Battle Magic

battle-magic
By: Tamora Pierce

Briar, Rosethorn and Evvy and visiting the mountain kingdom of Gyongxe, a mystical country filled with temples of many religions, the very earth is filled with power. Before there time is up though they are summonsed to visit the Emperor of Yanjing under the pretense of seeing his glorious gardens.
Things are not as peaceful and pleasant as the emperor attempts to make things seem on the surface. The mages sense and see things they do not like, amongst them the treatment of certain individuals, the emperor’s dark cruelty, a huge army and throng magic that underlies it all, keeping it all together. Unwilling to stay they leave and discover the Emperor as about to launch an attack on Gyongxe and he will do anything to stop the visiting mages from joining the other side. This is omething Rosethorn cannot allow as she has vowed to defend the First Temple of the Living Circle and where Rosethorn is bound to go Briar will not be far away, even if they do get separated for a while.
Another wonderful addition to the world first bought to us in the Circle Of Magic series. This is perhaps though, the darkest and bloodiest of the books, dealing as it does with genocide and war. Pierce uses this context to push her characters through emotional arcs that will forever change them. I won’t go too much into what they go through, the individual things they experience, because that would detract too much from the read itself, and it would be too easy to unintentionally leave spoilers. Rosethorn’s steadfastness, Briar’s stubborn loyalty and Evvy’s wonder and enthusiasm are still there shining through the whole time.
A bigger book than the other circle books but just as un-put downable.
Highly recommended.
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 1st Oct 2013
Format: Paperback, 464 pages
Genre: Fantasy
ISBN: 9781742990170

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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Stone Rider

I received my copy from the publisher.
stone-rider
By: David Hofmeyr

Adam Stone wants nothing more than to escape Blackwater, the hole of a town that he lives in. He longs for something more, something better, and if Sadie Blood is part of that then all the better. The thing is there are only two ways out of Blackwater, death or riding in the brutal Blackwater Trail. The race is harsh, desert environs, savages and the other competitors. The competition is so fierce because the prize is a one way ticket to Sky-Base, a place of freedom, health and luxury.
Adam wants to ride but he has to overcome his fears to get to the starting line. Then he has to overcome everything else. He believes he has to ride the race alone, but things soon change and he ends up alongside Sadie and outsider Kane. Will Adam overcome his fears and find his courage and will any of them make it to the end?
This is a dystopian book with a very immediate goal. Setting the events around the race give it tension because time is limited. The world Hofmeyr has created is a bleak one. Parched desert, a people downtrodden and filled with anything but hope. This world, though some sort of post apocalyptic is also filled with futuristic touches – the bikes that meld with the rider, tech implants, robots, non terrestrial transport and living.
Adam is very definitely an underdog. He is bullied, withdrawn and has a condition that only makes his life harder. Sadie is a strong willed girl who is determined to separate herself from her own legacy, and Adam’s attraction to her is strong but doesn’t overwhelm the plot, in some places it very much drives it. Kane gives the story a darker twist, who is he and where does he fit.
A fast paced and entertaining read. I really enjoyed it and recommend it for those who like dystopian or action stories.
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 24th June 2015
Format: Paperback 305 pages
Genre: Action, Dystopian
ISBN: 9780141354439

Category:

Young Adult Fiction

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I’m Back

I'm_back_baby!
Hi again book fans,
I have been hugely busy working on a special project but now that deadline has been met I can get back into things and I have some wonderful books to share with you all.
So let’s get back into it with some new titles and some old favourites.

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News

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