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contents
Editor's letter In the second issue of Junior we explore some of the trends in children’s books that are getting people talking.
Daniela Perinac writes about the prevalence of gender stereotyping in junior fiction, and whether it is helpful or harmful; Ritz Yazdani considers the market for contemporary editions of children’s classics following the launch of Vintage Children’s Classics; and Heath Graham finds out how schools are using ebooks in their libraries and classrooms. Our reviewers consider 13 forthcoming children’s and YA titles, including a number of highly rated picture books, with more reviews published onlne at www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au. There are also interviews with Dianne Touchell, who has written a YA novel called Creepy & Maud, and Derek Landy, author of the ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ series; a feature on Christmas releases, a bookseller's diary and our regular book bites. Happy reading! —Andrea Hanke, editor
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Features
6 Classics for kids
Rita Yazdani investigates the market for contemporary editions of children’s classics
7 A window to the teenage soul
Kate Sunners asks Dianne Touchell about her YA novel Creepy & Maud
8 Santa baby
What will the kids be reading this Christmas?
10 Busy little Beecrofts
Paul Macdonald from The Children’s Bookshop in Beecroft shares his bookseller’s diary
11 Ebooks enter the classroom
Heath Graham describes some of the options for school libraries delivering ebooks
On the cover
‘Newsome has delivered yet another thrilling instalment, and I am immensely glad he decided not to stop at a trilogy.’ Read Anne Copeland’s review of The Crystal Code: The Billionaire Series Book Four (Richard Newsome, Text, September) on page 16.
12 Pirates and princesses
Daniela Perinac discusses gender stereotyping in junior fiction
OCTOBER 2012
the
Win AIR E’ BILL ION e. AME A ‘I BEC etails insid etition—d comp
To celebrate the October release of The Crystal Code, Text Publishing will give one lucky school $1,100 to spend in your bookshop!
Departments 4 News 5 On tour 13 Reviews 17 Book bites
The I Became a Billionaire writing competition is open to students aged 10-13 years. The winner’s school will receive a $1,000 credit voucher and the winning writer a $100 credit voucher to spend in your bookshop, courtesy of Text Publishing. So, start spreading the news to schools and kids in your community. For details and entry forms visit textpublishing.com.au/ya
News
Junior is a supplement of Bookseller+Publisher Established 1921 Published by Thorpe-Bowker PO Box 6509, St Kilda Road Central Vic 8008 (Level 1, 607 St Kilda Road, Melbourne 3004) Tel: (03) 8517-8333 Fax: (03) 8517-8399 bookseller.publisher@thorpe.com.au ©2012 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors ISSN 1833-5799 ABN 77 097 830 745 Editor-in-chief: Matthia Dempsey Tel: (03) 8517-8351 matthia.dempsey@thorpe.com.au Editor: Andrea Hanke Tel: (03) 8517-8347 andrea.hanke@thorpe.com.au Publishing assistant: Andrew Wrathall Tel: (03) 8517-8356 andrew.wrathall@thorpe.com.au Journalist: Eloise Keating Tel: (03) 8517-8363 eloise.keating@thorpe.com.au Contributors: Heath Graham, Margaret Hamilton, Meghann Laverick, Paul Macdonald, Daniela Perinac, Lucy Stewart, Kate Sunners, Rita Yazdani Design/production manager: Silvana Paolini production@thorpe.com.au Advertising: Marc Wilson Tel: (03) 8517-8357 advertising@thorpe.com.au
A round-up of news and events in
the children’s and YA book industry
PM’s Literary Awards winners announced Goodnight, Mice! by Frances Watts and Judy Watson (ABC Books) has won the children’s fiction category in this year’s Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, announced in July. The prize for young-adult fiction was presented to When We Were Two by Robert Newton (Penguin). The winners each picked up a tax-free cash prize of $80,000.
Zac and Mia wins 2012 Text Prize Perth writer A J Betts has won this year’s Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing for her manuscript Zac and Mia. Betts was presented with the prize at an event in Melbourne on 17 July. Betts has won a $10,000 advance against royalties as well as a publishing contract with Text, which will publish Zac and Mia in August 2013.
Betts’ novel, which tells the story of a friendship between two teenage patients who meet in a Perth hospital, was selected from a shortlist of three titles, which also included Heart of Brass by Louise Curtis and Painting Phantoms by Skye Melki-Wegner. Betts is the author of two other young-adult novels, ShutterSpeed and Wavelength, both published by Fremantle Press.
Two Little Bugs named best book at PANZ Book Design Awards CAB Member
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Subscriptions: Tel: (03) 8517-8333 subscriptions@thorpe.com.au
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General manager: Gary Pengelly Tel: (03) 8517-8345 gary.pengelly@thorpe.com.au Annual subscription: Subscribe for $195 (ex-GST) for six print issues of Bookseller+Publisher magazine, 49 issues of Bookseller+Publisher’s Weekly Book Newsletter and full access to www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au Thorpe-Bowker is a division of R R Bowker LLC. The inclusion of advertisements in Bookseller+Publisher, including the front cover, does not imply endorsement of the advertised goods or services by Thorpe-Bowker. Issue 2 2012
THORPE-
Search, Discover, Connect
Two Little Bugs by Mark and Rowan Sommerset (Dreamboat Books) has won the Gerard Reid Award for Best Book at this year’s Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) Book Design Awards. The picture book also won the Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book at the awards, which were presented in July. Go online to www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au for more PANZ Book Design Awards winners.
Literature Centre enters into $600,000 partnership with BHP Billiton
The Literature Centre in Fremantle will use new funding from BHP Billiton to extend its programs into regional areas in Western Australia. The mining company will invest $600,000 in the centre over three years as a result of the new partnership, which was formally announced in May. The centre’s marketing and sponsorship manager Nicole Clarke told Bookseller+Publisher that this is the centre’s ‘first partnership and commitment of this nature from the corporate sector’ and that both
parties ‘are thrilled to be working together’. The new funds will be used to pay for quarterly visits to schools in Port Hedland and Newman to deliver the centre’s ‘Talented Young Writers Program’, which already visits schools in Fremantle, Bunbury, Albany and Geraldton. The funds will also help the centre continue its current metropolitan schools program, as well as fund 2012 National Year of Reading events with Australian Children’s Laureate Boori Monty Pryor.
Softlink to offer OverDrive Read in Australia Australian schools, libraries and organisations that partner with Softlink will soon have access to OverDrive’s new browser-based ereading platform, OverDrive Read. Softlink will offer the new platform through its distribution arrangement with OverDrive. the platform is based on the HTML5 ereading
technology developed by local ebook platform provider Booki.sh, which was acquired by OverDrive earlier this year. The OverDrive Read platform allows readers to read ebooks online and offline through standard web browsers and does not require particular software or devices.
On tour
Meet
the Author
Derek Landy
What is the silliest question you’ve ever been asked on a book tour? ‘Have you ever been in a fight with another writer?’ The answer was no, but not because I hadn’t tried … And the most profound? ‘What’s your favourite cheese?’
