Winners of the 2013 ALA Youth Media Awards

It was an exciting time earlier this morning in the US when the winners of the 2013 ALA Youth Media Awards were announced.  The Youth Media Awards include the prestigious Newbery Medal and Caldecott Medal and the Printz Award.

Congratulations to all the winners!  I think it’s the first time that I’ve read and loved the winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medal so I’m very pleased that they won.  Here are the winners and honour books:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:

There were three Newbery Honour Books announced too:

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

This Is Not My Hat
There were five Caldecott Honour Books announced too:
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:
indarkness
There were four Printz Honour Books announced too:
For more information about the awards and the winners of the other book awards check out this article http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/28/5146146/american-library-association-announces.html.

Meet the wonderful Oliver Jeffers

I thought Oliver Jeffers was awesome before I saw this video, but now he’s just reached an all new level of awesomeness!  I’ve been a huge fan of Oliver since his first book was published and I’ve loved everything he’s created so far, from his own picture books to illustrations for other authors, such as John Boyne and David Almond.  His books are wonderful and it’s great to get this entertaining insight into his creative process.

Picture Book Nook: A Patch of Black by Rachel Rooney and Deborah Allwright

I came across this delightful picture book last week when I was putting new books out for display.  A Patch of Black is one of the best picture books I’ve seen that’s aimed at children who are scared of the dark and it’s a wonderful bedtime story.  It starts with a mother and her child in the girl’s bedroom getting ready for bed.  The mother says to her child,

“Don’t be afraid of the darkness, dear.
Don’t be afraid of the dark.
What can you do with a patch of black,
a moon and a silver star?

The mother then tells the child about all the different places and things she could dream about when she’s sleeping.  There are pirates and mermaids, princesses and dragons, ice cream lakes and milkshake streams, and much more.  The mother’s refrain is repeated throughout the book and is followed by a different dream land.

It’s a very reassuring story that will have children imagining their own dream lands.  The illustrations are also reassuring and comforting, as they’re light, bright and full of excitement.  If you want a bedtime story that you’ll be happy to read again and again, grab a copy of A Patch of Black by Rachel Rooney and Deborah Allwright.

My Most Anticipated February New Releases

life-in-outer-spaceLife in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

Sam Kinnison is a geek, and he’s totally fine with that. He has his horror movies, his nerdy friends, World of Warcraft – and until Princess Leia turns up in his bedroom, he doesn’t have to worry about girls.

Then Sam meets Camilla. She’s beautiful, friendly and completely irrelevant to his life. Sam is determined to ignore her, except that Camilla has a life of her own – and she’s decided that he’s going to be part of it.

Sam believes that everything he needs to know he can learn from the movies … but now it looks like he’s been watching the wrong ones.

 

Night School LegacyNight School: Legacy by C.J. Daugherty

In the last year, Allie’s survived three arrests, two breakups and one family breakdown. The only bright point has been her new life at Cimmeria Academy. It’s the one place she’s felt she belongs. And the fact that it’s brought the dreamy Carter West into her life hasn’t hurt…But far from being a safe haven, the cloistered walls of Cimmeria are proving more dangerous than Allie could’ve imagined. The students, and faculty, are under threat and Allie’s family – from her mysterious grandma to her runaway brother – are at the centre of the storm. Allie is going to have to choose between protecting her family and trusting her friends. But secrets have a way of ripping even the strongest relationships apart.

 

Back to Black Brick by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

Cosmo’s brother Brian died when he was ten years old. His mum hides her grief and Cosmo lives with his grandparents. They’ve been carefree days as Granddad buys him a horse called John and teaches him all he knows about horses. But the good times have to come to an end and although he doesn’t want to admit it, Cosmo knows his Granddad is losing his mind. So on one of the rare occasions when Granddad seems to recognise him, Cosmo is bemused that he gives him a key to Blackbrick Abbey and urges him to go there. Cosmo shrugs it off, but gradually Blackbrick draws him in… Cosmo arrives there, scared and lonely, and is dropped off at the crumbling gates of a huge house. As he goes in, the gates close, and when he turns to look, they’re rusty and padlocked as if they haven’t been opened in years. Cosmo finds himself face to face with his grandfather as a young man, and questions begin to form in his mind: can Cosmo change the course of his family’s future?

