Education Week - Book Fair at School

Thank you to Jeff Doherty at Stories and Pictures who not only donated a copy of my book Polar Boy to his local school library but got me thinking about how underfunded many of our public school libraries are. And how donating a book to the library is one thing parents can do to not only help increase the range of books available but reinforce the value of books in the eyes of their own children. I know from personal parental experience, kids love to be the first one to borrow their specially donated book.

I also liked how in Jeff's case, the local bookstore and the school banded together - supporting each other. At my local public school, Waniora Public, there isn't a bookstore nearby. However, we had a Scholastic Book Fair during Education Week. The kids were very excited about buying a book - some because they are keen readers and others because the Book Fair is 'an event'. My son bought a Zac Power book. He has three now - and doesn't read any of them. For the moment they are a sort-of fashion accessory while he reads other titles. But I'm all for books being carried around for any reason as I am sure ultimately familiarity leads to reading.

Our donation book this year was Dragon Dawn by Carole Wilkinson. A personal favourite of mine and one my son is looking forward to reading with me.

Courtesy of the Reading Stack, here is my recent review of Dragon Dawn

Dragon Dawn by Carole Wilkinson black dog books Paperback Junior fiction $12.99

Dragon Dawn is the prequel to the award-winning and best-selling Dragonkeeper trilogy. The series follows the story of the elder dragon Danzi, the hatchling Kai and Ping, the slave girl who becomes their Dragonkeeper. The third book in the series, Dragon Moon, was the 2008 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers.

In the prequel, we travel back in time to when Danzi is a youngster, not yet 1,000 years old. Cho-Men, Danzi’s Dragonkeeper, has died and Danzi is preparing to return the old man’s possessions to his family. Danzi has decided he doesn’t want or need another keeper. Humans don’t last very long anyway.

But on the journey he misses the company of his old friend and strikes up a new friendship with Bingwen, a young man earning money in the street with sleight of hand tricks. Danzi doesn’t approve of such trickery but the two are drawn together.

Dragonkeepers are born to specific families and have three key characteristics – they can hear dragon speech in their mind, they have second sight and are left-handed. Bingwen can hear Danzi and he has prophetic dreams. But he is right handed, his left hand crushed as a child. Could he still be a Dragonkeeper?

The book is set in exciting times. The armies of the Qin are marching from the north to besiege the cities of China. Danzi and Bingwen, searching for Cho-men’s village, fly right into the middle of a battle zone.

I highly recommend Dragon Dawn and the entire Dragonkeeper series. It will appeal to boys and girls alike – whether they enjoy fantasy, history or just a good adventure.

AUSSIE BLOG TOUR #1

While this is not the first Aussie Blog Tour it is the first I've been involved with - so that makes it personally special. I am also particularly pleased to be welcoming Dale Harcombe, author of The Goanna Island Mystery, a title in the third Aussie Aussie series. This series is a celebration of Australian stories and values especially written for Australian students. And its proving a successful export as well. It's wonderful to know the world loves Australia's stories too.

Hello Dale and welcome to Stories are Light.

Thanks so much to Sandy for inviting me to guest blog on her blog today. It’s great to be here at the end of The Goanna Island Mystery tour. It’s been a lot of fun. I hope lots of you will enjoy reading Sandy’s blog and have followed The Goanna Island Mystery tour from place to place.

We’ve looked at lots of different aspects of writing. Today I thought I’d talk a little about creating a character.No matter how long I’ve been writing, what constantly fascinates me is the way the mind works to put what sometimes appear to be disparate things together to create a story or to create a character. In the case of The Goanna Island Mystery I wanted a boy who was not a strong swimmer. In a country, surrounded by water as Australia is, that seems a bit strange. Yet I know there are still many like I was as a kid, (like I still am), who are not confident swimmers.

So Leo wants to visit Goanna Island and takes up Mark, the bully’s dare, but it needs to be at low tide. Of course the story wouldn’t exist if he didn’t end up get trapped on the island.Though Leo dealt with the problem of being bullied and dared to go over to the island, it became a different situation once he knew he was trapped on the island. Then his fears started to surface. Things he though he believed he suddenly seemed less sure about. Most children and many adults too, have fears. Sometimes they are rational. Sometimes they are not. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide if Leo’s fears are rational or not.

I always wanted a character who tried to overcome his fears. A good starting point for any story is to think of a fear you have and then imagine a character with the same fear. Put them in a situation where they have to confront that fear.Leo is also a boy who struggles to come to terms with changed family circumstances and being in new environment. That is something a lot of children these days can relate to. I remember from my own childhood what it was like being the new kid at a school and how difficult it is to deal with the school bully. All of those aspects went into creating the character of Leo.I also wanted to use a boy with an artistic streak (which I sure don’t have) and one who liked books.