What was the defining book of your childhood? It’d be a toss-up between ‘The Three Investigators’ and ‘Encyclopedia Brown’ series. However, the real winner is the ‘Spider-Man’ comic. Comics taught me to read, and great comic writers can achieve in 22 pages (with art) what some writers fail to achieve in 400 pages of prose. Which is your favourite bookstore? Whatever one I happen to be in at any given moment …
Facebook or Twitter? Facebook. I barely understand Twitter. If I were a literary character I’d be … Pretty annoyed. In 50 years’ time books will be … A more up-market version of the ebook. Also, most of them will be about skeletons, because by then the revolution will have kicked in, so … just warning you. Derek Landy is travelling to Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne in August. The seventh book in the ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ series is Kingdom of the Wicked (HarperCollins).
CBCA shortlist regular, Meg McKinlay, and internationally renowned street artist, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, rekindle the magic of the world outside.
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Get some monkey magic with this quirky tale about a monkey who flees home to avoid a never-ending supply of bananas.
As read on Playschool, this beautiful Indigenous picture book is now available in paperback.
Issue 2
Find us on Facebook • For teaching notes, colouring-in sheets and activities go to fremantlepress.com.au
JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER
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What are you reading right now? Edge of Dark Water by Joe R Lansdale (Hodder), Blood Loss by Alex Barclay (HarperCollins) and I, Partridge by Alan Partridge (HarperCollins).
What was the last book you read and loved? The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (Victor Gollancz). I never liked fantasy until I read his books, and he led me straight to ‘A Game of Thrones’, which I shall always be grateful for …
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What would you put on a shelf-talker for your latest book? Thrills! Spills! No frills! Skulduggery and Valkyrie are back once again and must take down a being of god-like power—without falling to the dark side themselves …
2012
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Feature
Classics for kids
Is there a market for contemporary editions of children’s classics? Publishers seem to think so. Rita Yazdani investigates.
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n August, Random House launched the first 23 titles in its Vintage Children’s Classics list. Aimed at kids aged eight to 12, the list includes out-of-copyright classics as well as contemporary children’s novels exclusive to the publisher, such as Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Local authors are also represented, with Marian Musgrove’s The Worry Tree and Deborah Abela’s The Remarkable Secret of Aurelie Bonhoff included in the list. Further books will be released later in the year. The titles, which are available in both print and ebook format, include additional backstory information, quizzes and activities. The publisher has also launched an interactive website with further downloadable material. Random House says the strategy is based on research that shows children like to ‘prolong their experiences of favourite characters or fantasy worlds’. The Vintage list enters a growing market of kids classics that includes Sterling Classics, Classic Starts, Collins Classics, Oxford Children’s Classics, A&R Classics, Ladybird Classics and Walker Books’ illustrated classics. In 2013 this list will also include Text Classics, with Text Publishing planning to include books for younger readers in its next batch of classics. The publisher is currently putting together a list of possible titles based on staff favourites and readers’ suggestions, and will be guided by the ‘quality of the storytelling’ with an emphasis on Australian literature, says editorial manager Emily Booth.
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Pride and Prejudice and pre-schoolers Soon children as young as ‘0+’ will be able to enjoy the classics with the release of Cozy Classics’ board books. Each title is condensed to ‘12 baby-friendly words’ and illustrated with photos of needlefelted objects. The first two books in the series are Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Jack & Holman Wang, Simply Read Books, dist by NewSouth, September), priced at $12.99.
Random House’s biggest competitor, however, will be Penguin, whose Puffin Classics dominate the market in price, design and range. Interestingly, the two series share the same price point ($9.95) and a number of titles, including perennial favourites Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, Black Beauty and The Wind in the Willows.
‘Grandparents make up an important market base for children’s classics’
Not just for kids Repackaged children’s classics are not just aimed at kids. Publishers are hoping the ‘nostalgic factor’ will appeal to adults who guide children’s reading choices and, most importantly, purchase the books. And it seems to be working. ‘Grandparents make up an important market base for children’s classics,’ says Paul Macdonald from The Children’s Bookshop in Sydney, and Elvira Ralston from Melbourne’s The Little Bookroom agrees. ‘Grandparents have real trouble keeping up with contemporary books and knowing what their grandchildren are reading, so classics are a great choice for them.’ The relatively low price point for children’s classics is also popular with nanna and pop, who may not be flush with cash. Both Puffin and Vintage have priced their classics at under $10, although some publishers’ hardcover classics are more expensive, with Walker Books’ illustrated classics peaking at $39.95. Book design is critical, especially to dispel the perception among kids that old equals dull. Vintage has focused on ‘colourful, characterdriven cover images, child-friendly copy and illustrations and maps throughout’. Text is also aiming for ‘fresh and appealing designs that will appeal to the young adult market’. And who wouldn’t pay an extra $10 for a Penguin Threads classic, says Ralston, who is a big fan of the $19.95 cloth-bound classics. ‘They are so pretty and inviting that children can’t help but pick them up.’
—Paul Macdonald,
The Children’s
Bookshop
As for future classics, Macdonald thinks R J Palacio’s Wonder should definitely be considered, while Ralston finds it hard to nominate just the one title. ‘I would absolutely love to see a range of beautifully cloth-bound Australian classics including authors like Ruth Park, Nan Chauncy, Colin Thiele, John Marsden, Sonya Hartnett, Robin Klein, Melina Marchetta, Ethel Turner, Joan Lindsay and Tim Winton,’ she says.
New covers for Enid Blyton Enid Blyton’s ‘The Famous Five’ series is also getting a makeover—but, thankfully, not to the language, which remains marvellously jolly. To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the classic series, UK illustrators Quentin Blake, Helen Oxenbury, Emma Chichester-Clark, Oliver Jeffers and Chris Riddell have each designed a limited-edition cover, which will be available for one year. The books are published by Hodder and priced at $15.99, and royalties will benefit the charity The House of Illustration.
Interview
A window to the
teenage soul
Creepy & Maud is an unusual love story about a relationship conducted entirely through notes on a window. Reviewer Kate Sunners spoke to author Dianne Touchell. Creepy & Maud explores themes of status and expectations. Was this your intention from the start? I didn’t set out to write specifically about these themes but they have been companions throughout my life. Life is very much about status and expectations, and the most subtle examples of this are the most poignant. We seem to see this most explicitly in teenage years. Adults simply camouflage these elements of societal scrambling in ways more acceptable to the established norm. When the characters Creepy and Maud began to move about inside my head I recognised the significance of their separation from these norms, and also the emotional power of connecting with this sort of vulnerability. It takes great courage to be who you are, even if who you are in any given moment is damaged, defenceless and uncomfortable for others to be around. Maud is imprisoned by her parents’ expectations but they are imprisoned also, by failing their daughter and each other. Creepy’s parents have an exquisite, disturbing love game going on that has excluded him to the point of making him a watcher of other people’s relationships with limited ability to really connect because no-one has ever connected with him. Creepy and Maud’s connection is synchronicity. Status and expectations dissolved. Maud suffers from trichotillomania, which makes her pull out her hair when she’s stressed. Why did you decide to give her this condition? N
A woman’s hair is her glory. You can search multiple Western religious texts to discover this. Removing women’s hair has been used, throughout history, to shame and discipline them. This makes me think about the essence of a woman’s beauty. Where does this lie? Cutting can be hidden. As can anorexia. And many other obsessive compulsive self-harming behaviours. I chose a self-harm that was confronting to everyone who came in contact with it. A self-harm that is so visually brazen that responses to it are raw and as equally unconcealed and deliberate. This type of self-harm causes panic rather than compassion due to the expectations and status scrambling (i.e. Maud’s mother feels the shame and discipline so much more acutely than Maud herself). Maud is so much more than her compulsion—something only seen by a boy equally (though differently) disowned.
be diminished). However, I felt that the element of epigrams offered a whisper of history—that is, you’re not alone. Others have felt this, survived this, and continued.
