Trash by Andy Mulligan

A broken arm is certainly slowing down my computer work but has upped my reading time !

I've just finished a proof copy of a brilliant new novel due in September - Trash by Andy Mulligan, published by David Fickling Books, distributed by Random. This was a sit-and-read-in-one-sitting book for me, and I highly recommend it... Intermediate level up.

One hand typing is too tedious so will just post some links here...

From the Random House website (with US cover) http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780385752145.html

In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city.

One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat—boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money—to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

Andy Mulligan has written a powerful story about unthinkable poverty—and the kind of hope and determination that can transcend it. With twists and turns, unrelenting action, and deep, raw emotion, Trash is a heart-pounding, breath-holding novel.

and a couple of reviews...
http://mrripleysenchantedbooks.blogspot.com/2010/07/andy-mulligan-trash-book-review.html

http://bookreviewsbysarah.blogspot.com/2010/08/arc-review-trash-andy-mulligan.html

This book is being marketed through http://www.facebook.com/trashthebook

Mirror : Jeannie Baker's new picture book

This innovative and effective new picture book by Jeannie Baker is a work of art - clever, simple, powerful, gentle... The covers open to reveal two books, the English on the left, the Arabic on the right, which you can read simultaneously to reveal the parallel stories of two boys - one in inner city Sydney and one in a small, remote village in Morocco, North Africa, and how their lives are different, how they are the same...



Here is a link to Jeannie Baker's own website http://www.jeanniebaker.com/ which says about Mirror
"These worlds couldn’t be further apart, yet with the showing of the parallel lives of the two families, we see a simple truth. We see that in the context of strikingly different lifestyles, remotely different countries, landscapes, differences of clothing and all. The families are essentially the same. They care for each other, they need to belong, to be loved by their loved ones and be a part of their community. The simple truth is that even with all these differences we are all the same. We are the mirror of each other."

The Walker Books website has a fantastic Classroom Ideas kit for teachers about using this book : http://www.walkerbooks.com.au/statics/dyn/1278035825169/Mirror-Classroom-Ideas.pdf
This resource was put together by Jeannie Baker and the Western Sydney Young People’s Literature Project and is a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration for ways to use Mirror with students to generate thoughtful responses, discussion, activity and understanding...

And if you are lucky enough to be travelling to Sydney in the next month, there is an exhibtion of the art work at the Museum of Sydney on until 10th October.
http://www.hht.net.au/whats_on/exhibitions/exhibitions/mirror_by_jeannie_baker

Mirror - by Jeannie Baker ISBN 9781406309140 Walker Books, August 2010
A must-buy for all school libraries.

Interactive white board sites

While demonstrating SCIS Monthly websites to a school the other day, I noticed this record with suggestions for links to sites to use with interactive whiteboards, which was serendipitous as the day before a teacher had been asking me for recommendations for the same... Adding SCIS catalogued websites is a great way to enrich your library catalogue and searching functionality.

Interactive White Board sites : Avenel Primary School in Victoria has compiled an extensive array of links to websites suitable for interactive whiteboards. Topics covered include space, story writing, games and activities, whiteboard tutorials and symmetrical patterns. SCIS No: 1448628 http://www.avenelps.vic.edu.au/interactive_whiteboard_sites.htm

EPIC's Britannica Online would also be a useful resource to explore with students on an IWB...
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/epic/

Mockingjay on its way...

For those eagerly awaiting the third installment in the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, here is an interesting interview with her in the meantime, from School Library Journal Executive Editor Rick Margolis

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/885800-312/the_last_battle_with_mockingjay.html.csp

In it, the author talks about her character Katniss, the origins of the bird of the title - mockingjay, links to stories from ancient Greece - Theseus and Spartacus, and the how and why of war as a theme in her writing...

From the interview :

What do you hope young readers take away from your books?

One of the reasons it’s important for me to write about war is I really think that the concept of war, the specifics of war, the nature of war, the ethical ambiguities of war are introduced too late to children. I think they can hear them, understand them, know about them, at a much younger age without being scared to death by the stories. It’s not comfortable for us to talk about, so we generally don’t talk about these issues with our kids. But I feel that if the whole concept of war were introduced to kids at an earlier age, we would have better dialogues going on about it, and we would have a fuller understanding.

Can those dialogues help put an end to war?

Eventually, you hope. Obviously, we’re not in a position at the moment for the eradication of war to seem like anything but a far-off dream. But at one time, the eradication of slave markets in the United States seemed very far off. I mean, people have to begin somewhere. We can change. We can evolve as a species. It’s not simple, and it’s a very long and drawn-out process, but you can hope.

Books for Keeps online and free

The wonderful UK children's literature journal Books for Keeps is now online and freely available.

Go to the website http://www.booksforkeeps.co.uk/ and click on 'View Latest Issue' which will take you to the July issue, including the digital version.

If you then scroll down that page, you will see the BfK Newsletter box where you can 'subscribe' to the free BfK email newsletter which will alert you when the magazine is available and to new material on the site.

From the website :
Books for Keeps is the UK’s leading, independent children’s book magazine. It was launched in 1980 and ever since has been reviewing hundreds of new children’s books each year and publishing articles on every aspect of writing for children. There are over 12,500 reviews on our new website and more than 2,000 articles including interviews with the top children’s authors and illustrators.