That’s because I think books and reading are so important.

If you would like to visite Dale at home on the web call in to her website or drop in to her blog, Write and Read with Dale

You can catch up with the previous stops on Dale's tour here:

Monday 25th Dee White at http://tips4youngwriters.wordpress.com/
Tuesday 26th Sally Murphy at http://aussiereviews.blogspot.com/
Wednesday 27th Mabel Kaplan at http://belka37.blogspot.com/
Thursday 28th Claire Saxby at http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com/
Friday 29th Sandy Fussell at http://www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com/

I Love Verse Novels

I am a big fan of the verse novel. Until Stephen Herrick's Cold Skin (2008) landed in my reviewer pile, I had never read one. I thought they were full of poetry. And while I like poetry, I never seem to have the time it requires from me.

But a review is a job (although a really fun one!) - and the cover was particularly striking - so I started reading. An hour and a half later I had finished. The verse novel might be poetry but in its most readable form. Rather than being daunting, it is very accessible. In fact, a verse novel is a book of with many very short chapters to be read with little bites or a long buffet style feast.

Immediately after reading Cold Skin, I sought out Herrick's backlist. Lonesome Howl remains a favourite - great cover, great story, haunting words. And then I sought out even Herrick himself. I was a true convert.

I moved along to read as many verse novels as possible. My favourites so far - excluding the two already mentioned - Irini Savviddes Against the Tide, Sally Murphy's Pearl Verses the World and Steven Herrick's Do Wrong Ron. On my deskto read next is Lorraine Marwood's latest, Starjumps. I'm already entranced by the cover. And on my to read list asap is Sherryl Clark's Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not), CBCA 2008 Honour Book for Young Readers.

So far I haven't made it outside Australia - so many verse novels to catch up with before I head overseas. I'll keep you posted and in the interim - my interview with Steven Herrick. And just in case anyone wants to ask, am I going to write one? *sigh* I would love to have a go but so many other ideas are calling I don't think I have enough time left in life.

The Verse Master - reprinted from The Reading Stack (March 2008)
The author of over ten verse novels, short listed many times for the CBCA Book of the Year, Steven Herrick is undoubtedly Australia’s master of the verse novel. I asked him whether he found young readers reluctant to try a format readily associated with poetry. He explained that while some were hesitant, once they read the first few pages, they were generally hooked. “Many teenage boys, in particular, have told me they really enjoyed the economy of words – they were into the story before they knew it.”

Steven’s comment describes my own experience perfectly. I picked up Cold Skin, attracted by the striking and sinister cover. I’d never read a verse novel before. I was intrigued, so I read a few pages immediately. Soon, I was totally engrossed. Verse novels are high impact. The reader automatically develops a close personal relationship with the narrators. The stream of dialogue makes the verse novel very confronting. At the same time it is like being in a conversation. Very accessible. And so is Steven himself. You can hear him on YouTube and he is a regular performer touring from North Queensland to Tasmania to Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands. “I think my job is two-fold – to write poetry and perform it.”

Steven writes verse novels for a wide audience. I recently read Do Wrong Ron, the story of a boy who can do nothing right until he meets Charlie the guinea pig and lonely Isabelle. Together they plan something special for Isabelle’s nana. This is a wonderful story of friendship and working together. Lonesome Howl is a novel for young adult readers, the story of two children on isolated farms learning to overcome prejudice as they search for the mythical wolf. It is a story of family – its strengths and weaknesses.

I asked Steven about his preferred target audience. Not only did he not have one, it was irrelevant to him. “What I’m trying to do is write a coherent story with interesting characters. The fact that those characters might be ten years old, or eighteen, or eighty doesn’t change my priority… which is to get inside their head and enjoy spending time with them.” Steven’s novels do more than that. They place us all inside his characters’ heads.

In the murder mystery Cold Skin there are nine narrators – young and old, victim and suspect, family and strangers, enemies and friends. But no matter what category each might fall into, we know them equally well. As we read each page, we are hearing them speak directly to us. “I wanted to write about how one incident can have such a profound effect on the whole ommunity,” Steven said. What better way to do it than to allow us to directly look through so many eyes.

SANDY WRITES

I'm a mathematical sort of person really. Some of my friends and colleagues are amazed I can do anything as creative as writing fiction. I'm a computer programmer, I enjoy algebra (I even did a maths degree by choice), I like coding in 2B pencils perfectly sharpened (I have an electric sharpener) and I smile when the Tupperware biscuit container is all packed with neat lines and angles of shortbread.