 

Book of DoomThe Book of Doom by Barry Hutchison

There’s panic up in Heaven. They have mislaid the BOOK OF DOOM – the most important object in existence. Oopsy.

They think Satan might have stolen it, the sneaky little devil, so to save the world – plus, you know, quite a lot of embarrassment, fifteen year old Zac and his angelic guide Angelo are sent to retrieve it.

Sadly directions aren’t Angelo’s strong point and they soon find themselves just as lost as the book, wandering through Afterworlds such as Valhalla and Hades and encountering some colourful characters along the way…

Can the hapless pair make it to Hell and back?

N.B. Released 23 March in New Zealand

 

The Phantom of Terawhiti by Des Hunt

It’s the school holidays and Zac thinks he might go crazy with boredom. He’s living in exile with his disgraced father on the remote Terawhiti Station on Wellington’s wild southwest coast. Then Zac and his dad witness a boat sink during a storm. Investigating further, Zac finds a set of unusual animal prints on the beach. Whose boat is it? And what creature could have made the prints? Soon armed men are prowling the coast, and threatening Zac, his friends and his family. He must do all he can to protect the Phantom of Terawhiti from those intent on hunting it down.

 

Hysteria by Megan Miranda

Mallory’s life is falling apart. Her boyfriend was stabbed. He bled to death in her kitchen. Mallory was the one who stabbed him. But she can’t remember what happened that night. She only remembers the fear …When Mallory’s parents send her away to a boarding school, she thinks she can escape the gossip and the threats. But someone, or something, has followed her. There’s the hand that touches her shoulder when she’s drifting off to sleep. A voice whispering her name. And everyone knows what happened. So when a pupil is found dead, Mallory’s name is on their lips. Her past can be forgotten but it’s never gone. Can Mallory live with that?

 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison–even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s gran­dmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whe­reabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Hysteria Book Trailer

I loved Megan Miranda’s debut young adult novel Fracture (you can read my review here) so I’m really looking forward to her new book, Hysteria.  Like her first book it sounds dark and chilling which is my favourite sort of book.  Hysteria is released in New Zealand and Australia in February.

Here’s a video of Megan Miranda introducing her new book:

Meet Joseph Delaney in Christchurch

Joseph Delaney, the author of the Spook’s Apprentice series, is one of my favourite authors.  The Spook’s books are dark, spooky and creepy, and are full of witches, boggarts and creatures of the dark.  If you like spooky stories, with a bit of history, mystery and adventure you’ll love Joseph’s Books.  The movie based on the series, Seventh Son, is due out later this year and I’m sure it will be fantastic.

I’m excited to announce that Joseph Delaney is coming to Christchurch on Wednesday 20 February.  You can come and meet him at Upper Riccarton Library, from 7:00-8:00pm on Wednesday 20 February.  He’ll talk about his books, you can ask him questions, and even get your book signed.

It’s a free event but you need to book a space.  Just call Christchurch City Libraries on 03-941-7923 to book.

To find out more about Joseph Delaney and the Spook’s Apprentice series, visit www.spooksbooks.com

Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers

Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers by Dav Pilkey is the latest Captain Underpants adventure.  Reserve your copy at the library now, and while you’re waiting, check out Dav Pilkey’s awesome website where you can read about the books, play games and watch videos.

Dragon Frontier book trailer

 

The Wild West: where great possibility also brings grave danger.

Jake Polson and his family are starting a new life on the American Frontier. Twelve-year-old Jake is proud to drive the lead wagon; he’s in charge of the oxen and minding his Ma and little sister.

But tragedy strikes and Jake must venture deep into the West in search of a legendary creature to save his family. What he discovers in that vast landscape is wilder than he ever imagined.

Out on the frontier, an evil force is waiting.