“The best scholars, reviewers, authors and critics write for Books for Keeps,” says editor Rosemary Stones, “We hold a mirror up to the children’s book world and reflects back its output, issues and preoccupations with intelligence, scholarship and wit.”

Student starred books

Here is a graphic format piece from School Library Journal about a radical idea - getting students to rate books they like with star inside the front cover...

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/885428-312/seeing_stars_how_i_ignored.html.csp

What do you think ?!

It's a book by Lane Smith

I'm looking forward to this title - It's a book by Lane Smith, published by Walker and due in October 2010... Check out the trailer on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SroZ5SNc0pA&feature=related

Māori role models: inspirational korero from inspirational Māori

A NZ Fire Service staff member has produced a book aimed at rangatahi - “Māori role models: inspirational korero from inspirational Māori”. It grew out of his work as Poutakawaenga Maori/Maori Liaison Officer for the NZFS.

The book is in a question and answer format, and all the questions have been asked by rangatahi. It is written in both English and Te Reo Māori.

The Role Models include:
1. Patricia Grace - Writer
2. Wynton Rufer - Footballer, F.I.F.A ambassador.
3. Tariana Turia - Politician, Minister in Cabinet.
4. Ocean Mercier - Scientist/University Lecturer
5. Adam Whauwhau - Musician/Teacher.
6. Julian Wilcox - TV presenter.
7. Anika Moa - Musician.
8. Farah Palmer - Black Ferns Rugby Captain/ University Lecturer.
9. Darcy Nicholas - Artist
10. Bentham Ohia - C.E.O Te Whare Wananga o Aotearoa.

The cost is $20 per book. The proceeds go to Te Kiko Charitable Trust, and go towards producing another volume. The Trust vision is to "Uplift the Wellbeing of Māori Whānau".

To purchase copies, contact Te Aorangi Harrington tekiko@hotmail.co.nz

Home of the Brave and verse novels

I knew K A Applegate as the prolific author of the Animorphs series and was surprised by the change in direction with the publication of this poignant verse novel, Home of the Brave.
It tells the story, in first person poems, of a teenage boy - Kek - who comes alone from the Sudan, having lost family in the war in Darfur, to live in the USA, arriving in a cold Minnesota winter. Click here for a short video introduction to the book by the author from the Macmillan website.


Here is a link to Amazon reviews http://www.amazon.com/Home-Brave-Katherine-Applegate/dp/0312367651

and the discussion guide on the Macmillan website
http://us.macmillan.com/CMS400/uploadedFiles/FeiwelFriends/Guide%20to%20Home%20of%20the%20Brave.pdf

and here is a link to the Poetry page on the new National Library Schools website (under Creating Readers, Children's and YA Literature) which has a section on verse novels http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/creating-readers/childrens-ya-literature/poetry

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

My latest favourite book is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Holt, 2009). This is the story of an 11 year old girl in Texas in 1899 - the middle child in a family of seven, with three older brothers, three younger brothers, and a mother who wants Calpurnia Virginia - known as Callie Vee - to grow up into "a lady" with all the domestic talents that requires... Luckily for Callie the family also includes her cantankerous (to others) grandfather who is an avid naturalist and together they explore, observe and record the natural world around them. The story is set during a long, hot Texas summer on the cusp of a new century, with the exciting advent of telephones, automobiles and Coca-cola...

This book is by New Zealand-born author Jacqueline Kelly who was raised in Canada and now lives in Texas. Her writing is rich, humorous and rewarding - it puts me in mind of other favourites - they way she writes so beautifully about nature makes me think of Eva Ibbotson's The Dragonfly Pool, the humour is as entertaining as Richard Peck in his historical novels like Fair Weather and Here lies the librarian, and there is a touch of Kate Di Camillo's Winn Dixie, and Sharon Creech's Walk two moons... all good company. I can't wait for the sequel !

And I love the cover art too, by Beth White.

Here is the link to the author's website http://www.jacquelinekelly.com/index.html
and to the Macmillan website http://us.macmillan.com/theevolutionofcalpurniatate which has a video clip of a booktalk, an excerpt of the first chapter and a downloadable discussion guide

The discussion guide includes a feature on some of the vocabulary used and it gives you an idea of the intelligence and depth of the writing. It is well-known that we learn new words from being exposed to rich writing in print - and here is a brilliant example of it..

...pestiferous (pg. 3) moldering (pg. 4) accorded (pg. 11) loitered (pg. 13) dilapidated (pg. 18) consternation (pg. 19) stupefying (pg. 29) begrudge (pg. 37) dragooned (pg. 40) duchy (pg. 50) minutiae (pg. 56) pedagogic (pg. 63) protuberant (pg. 74) feigning (pg. 83) desiccated (pg. 96) jettison (pg. 116) ignominy (pg. 131) tedium (pg. 155) ensconced (pg. 172) prodigious (pg. 197) malevolent (pg. 213) efficacious (pg. 230) debacle (pg. 247) purgatives (pg. 269) odious (pg. 288) feral (pg. 310) surreptitious (pg. 323) gingerly (pg. 336)

Jacqueline Kelly has practiced both medicine and law, before "realizing what would make her really happy is writing fiction". This, her debut novel, was awarded the Newbery Honor Medal in 2010. What a lot of strings to her bow, as the Bagthorpes would say...

Back now...

There was a slight pause in the proceedings but I'm back now, for now, so lots of posts coming up after a silent month...
Cheers, Jeannie