Several chapters open with quotes from songwriters. Did you write these chapters to reflect their themes or did you choose the quotes after writing? I chose the quotes after writing. I wrote a story that has been written many ways for many years—the story of vulnerability and risk. Do we risk connecting with another human being? That’s for individuals to decide. So I thought, to begin each chapter, I would pop in the voice of another individual. Every teenager thinks they are the first to feel what they feel—as they should (every feeling is unique and separate and cannot
Creepy & Maud is published by Fremantle Press in October. See review, page 16.
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Maud is in love with the five-syllable sentence. Is there anything in particular about language that you love? Everything. Have you read a sentence that leaves goose bumps in your bone marrow? That’s the rhythm of it. Of course for Maud the obsession with the fives is related to her obsessive compulsive behaviour—but it is more than this. Why does a Bach counterpoint sooth and delight us? It is the math of it. Rhythm grounds us—we breathe rhythmically, walk rhythmically, speak rhythmically—we just don’t recognise it.
What was the last book you read and loved? This was a re-read: Happy as Larry by Scot Gardner (A&U). Perfect.
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JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER Issue 2 2012
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Feature: Christmas
Santa baby
Meghann Laverick rounds up some Christmas picks for kids Picture books Nonfiction treats
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ow Cars Work by Nick Arnold and Allan Sanders (Walker Books, December) is a great book for mechanically-minded kids aged seven and up, and includes 10 working models for them to build.
For budding chefs who also like to venture outdoors, The Garden Cook (Murdoch Books, November) is sure to be a hit. It’s written by former MasterChef contestant Fiona Inglis and is full of tips and recipes for growing and cooking food, aimed at kids aged eight to 13. Lonely Planet has several new titles in its ‘Not-For-Parents’ series for little adventurers (aged eight to 12). Not-For-Parents: How to be a World Explorer and Not-for-Parents: Extreme Planet are both due out in November, along with ‘Not-for-Parents’ editions for the US, UK, Australia and China.
Especially for Christmas
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ackie French and Bruce Whatley have written a festive follow-up to Queen Victoria’s Underpants, called Queen Victoria’s Christmas (HarperCollins, October), narrated by the Queen’s two dogs.
The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas (Colin Buchanan & Glen Singleton, Scholastic, October) gives the popular carol an Aussie twist (with a bonus CD), and there’s more festive fun in There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Star (P Crumble & Louis Shea, Scholastic, October). The Gift by Penny Matthews and Mark McKenna (Omnibus Books, October) is a touching story about a plain brown bear in a shopful of flashy Christmas toys. For a uniquely Australian tale you can’t go past Josie Wowolla Boyle and Fern Martins’ Bubbay (Magabala, October), a story of hope and magic in the outback; and a new edition of Emily Rodda and Danny Snell’s The Long Way Home (Working Title, October), about a sugar glider trying to get home for Christmas. Where’s Wally? Santa Spectacular (Martin Handford, Walker Books, October), Where’s Santa? (Lous Shea, Scholastic, October) and Where Are Santa’s Pants? (Martin Chatterton, Little Hare, October) promise to entertain the kids for hours; and Little, Brown is reissuing several popular festive titles: Santa’s Book of Names (David McPhail, October), Merry Christmas, Little One (Sandra Magsamen, October), The Twelve Days of Christmas (Jane Ray, October), The Night Before Christmas (Tony Mitton & Layn Marlow, October) and Priscilla and the Great Santa Search (Nathanial & Jocelyn Hobbie, October).
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rom the team behind Where’s the Green Sheep? comes Good Night Sleep Tight (Scholastic, October), Mem Fox’s picture-book classic, re-released with new illustrations by Judy Horacek. It’s sure to brighten any child’s stockings this Christmas.
Elephants feature prominently in two new picture books by muchloved authors. One is Graeme Base’s Little Elephants (Viking, October) and the other is Pamela Allen’s Mr McGee and the Elephants (Viking, September). Both will be published in hardcover. Inspired by a song by acclaimed New Zealand children’s performers Fatcat and Fishface, The Wreck of the Diddley (illus by Stephen Templar, Craig Potton Publishing, October) is a rollicking pirate’s tale, which comes with a sing-along CD. Also look out for Maisy’s Band (Lucy Cousins, Walker Books, October), a delightful lift-the-flaps and pull-thetabs picture book. And for something a little different: Jon Klassen, creator of the award-winning, internetmeme-ing picture-book I Want My Hat Back, has written a follow-up called This is Not My Hat (Walker Books, October). Subversive fun for all the family.
Young-adult fiction
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very Day (David Levithan, Text, September) follows the life of A, who wakes up in a different body and a different life every day. A deals with the situation by following the simple rule of never getting too attached. That is, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend Rhiannon. For young-adult readers looking for something a little different, this book should do the trick.
Bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater has begun a new series full of magic and romance, starting with The Raven Boys (Scholastic, September), while Laini Taylor has written a sequel to last year’s bestselling debut Daughter of Smoke and Bone, called Days of Blood and Starlight (Hodder, November). Andrew McGahan is back with Voyage of the Unquiet Ice (A&U, November), the second ‘Ship Kings’ novel, and Hidden (Atom, October) is another addition to P C and Kristen Cast’s ‘House of Night’ series. Some series are drawing to a dramatic close. The final book in Becca FitzPatrick’s ‘Hush, Hush’ series, appropriately named Finale (Scholastic), is due out in September, and Oblivion is the final book in Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Power of Five’ series (Walker Books), out in October. Finally, a modern classic: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is being turned into a film with ‘Harry Potter’ alumni Emma Watson in a starring role. A new film tie-in version is being published by Simon & Schuster in September.
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his Christmas it’s hard to go past a new series from Lemony
Fun and games
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here are plenty of activity books to keep kids busy over Christmas, including The Wallace and Gromit Creativity Book (Anna Bowles, Walker Books, November), which brings beloved characters back for a new generation, and The Ice Age Continental Drift Creativity Book (Emily Stead, Walker Books, November), which is being published to coincide with the new movie. You also can’t go past Jeannette Rowe’s Dinosauritis (A&U, October), a fun, rhyming story with plenty of jokes, facts and dinosaurthemed games.
