Media Release

Teenage Readers Get Connected

'Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too dark to read.' Groucho Marx

Australia now has its first website for teenagers to share their enjoyment of books and reading. www.insideadog.com.au, developed by the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria, is a world first that provides a forum for teenagers to talk about books and promotes young adult literature.

'Young people want to do more than just be passive consumers, they want to play a creative role,' says Paula Kelly manager of the Centre for Youth Literature.

'The website encourages teenagers to read for pleasure and allows them to share ideas about books with their peers. Peer-to-peer recommendation is the most effective way to promote a genuine interest in books,' Kelly said.

Insideadog includes reader-written book reviews, moderated discussions, competitions, quizzes and give-aways, sample chapters of new books and news about young adult literature.

An exciting initiative of insideadog is the regular writer in residence featuring major Australian and overseas writers. Novelist Nick Earls will be the first and will blog on the website throughout May. Visitors can check his progress, make comments and ask questions. Earls is very excited about his role as writer in residence.

'This is a space for readers to interact directly with an author during the creative process. In the normal course of events that just doesn’t happen. I’m looking forward to it very much,' he said. Other authors in residence will include Markus Zusak, Garth Nix and Randa Adbel-Fattah.

insideadog.com.au will bring the work of Australian authors to an international audience and has the support of the Australian publishing industry.

'This is a fantastic project not only because it encourages young people to read more but because it brings them together to share their ideas and passion for reading,' said Erica Wagner of the Australian Publishers Association Children’s Publishing Committee.

www.insideadog.com.au is an initiative of the Centre for Youth Literature and is supported by Copyright Agency Limited, the State Library of Victoria and the Clayton Utz Foundation.

Media inquiries

Matthew van Hasselt
Media relations coordinator
State Library of Victoria
03 8664 7263
mvanhasselt@slv.vic.gov.au