Dragon Frontier by Dan Abnett is out now in NZ from Puffin Books.

David Melling chats about Hugless Douglas

David Melling is one of my favourite picture book author/illustrators and I absolutely love Hugless Douglas.  He’s a cute character who children and adults love.  There’s even a very cool Hugless Douglas app, with the story read by the wonderful Alan Davies.

David has a great website (www.davidmelling.co.uk) where you can find out more about him and his work, and you can even buy some very reasonably-priced prints (I’ve got the Hugless Douglas one on my wall).  I’d love to have a giant Hugless Douglas costume like the one on his blog.  I’ll have to try and convince my library to buy one.

Support Duffy Books in Homes on International Book Giving Day

One of the many ways that you can be involved in International Book Giving Day on 14th February is to support Duffy Books, one of our wonderful local charities who get books into the hands of the children who need them most.  Duffy Books General Manager, Linda Vagana, has written a lovely post all about Duffy Books and the amazing work that they do.

Duffy logoWe’re very happy to be associated with International Book Giving Day on February 14.

It’s great to see an initiative that aligns so closely with what we’re trying to achieve here in New Zealand.

Duffy Books in Homes gives free books, three times a year, to over 100,000 New Zealand children in 529 lower-decile schools and 217 Early Childhood centres.  These schools and centres are spread from the Far North to Bluff.

We currently give away an average of more than one book every minute of every day of the year.  In the last year alone the programme has given away more than 600,000 books.

Since 1993 over 8,000,000 books have been given to hundreds of thousands of students from low income homes.

A combination of schools, sponsors and the Government has made it possible to give away so many books.  Each pays approximately a third of the total cost of the programme, equating to around $13.50 per child, per year.

The programme was founded by Alan Duff, author of ‘Once Were Warriors’ and philanthropist Christine Fernyhough who saw that many homes in New Zealand were ‘bookless.’

Raukokore (24)

Our vision is to break the cycle of booklessness in New Zealand homes by inspiring a love of books in Duffy children so they become adults who inspire a love of reading.

We give children a minimum of five brand new books of their choice each year at no charge.  In addition, children can earn weekly ‘Caught Being Good’ book awards as well as other awards for effort and attitude.  Prominent New Zealand Role Models present the books and spread the message ‘It’s Cool to Read and Cool to Achieve!’  Sponsors enjoy the opportunity to hand out books at these special assemblies.

Other features include two travelling theatre groups which perform to schools each year, awards for parents and grandparents and books for preschool siblings on their birthdays

Schools in the programme notice an improved attitude towards books and reading.  Changes include less theft, vandalism and bullying within schools.

Otara Literacy

Past research has shown improvements in reading scores of up to 35% for schools joining the programme.  Current research shows that kids in ‘Duffy’ schools show decreased signs of a drop in reading achievement over the summer holidays – an issue which schools have traditionally struggled with.

We’re most proud of becoming an integral part of so many schools’ literacy programmes and giving children something of their own to treasure.  As the original ‘Duffy kids’ are now beginning to have children of their own one of our greatest rewards is to see how they are passing on their love of reading to their own children.

Duffy kids who have gone on to success in later life include World BMX champion and Olympic Silver medallist Sarah Walker and 2010 Miss World New Zealand Cody Yerkovich.

You can help us give even more books to New Zealand children by making a donation.  As little as $5 will buy one book for a child while $50 will give a child all the services and benefits of the programme for a whole year.

You can even Donate Your Desktop space to us and help to sponsor a Duffy kid at no cost whatsoever.

For more information please visit the Donations Page of our website.

I can testify to the amazing work that Duffy Books in Homes does for the children of New Zealand.  I’ve visited schools when they’ve had their Duffy assembly to give them one of their books for the year, and I’ve seen their hugely entertaining travelling theatre performance that visits schools all over the country.  When you see how excited the children are to receive their books or you see them singing along about books and reading, it’s clear that Duffy Books in Homes are achieving their goals and helping to give children a love of books.

Support Duffy Books in Homes this International Book Giving Day on 14th February.