Snickett, author of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’. Book one of ‘All the Wrong Questions’, called Who Could That Be at This Hour? (Hardie Grant Egmont), will be out in October. Fans of time travel? Look out for ‘Infinity Ring’, a multi-author, multi-platform series, to be kicked off by Mazerunner author James Dashner. His book, Mutiny in Time (Scholastic), will be out in September. ‘Battle Boy’ author Charlie Carter is also launching a series about an elite team of ‘time troopers’ sent back in time to solve a crime. Time Thieves (Pan Macmillan), the first book in the ‘Omega Squad’ series, is due out in September. Lots of popular series are getting new titles in time for Christmas. The 26-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (Pan Macmillan, September), the sequel to The 13-Storey Treehouse, is sure to be a hit. The Third Door (Omnibus, October) completes Emily Rodda’s ‘Three Doors’ trilogy, and Gabrielle Lord’s ‘Conspiracy 365’ series is also getting an update with Malice (Scholastic, October). Petra James’ Arkie Sparkle is back with Ruby Red (Pan Macmillan, October), and Chrissie Perry and Meredith Badger have added a new title to their bestselling series with Go Girl Angels (Hardie Grant Egmont, November). Rachel Renee Russell has written Dork Diaries #5 (S&S, October), and, after last year’s success with The Big Book of Billie, Sally Rippin is releasing another omnibus edition of Billie B Brown stories with The Big Book of Billie 2 (Hardie Grant Egmont, October). Finally, Colin Meloy’s Under Wildwood (Viking, October) is the sequel to last year’s acclaimed Wildwood.
Feature: Christmas
Junior fiction
For more Christmas ideas, turn to Junior’s reviews on page 13.
JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER Issue 1 2012
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Bookseller’s diary
Busy little Beecrofts
A 60-person function room, a 300-strong schools base and an artist-in-residence are all part of The Children’s Bookshop’s unique service. Owner Paul Macdonald shares his bookseller’s diary.
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he Children’s Bookshop in Beecroft was set up in 1971 by Robin Morrow and her mother Beryl Matthews and the shop quickly became a meeting place for all who cared about children’s books— parents, teachers, librarians, writers, illustrators and, of course, children. When I purchased the shop in 2005—only the third owner in its history—I knew that I wasn’t just purchasing a shop but a community centre, a meeting place, a hub. Before bookselling I worked for almost 20 years as an English teacher and occasional lecturer, and coordinated literary and dramatic festivals in schools. It was this background that I wanted to bring to the bookshop world. I had no business experience. I had never heard of an ABN or a BAS and I had never written a cheque in my life, but I dived into the bookshop world and haven’t regretted it since. Although we’re called The Children’s Bookshop, it is a misnomer of sorts as about 25-30% of what we sell are adult titles. That mix is important so that we cater for the whole family. Sometimes I forget that we are a business and to date that mindset has worked. While I monitor stock levels and sales closely, my focus is on two aspects of the business: attracting customers and working with schools (we currently service around 300 schools).
running bookfairs and so on. It’s tough going, but it’s a critical part of the business. Our greatest strength has to be our staff. We are passionate about what we do. We talk about books, we disagree about books, we share our favourite books, and the customers witness these conversations and appreciate that buzz. What is the place of the bookshop in the digital age? Time will tell. Children’s print books are holding up well and there has been a rush for bookstores to enlarge their children’s sections. At this stage we are not chasing e-format sales but rather focussing on what we do well, which is handselling print books and servicing the schools market. I have found that Facebook is a powerful marketing tool and is another opportunity to reach out and share community experiences at the bookshop. The German novelist Heinrich Mann said that ‘a house without books is like a room without windows’. The same might be said of a world without bookshops. We offer readers the opportunity to browse the world. I am positive about the future of bookshops, and firmly believe we need to recognise our strengths and work with them.
Although we’re called The Children’s Bookshop, about 25-30% of what we sell are adult titles.
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Filling the space
How do we get people into the store? We have a function room that fits up to 60 people, and one of my priorities is to fill that space wherever possible. We offer storytime for pre-schoolers two mornings a week and a book club for adults one night a week, rotating between four groups. We host around 30 literary events each year, mostly children’s events, but also a lot of champagne events with teacher-librarians, authors and illustrators such as Jeannie Baker and Morris Gleitzman. In school holidays we host workshops with authors and illustrators such as Kim Gamble, Anna Fienberg and Kate Forsyth, with up to 100 kids booked into workshops each holiday. For the past couple of years we’ve sublet our function room to an artist who runs art workshops for children and adults, which again means that The Children’s Bookshop becomes a meeting place—and book sales hopefully follow. My teaching and university lecturing skills have also come in handy, as we are hosting more and more staff development days for teachers and librarians. Those days are a fantastic way to establish connections with our customers, and publishers have been brilliant in supporting us with guest authors. We also have two schools representatives on the road, visiting schools,
Recent bestsellers for The Children’s Bookshop 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Wonder (R J Palacio, Doubleday) The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins, Scholastic) The Forgotten Pearl (Belinda Murrell, Random House) The Little Refugee (Anh Do & Suzanne Do, A&U) Just Doomed (Andy Griffiths, Pan Macmillan) Serpent’s Shadow: Heroes of Olympus (Rick Riordan, Puffin) The Light between Oceans (M L Stedman, Vintage) All That I Am (Anna Funder, Hamish Hamilton) The Runaway Hug (Nick Bland, Scholastic) That’s Not a Daffodil! (Elizabeth Honey, A&U)
News feature
Ebooksenter the classroom
School libraries are starting to explore models for delivering ebooks. Heath Graham considers some of the challenges.
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he publishing industry is undergoing a series of massive changes with the growth of online retailers, followed closely by the growth in ebook sales. Naturally, the changes in how books are being produced and consumed are having flow-on effects, including in the world of education and school libraries. Do ebooks have a place in schools? Recent research by the Joan Ganz Cooney Centre in the US suggests that while ‘enhanced ebooks’—books that feature animations and interactive elements—encourage children’s engagement, they also lead to decreased recall of story details. There was, however, little difference between children’s comprehension of ‘basic’ textonly ebooks and printed books, which suggests basic texts are essentially ‘platform agnostic’. The addition of features such as highlighting, searching and text-to-speech make texts much more accessible to students with learning difficulties. In nonfiction, the multimedia capabilities of ebooks, from keyword searching to media embedding, have the potential to completely revolutionise textbooks. Being able to include, for example, animations of planetary orbits, audio of a concert, or video footage of a stage performance, promises to change our basic idea of what a ‘textbook’ is. For now, many of these features require an app as opposed to an ebook, but new standards such as a planned epub format revision will see this change in the near future. The other obvious advantage with e-textbooks is their lightness. Rather than lugging around kilograms of printed textbooks, students could potentially require just one e-reading device. Given that ebooks seem to have a place in schools, the next question is how best to supply them for students. Issues that need to be resolved include platform, access and availability.
