Read Alert

One of the most frequently asked questions recently goes something like this.
“What’s going on the Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas?”
Well, now you can find out by receiving regular email updates.
So now you know.
What is the CBWI, I hear you ask? Find out here.

The truth is, Crocodile Tears, the latest Alex Rider novel, is out later this month. But you can win a copy now over at boys, blokes, books - where Tristan Bancks is in control.

Salem Brownstone is a deliciously moody graphic novel for teenagers and older. When Salem’s estranged father dies suddenly, his quiet life managing a laundromat is turned upside down and inside out. He pitched into a world of ghosts, wraiths and destructive spirits.

The purple cloth and spidery cover illustrations give you a taste of what is [...]

The American trade journal Publishers Weekly have posted their best of 2009. Scroll down their list and see Shaun Tan’s Tales From Outer Suburbia taking its place in a list dominated, unsurprisingly, by North American writers.
The US cover looks like this.

Welcome to Mariko Tamaki, who has joined insideadog as the writer-in-residence.
Mariko is one half of the team that created Skim, currently on the Inky Award shortlist.

Juliet O’Conor, manager of the State Library of Victoria’s Children’s Literature Collection, talks about her rather brilliant Bottersnikes and Gumbles, a history of Australian illustrated books for children. She is joined by Mem Fox on Deborah Cameron’s Sydney ABC morning program.
The broad themes and lush visual design makes Bottersnikes and Other Lost Things a rewarding, [...]

The Kraken, the news group for fans of Russell Hoban, have let me know that that author of at least three classic books - The Mouse and His Child, Riddley Walker and the Frances books - has a young adult novel in the pipeline. Woot!
The book will be called Soonchild, which Hoban describes as having [...]

Teenagers from Morwell, Geelong and Ballarat joined suburbanites this week to explore the business of being funny. Thanks to all the teachers who make the effort to enrich your students’ reading in this way. Around 600 teenagers shared Bring the Funny and met some outstanding authors.
David Metzenthen spoke about Jarvis 24, his latest novel, reminding [...]

A reminder that for the next month we’re posting inspiration for the Inkys Creative Reading Prize over at YourSay.
The story so far…
Planning Notes
Plush Reads
Music
Twilight
And coming up next week we’ve got FOOD, video and mashups.

So, the hype for the movie of Where the Wild Things Are is beginning to lap at our ankles. We’ll try not to go overboard and keep it to the truly useful and interesting.
Clever boy Danny May from Film Victoria has posted a video of the locations used in the film. See it here.
There is [...]