Platform
Access
How are ebooks being made available to students? Some early-adopting schools have resorted to somewhat inelegant solutions, such as hosting PDF files on internal school wiki pages, but increasingly PDFs are able to be integrated into schools’ internal catalogues. Vermont Secondary College in Melbourne, for example, has purchased a selection of nonfiction ebooks in PDF format. Initially these were stored locally on the school’s ‘Moodle’ page, however teacher-librarian Cathy Hainstock found these ebooks were underutilised. A recent update to Destiny, the school’s library management system, now allows these PDFs to be accessed directly from the catalogue. Hainstock says the school has chosen not to buy fiction ebooks due to concerns about licensing arrangements and ongoing availability. OverDrive is the main ebook distribution platform used in Australian schools at the moment, and students can download ebooks directly to their devices from its catalogue. OverDrive’s schools product currently offers over 100,000 ebooks and 30,000 audiobooks.
Availability
As with public libraries, availability can be a complex issue. OverDrive offers a subscription system at an ongoing cost to school libraries. However, publishers’ access conditions vary and are subject to change. Some publishers put a limit on the number of downloads, and depending on license conditions, a school might need to license a book multiple times to loan it to more than one student at a time. In the end, these titles are not owned outright by the library, an issue that all libraries, school and public, are still grappling with. The most important factor to consider is cost. All of these innovations require an investment, and in an era of shrinking budgets and disappearing teacher-librarians, many schools are taking a wait-and-see approach out of necessity as much as choice. Most state education departments will offer advice, but have no official policy or dedicated support, leaving decisions on ebooks to individual schools. This has led to a very wide range of ebook experiences in different schools, from state-of-the-art to non-existent, driven to a large extent by the commitment of staff and the availability of resources.
Activity Colouring Book Available Online NOW!
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www.tmasbooks.com.au
Issue 2
Get Wuff and get Ready to join in the fun with the Wuff and Ready™ crew. Learn more about your favourite characters . Get your pencils and dive into the adventure filled pages of colouring in, activities, puzzles and more.
JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER
What devices will be used to read ebooks? Although most ebook formats can be read on a PC or laptop, handheld devices are the more usual method. A school will need to decide between supplying devices or a BYOD (bring your own device) approach. Many schools have already purchased a small set of ebook readers (such as Kobo and Kindle ereaders) that are pre-loaded with a selection of books, and can be loaned to students. Other schools allow students to download ebooks to their own devices. E-textbooks with interactive features usually require a more advanced platform than an ebook reader, and more and more schools are purchasing
class sets of iPads for this purpose. E-textbooks are also driving the growing trend toward iPads over laptops as the standard classroom device.
Feature
Pirates andprincesses Gender stereotyping is rife in junior fiction, but is it a necessary evil? Children’s bookseller and book buyer Daniela Perinac reports.
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hen Kathy Kozlowski, children’s specialist at Readings Carlton, looks at the shelves of junior fiction in her store she sees the ‘stereotypical favourites’. ‘For boys it’s action, dragons, pirates and spies, and for the girls it’s fairies, best friends, princesses and cute fashion.’ The gender divide is most prominent in the six- to nine-year-old range, says Kozlowski, where publishers are trying to publish ‘highappeal, easy-reading series’. ‘Personally, I find the formulaic targeting of that age group most distressing. It seems to be telling them at a young, vulnerable age what they should like and how they should think.’ Hardie Grant Egmont’s commissioning editor Marisa Pintado is also critical of the gender divide in children’s books. ‘Publishers are trapped in this mindset thinking that boys read a particular kind of book and girls read a particular kind of book and never the two shall meet. I just don’t think that’s true but it’s a difficult mindset to shift.’
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Reluctant readers ... or publishers?
A common argument in support of ‘gendered’ children’s books is that they appeal to reluctant readers—in particular, reluctant male readers. There is certainly evidence to suggest that boys and girls approach reading in different ways. ‘Boys prefer books that are shorter or contain shorter sections as they like the feeling as they pass milestones,’ says Adele Walsh, program coordinator at the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria. ‘They also prefer strong imagery or books that contain actual images like graphic novels and illustrated novels.’ Susannah McFarlane, founder of LemonFizz Media and former publisher of Hardie Grant Egmont, became an expert on the subject after working on several series for reluctant male readers. McFarlane admitted that in some ways she had been guilty of gender stereotyping during her time at Hardie Grant Egmont, where she worked on the ‘Zac Power’ series, and then at LemonFizz Media on ‘Boy vs Beast’. ‘We unapologetically wanted to give those boys things they wanted to read about in a fast-paced adrenalin read,’ she says. McFarlane agrees that publishers ‘need to be careful about how we publish, mindful of what stereotypes we perpetuate’. ‘Should we have given Zac or Kai more emotional texture, showed the softer sides they would both inevitably have? Maybe, but that would have added layers that worked against our literacy mission. Do the ends justify the means? I hope so, I think we have
helped make readers who can go on to read more nuanced stories.’ To this end, McFarlane is working on a new project that will ‘tackle the relatively unpublished emotional life of young boys’. ‘There is plenty for girls on this (possibly too much empathetic talking and not enough doing!) and little, certainly in more accessible fiction, that acknowledges the emotional issues young boys face. Not big “pull your life apart” stuff but everyday stuff—school, family, friends.’ Kozlowski also believes that there is a market for books that focus on the common interests between girls and boys. ‘We need more books with practical, adventurous girls and boys’ books about friendship and school life—look how popular the “Wimpy Kids” series is,’ she says. Walsh agrees, observing that ‘more than anything, boys (and girls) prefer books that contain humour’. And who says boys don’t read books with female protagonists? ‘I have taught many classes where boys enjoyed the exploits of female protagonists by authors such as Tamora Pierce, Emily Rodda and Suzanne Collins,’ says Walsh.
The trouble with trends
While ‘gendered’ publishing is more common in junior fiction, it’s also a concern in trenddominated YA fiction. Zoe Walton, children’s publisher at Random House, observes that ‘trends can influence a market so strongly that a particular genre or target market can become skewed toward one gender and genre at a time’. A good example of this is paranormal romance, a genre that has been heavily marketed towards girls on the basis of its romantic content—something that has drawn criticism from the book community.
‘Publishers are trapped in this mindset thinking that boys read a particular kind of book and girls read a particular kind of book and never the two shall meet’ —Marisa Pintado,
Hardie Grant Egmont ‘Romance is one of the things girls like, but I don’t think it’s giving teenage girls much credit in saying that’s all they seem to look for in a YA book,’ says Pintado. ‘It is worth noting that there are love interests featured in a number of the more popular YA series for boys—Alex Rider has one.’ Interestingly, the current trend for dystopian fiction, including series such as Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’ and Patrick Ness’ ‘Chaos Walking’, seems to have closed the gap between girls and boys books, attracting readers of both genders.
Covering up It’s not just what’s happening between the covers that counts. Cover designs are often influenced by gender assumptions, which perpetuate the gender divide in children’s and YA fiction. ‘If you were to walk into the shops last year, you’d have seen whole shelves full of covers featuring gorgeous girls in flowing dresses,’ says Random House children’s publisher Zoe Walton. Boys would not have been impressed. Girls are more fortunate in that they are less likely to be teased by their peers for reading ‘boy’s books’. ‘A girl can pick up an action-adventure title and it will be no big deal, but a guy borrowing a pink-covered title in the library would be judged harshly,’ says Centre for Youth Literature program coordinator Adele Walsh. ‘This could be an instance where e-readers allow boys to read titles without the pressures of gender expectations.’
Junior BOOKSELLER+PUBLISHER’s star rating system gives readers an indication of the quality of the publication being reviewed in its context. Our reviewers have been asked to use the following guidelines to rate the book:
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an exceptional book of the very highest quality, regardless of genre an excellent book good book, within its genre a passable example of the genre caution advised
Top Picks
On the Farm
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ebooks (simultaneous release unless otherwise specified) audio
Among our reviewers’ top picks this issue are:
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Each issue, Junior asks booksellers, teachers, librarians and others in the publishing industry to review books in advance of their publication. All books reviewed are Australian or New Zealand.
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Tree: A Little Story about Big Things
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Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café
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The Crystal Code HHH H
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‘I would love to revisit this quirky pairing’—Amelia Vahtrick on Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café Anna Feinberg and Stephen Michael King’s collaboration about a Cuban cat and dog met with approval
Reviews: Picture books (October to November)
Reviews
October to November Children's
Picture books Little Elephants (Graeme Base, Viking, $24.95 hb, ISBN 9780670076475, October) H H H H Graeme Base needs no introduction. His books, including Animalia and The Eleventh Hour, are firmly established as classics. His latest book is a fairytale-like story in which adversity is overcome in a very surprising way. The setting is a remote farm run by a mother and her son Jim. The illustrations suggest the story takes place around the late 1940s or early 50s, and that the father was in the war and is no longer with them. Times are tough and the farm is in serious trouble. When the mother discovers that the harvester is broken, it looks like they will lose their wheat crop. What happens next is a series of events that will take young readers into Jim’s magical world. This world involves a mysterious stranger, a magical
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horn and the invasion of a swarm of magical creatures, all of which eventually leads to the successful harvest of the wheat crop. The illustrations are a wonder of colour and imagination, and readers will lose themselves in each double-page spread, examining the detail and the action within the story. This is another masterpiece from Base. Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath, NSW
explores make it suitable for readers aged four and up, but older readers may gain a deeper understanding of the issues. Overall, this is a great addition to any bookshelf and a moving story to be shared by families everywhere. Natalie Crawford works at Dymocks Claremont, WA
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The Moon Shines Out of the Dark is a moving collaboration between Stephanie Dowrick and Anne Spudvilas. It combines evocative illustrations with a story that sensitively addresses the fear of being left alone, which most children experience at least once in their lives. Young Harry loves the moon but sometimes fears the darkness it brings. When Harry’s mum goes away, these fears come to the fore as Harry misses the constancy and guidance his mum provided. Spudvilas’ emotive illustrations capture the beauty and immensity of the moon as well as the feelings of wonder and connection it inspires. This book should be successful in schools and libraries but may need some promotion in a retail setting. The concepts it
JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER
The Moon Shines Out of the Dark (Stephanie Dowrick & Anne Spudvilas, A&U, $24.99 hb, ISBN 9781742375656, October) H H H
Reviews: Picture books / Young readers (October to November) 2012 Issue 2
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On the Farm: Our Holiday with Uncle Kev (Roland Harvey, A&U, $24.99 hb, ISBN 9781741758825, November) HHH H
On the Farm: Our Holiday with Uncle Kev is the latest addition to Roland Harvey’s successful series of picture books, and it captures all of the fun and mayhem of this imagined pastoral setting. Every page explores a different aspect of Uncle Kev’s farm as he goes about his daily routine and gets ready for the annual Harvest Festival. Readers are treated to a look at everything from the livestock, vineyards and orchards to Uncle Kev’s shed and the splendour of the Harvest Festival itself. Clever prose, lyrics and letters accompany detailed illustrations to create a world with which child readers aged three and up are sure to engage. Indeed there is much to delight children across a wide age range, as there are many levels of
information and much fun to be had. This is a wonderful book for the young and young at heart, and should be a great success in retail, library and school environments, requiring very little promotion to leap off the shelf. Natalie Crawford works at Dymocks Claremont, WA
Tree: A Little Story about Big Things (Danny Parker, illus by Matt Ottley, Little Hare, $24.95 hb, ISBN 9781921714412, October) H H H H
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This ‘little story about big things’ explores the cycle of life and death, the turn of seasons, survival of the fittest and the delicacy of beautiful things. This complex and deeply meaningful subject matter is portrayed using minimal, carefully chosen words, with barely a sentence on each double-page spread. The stunning illustrations extend the story, depicting the harshness of the elements, the destruction caused by the spread of urban life, and most poignantly, the human lives affected by all this. Every double-page spread is bled-off solid colour, except one. It shows a simple, broken image against a white space, and provides a dramatic and tragic climax to the story. This beautiful hardback book includes a jacket that folds
out into an impressive poster, showcasing illustrator Matt Ottley’s work, and the publisher should be congratulated for the careful production and design values. Tree is recommended for children aged three and up, and while three-year-olds can look at the pretty pictures, I think the message would probably be more suitable for children aged six and up. Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath, NSW
Young readers Eddie Pipper (Janeen Brian, illus by Emma Stuart, New Frontier Publishing, $12.95 pb, ISBN 9781921928215, October) HHH
Eddie loves penguins. He loves them more than anything in the world. He has toy penguins, books on penguins, penguin posters, and he knows all about penguins. He even dresses his little sister like a penguin. Pets day is coming up at school, and Eddie desperately wants to take a pet penguin to the pet parade, but he doesn’t have one. He decides to build his own from papier mache, to show his parents he can care for a real one. But Eddie’s forgetfulness always seems to get the better of him. Will Eddie be able to convince his parents that he can care for a pet? Eddie Pipper is part of the new series for younger readers called ‘Little Rockets’. Author Janeen Brian has produced an engaging and relatable tale of an amusingly
single-minded character, his family and friends. Kids will relate to Eddie’s obsessions, his embarrassments and his forgetfulness. They may even learn something about penguins to boot. Emma Stuart’s illustrations are a lively and charming addition. This is a recommended read for children aged seven and up. Heath Graham is an educator currently working at the State Library of Victoria
Figaro and Rumba and the Crocodile Café (Anna Fienberg & Stephen Michael King, A&U, $19.99 hb, ISBN 9781742373119, October) H H H H Figaro and Rumba are a Cuban dog and cat who live together. Rumba, the cat, is an ex-musician whose whole family was catnapped years ago. Figaro, the dog, found Rumba in a market one day and they have been each other’s family ever since. Figaro wants to take the Very Fast Train to the beach, but Rumba insists they clean the house before any adventures can be had (Monday is cleaning day and Rumba is a cat with a sense of responsibility). When they finally catch the Very Fast Train, they meet a crocodile with a musical waistcoat who is a little too smarmy for Figaro’s taste. Could he be a terrible villain? This is a very cute first chapter book, which combines half pages of text with coloured illustrations by Stephen
Michael King. While the book is a bit longer than most other chapter books for a similar age group (five- to sixyear-olds), such as the ‘Pearlie’ series, the chapters are short enough that early readers will get through them in a sitting. Hopefully, this is the start of a new series from Anna Fienberg (author of the ‘Tashi’ series), as I would love to revisit this quirky pairing. Amelia Vahtrick is the children’s book buyer at Better Read Than Dead in Newtown
The latest chapter book from New Zealand-born author Brian Falkner continues in the same adventurous vein as his last, the delightful Northwood. Falkner has created another feisty young heroine for his readers: fiery-haired nine-and-a-half-year-old Maddy West. Able to speak and understand any language in the world, the extraordinarily gifted Maddy is reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s Matilda. As in Matilda, Maddy’s shallow mother isn’t so partial to her daughter’s talents and, for a quick buck, ships Maddy off to Bulgaria to translate some ancient scrolls for an Oxford professor. But the professor isn’t quite who she claims to be ... What follows is a fast-paced adventure starring witches and wizards, gentle giants, extremely clever monkeys and some dark spells indeed. At times I
found the many action sequences a little tiresome and convoluted, but you can’t say the pace ever slows in this rollicking story. The relationship between Maddy and her quiet but clever Japanese friend who accompanies her was my favourite part. This book should be enjoyed by both boys and girls, aged around eight to 12. Hannah Francis is a bookseller at the Younger Sun Bookshop in Yarraville
Thai-no-mite! (Oliver Phommavanh, Puffin, $16.99 pb, ISBN 9780143306528, October ) H H H Thai-riffic! introduced readers to Albert ‘Lengy’ Lengviriyakul, a Thai-Australian boy whose parents run a Thai restaurant. Unfortunately, Lengy doesn’t particularly like Thai food and would much rather scoff down a meat pie or five. Thai-No-Mite! sees Lengy’s family prepare to travel back to Thailand, a country Lengy can’t remember and his little brother Kitchai has never known. Another author might use this storyline to encourage readers to reflect on the differences between Australian and Thai culture, or the joys and challenges of being ‘new Australians’, but ex-stand-up comedian Oliver Phommavahn goes straight for the laughs. This book is pitched at readers of the ‘Wimpy Kid’ series and Andy Griffiths’ books. I was a bit disappointed that we
don’t actually get to Thailand, but instead watch Lengy and his best friend Rajiv match-make their teachers for a community service project, join local shopkeepers in a karaoke competition and take a family trip to Queensland (Lengy’s mother haggled it into their Flight Centre deal). This is a fun read, but be warned if you are squeamish about needles—the kids are travelling to a malaria- and typhoid-prone country. Phommavahn makes this an amusing experience—but I felt every jab! Evie Marshall is a librarian and children’s literature specialist for Megalong Books
Young adult Black Spring (Alison Croggon, Walker Books, $22.95 pb, ISBN 9781921977480, October) H H H Black Spring is a dark, gothic tale inspired by Wuthering Heights. In this fantasy version of 19th-century England, some people are born with magical powers. However, only the male babies who show signs of magic are allowed to grow to become wizards—witch babies are slaughtered. Lina’s eyes show all who look at her that she is a witch, but her father refuses to have her killed. She spends her childhood in the more tolerant South before moving to the desolate North. Unhappy with the witch in the North, the King forces Lina’s family to take in one of his illegitimate children—Damek. Lina and Damek, although they initially dislike one another, become devoted to each other to the point of obsession. When a traveller is killed in their town, the Vendetta starts
bringing bloodshed and desperation to the people of the village. What I enjoyed most about this book was the way in which small pieces of information about this magical, bleak world were revealed. The story sticks closely to the basic plot of Wuthering Heights, and as such I found myself waiting for particular things to happen several chapters before they actually came about. This is a great book for young adults who would like something that combines a fantasy tale with the feel of a classic. Amelia Vahtrick is the children’s book buyer at Better Read Than Dead in Newtown
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Carody Culver is a bookseller at Black Cat Books in Brisbane and a PhD student
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on sentimental, and Peach’s first-person voice is grating at times—she’s too self-absorbed to become wholly sympathetic. But McCarthy tells such an absorbing tale, full of buried secrets and family drama, that these faults can be overlooked. The experiences of her female protagonists have particular resonance as each attempts to find her place in the world and face the consequences of her choices. The Convent is a well-crafted novel with broad crossover appeal: adults are likely to get as much out of it as teenagers.
JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER
The Convent (Maureen McCarthy, A&U, $22.99 pb, ISBN 9781742375045, October) Maureen McCarthy is one of Australia’s best-loved YA authors, and her latest novel The Convent tells a compelling coming-of-age story about fate, choices and family secrets. Nineteen-year-old Peach plans to spend the summer working at a café in the old Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne, looking after her troubled younger sister and avoiding her ex-boyfriend. But Peach soon discovers that the convent was once home to three generations of women in her family. As she unravels their stories, she must reassess everything she knows about who she is. McCarthy’s narrative moves between past and present, vividly capturing the lives of Peach and her forebears, and revealing fascinating truths about the harsh reality of life behind convent doors. Some of the action borders
Reviews: Young readers / Young adult (October to November)
Maddy West and the Tongue Taker (Brian Falkner, illus by Donovan Bixley, Walker Books, $19.95 pb, ISBN 9781921977671, October) H H H
Reviews: Young adult (October to November)
Creepy & Maud (Dianne Touchell, Fremantle Press, $19.99 pb, ISBN 9781921888953, October) H H H Creepy & Maud is the story of an unusual romance conducted through glass. Creepy, the eloquent boy next door, leaves notes stuck to his window for Maud, the girl whose bedroom window faces his. As misfits go, Creepy and Maud tick all the boxes—they don’t live up to the expectations of their parents, their school or their society. Maud copes with her abusive parents by plucking out hair all over her body until she bleeds. Creepy does nothing but read and silently judge his parents for their loveless marriage. This is an often quite touching book about being trapped within expectations, and learning how damaging they can be. The more Maud tries to fit in, the more her personality disappears, and the more disturbed she gets.
Creepy is her only champion. The writing in this book sparkles with originality and intelligence; its troubling subject matter lightened by Creepy’s honest, sardonic voice. My only frustration was that the details of Maud’s background and family were a bit sketchy, and that the characters call each other by pseudonyms throughout the entire book. Creepy & Maud is written for a mature young-adult audience, as it can be quite confronting, and will appeal to readers of realism. (See interview, page 7.) Kate Sunners is a creative writing graduate and a former bookseller
The Crystal Code: The Billionaire Series Book Four (Richard Newsome, Text, $16.99 pb, ISBN 9781922079039, September) H H H H
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Richard Newsome’s ‘Billionaire’ series continues at the same frenetic pace that worked so well in previous books. In The Crystal Code, the world’s youngest billionaire, Gerald Wilkins, and his friends Sam and Ruby Valentine, Felicity, Alisha and Ox, begin their Christmas holidays by flying to Gerald’s private ski resort. But as Christmas Eve approaches, the resort is thrown into mayhem as kidnappers make off with Alisha, Ox and Ruby. It takes all of Gerald, Felicity and Sam’s detective skills to find out how and why their friends were taken, and most importantly, where—and when they do it’s quite a shock. In the mad rush to save their friends, Gerald and co also find out more than they care to about the
famous astronomer and chemist Tycho Brahe. Newsome has delivered yet another thrilling instalment, and I am immensely glad he decided not to stop at a trilogy. The Crystal Code cranks up the series to a new level of excitement for children aged nine to 12. Anne Copeland is the education accounts manager for Dymocks, Collins St in Melbourne
I Made Lattes for a Love God (Wendy Harmer, A&U, $19.99 pb, ISBN 9781742379913, November)
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Wendy Harmer
Fifteen-year-old Elly Pickering’s life just got a whole lot more exciting. Not only is her number-one crush, teen sensation Jake Blake, coming to her hometown to film his latest movie, but Elly’s mum is doing the PR. Elly’s convinced that this is her ticket to an amazing summer job on set—but working in the unglamorous surrounds of the catering van isn’t exactly what she had in mind. Things only get worse when Elly’s best friend gets hired as an extra—will life ever return to normal? This is Australian writer and humourist Wendy Harmer’s second YA novel, and she seems to be carving a place for herself as Australia’s answer to Louise Rennison—fans of the hugely successful ‘Georgia Nicolson’ series are sure to enjoy this
View more JUNIOR reviews online Among the reviews published in the past month:
Bookseller Publisher
For more reviews see www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au
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similarly light-hearted look at the frustrations of being a teenage girl. But while Harmer has a lively writing style, and obviously enjoys lampooning the peculiarities of modern adolescence—Elly and her friends all use a strangely familiar-sounding site called FacePlace—her characters feel flimsy and clichéd, and Elly’s hyperactive first-person narration quickly becomes more irritating than entertaining. Like a disappointing latte, this is a book with too much froth and not enough good stuff underneath. Carody Culver is a bookseller at Black Cat Books in Brisbane and a PhD student
book
Book bites
Bites A taste of books to come
Art appreciation The National Gallery of Victoria’s The Adventures of Napoleon & Josephine is an illustrated history of these two famous figures, based on the gallery’s exhibition ‘Napoleon: Revolution to Empire’ (running till early October). Aimed at younger primary school children, the book reproduces several paintings from the exhibition, interspersed with mini-lessons about French history and culture. Page headings are also translated into French so that kids can learn a little of the language along the way. While the NGV does not have a trade distribution partner, books can be purchased from its commercial department and bookshop. Fresh from its success with Surrealism for Kids, the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has published a new children’s book, Portrait of Spain for Kids, to coincide with the gallery’s exhibition ‘Portrait of Spain: Masterpieces from the Prado’ (running till early November). The book, also aimed at younger primary school children, presents kids with an overview of historical and contemporary Spanish culture, and contains several full-colour paintings, as well as trivia and activities about the artists and their work. It’s available through the gallery bookstore and Thames & Hudson, along with previous titles Surrealism for Kids and Drawing Life for Kids. Another children’s book that encourages an appreciation of art— and the environment—is Lisa Hölzl’s Found: The Art of Recycling (Walker Books, October). Found looks at famous artists who have used recycled material in their work, from Pablo Picasso to contemporary Indigenous artist Adam Hill. Each artist is given a two-page spread, with a brief biography, an example of their artwork and a discussion of their influences. There are also plenty of suggestions for kids to create their own recycled artworks.
Picture book preview A number of talented Australian artists are working in children’s picture books: Heather Fell in the Water (A&U, September) is the hilarious product of a partnership between comic writer Doug Macleod and illustrator Craig Smith, about a little girl with a knack for getting wet, while Today We Have No Plans (Jane Godwin, illus by Anna Walker, Viking, September) is a salute to families, their busy week and the luxury of doing nothing together on a Sunday. What could be more original than a book about belly-button fluff? Aaron Blabey’s The Dreadful Fluff (Viking, October) is the comic tale of a girl who comes to terms with her imperfections, slight as they are, while in Tina Matthews’ A Great Cake (Walker Books, October), Harvey uses his imagination to bake a cake—and eventually finds the ingredients to make a real one. Wendy Lawrence’s Boo and the Big Storm (illus by Glen Vause, Wild Publishing, October) is a cute story about a Boobook owlet; The Sugarbag by Noa Turner-Jensen (illus by Dub Leffler, Magabala Books, September) follows two boys on the trail of a bee; and Dinosaur Rocks by Lachlan Creagh (Lothian, October) is one for dinosaur fans, with plenty of information and exciting illustrations. Coming Home (Sharon McGuinness, illus by Shannon Melville, Wombat Books, October) deals with depression and its effect on the family, while Marty’s Nut-Free Party (Katrina Roe, illus by Leigh Hedstrom, Wombat Books, September) is an entertaining story about a peanut allergy. Finally, a little book for new families. Hey Baby! by Corinne Fenton (Black Dog, November) is a love letter to a new baby. The text is simple, accompanied by some very cute photos of baby animals—clear and bright on a clean white background. For more forthcoming picture books turn to the reviews section on page 13. —Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath, NSW
—Meghann Laverick
Denise Volp
Gregory the Greedy Duck Author: Denise Volp ISBN: 9780987314208 RRP: $19.95 What happens when Gregory eats too many fries and cannot fly home? This is the story of the challenges he has to overcome to get home safely.
Finch Publishing
Thriving at School: A practical guide to help your child enjoy the crucial school years
Bully Blocking: Six secrets to help children deal with teasing and bullying
Authors: Dr John Irvine & John Stewart ISBN: 9781876451837 RRP: $26.95
Author: Evelyn M Field ISBN: 9781876451776 RRP: $26.95
This easy-to-read and practical book shows parents how to help develop their children’s attitudes, values and good habits so that they flourish in the crucial early school years and beyond.
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Distributor: Harper Entertainment Distribution Services (HarperCollins) Tel: 1300-551-721 Fax: 1800-645-547 Website: www.heds.com.au
2012
Distributor: Harper Entertainment Distribution Services (HarperCollins) Tel: 1300-551-721 Fax: 1800-645-547 Website: www.heds.com.au
Practical advice to help children deal with bullies as well as to help adults assist children who bully. Children learn to understand their feelings, why they are bullied and how to grow their self-esteem.
Issue 2
Distributor: Denise Volp Tel: 0419-701-807 Email: m_dvolp@bigpond.com
Finch Publishing
JUNIOR BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER
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