So where do the words come from? Tonight, as I reflect on completing the first two chapters of Samurai Kids 5, and schedule the remainder to meet the 5 month deadline, it occurs to me that perhaps creative chaos comes from mathematical order. Chaos theory is nothing new and words and numbers have always been related.

I don't plot. I map and graph. There are fourteen chapters in every Samurai Kids book. This was quite accidental - initially I wrote thirteen, my editor pointed out that much as I like to do the big action scene in three lines (I submit I've improved since then) I had excelled myself this time and knocked the main character unconscious, woken them up and referred to the big action scene that happened off camera while they were asleep!!! So a whole new chapter was required to redress the omissions. The 14th. Two chapters for each virtue of Bushido.

And then there are usually 40,000 words or thereabouts. Divide it out. There are 122 days left to write not counting weekends. I might write then but if I do, it will be to catch up or play or maybe even work on the secret alternate ms which I always have going. I divide some more to get the number of words I'll write every night until the deadline.

Chapters spill out along a sine curve. Thats's how I know I'm pacing properly. My characters a,b,c and x,y,z plug into equations that create situations that create plot. An interview process of sorts.

I just wish I could always solve the equation right first time. A maths problem solved is 100% complete. Nothing more required. But a manuscript no matter how well written is never as good as it could be. The refining goes on forever. Or in mathspeak: "The equation of the derivative tends to infinity."

TEASER TUESDAY

The Teaser Tuesdays meme is hosted by Should Be Reading. It's easy and fun. Open your current read at a random page and share two sentences from somewhere between lines 7 and 12. There's one important rule - no spoilers!

I love beautiful language and a haunting story. A Certain Music by Celeste Walter is all this and so much more. I love it. Every single word of it. The illustrations by Anne Spudvilas add to the magic.

The days yawn, the nights stretch sleepless, one after the other... And a child counts the hours and the minutes and dreams of tomorrow.

And now the day before tomorrow had come.

In the kitchen in her silk dress with blue lace and blue ribbons, the child practised walking.

Aussie Blog Tours - Dale Harcombe

I'm a member of the aussieblogtours group. It's a Yahoo group best descibed in its own words:

This group exists to help Australian authors and illustrators to promote their books through blog tours.Membership is open to any Australian who would like to promote their book, but you must be prepared to host other authors at your blog. You may also join if you have a blog open to blog tours, even if you are not wanting to tour other blogs yourself.

Blog tours are a wonderful way for authors to create a buzz about their books. Unlike a physical tour it doesn't result in direct book sales but who knows where a buzz might be heard.

This week I am excited to be involved in my first blog tour. On Friday I will be hosting Dale Harcombe as she spreads the word about her new release The Goanna Island Mystery, an educational fiction title in the third Aussie, Aussie Schoolbooks series.

Here's the tour schedule:

Monday 25th Dee White at http://tips4youngwriters.wordpress.com

Tuesday 26th Sally Murphy at http://aussiereviews.blogspot.com

Wednesday 27th Mabel Kaplan at http://belka37.blogspot.com

Thursday 28th Claire Saxby at http://www.letshavewords.blogspot.com

Friday 29th Sandy Fussell at http://www.sandyfussell.blogspot.com

OZ LIT REVIEW #9 - When the Hip Chicks Went to War

When the Hip Chicks Went To War by Pamela Rushby Hachette Livre (Lothian) rrp $14.95 Young Adult Fiction

Set against a Vietnam War backdrop, this is a coming of age novel with a historical twist. Sixteen-year-old Kathy drops out of her Catholic girls’ school to take up hairdressing and casual go-go dancing. She is soon bored with suburban life and signs up with an entertainment troupe to perform for soldiers in Vietnam.

Wearing trademark knee high white boots, fringes and bikini outfits, the Hipchicks (Kathy and her two new friends, Gaynor and Layla), are looking for fun and adventure. What they find instead, is the horrific reality of war, particularly when they perform for the wounded in camp hospitals.

It is hard to know who to trust. Their journalist confidante puts ‘the story’ first and even their own friendship becomes strained as the tour progresses.

Kathy is symbolic of the innocence with which many Australians approached the Vietnam War. And as it was for Kathy, their growing up was sudden and harsh. When Kathy returns she must deal with not only the trauma and tragedy she has witnessed but the stigma of having participated in the Vietnam War.

Seen through the eyes of a naive teenager, When the Hipchicks Went to War is an excellent insight into the issues and attitudes surrounding war in general and the Vietnam War in particular. The book has strong moral and historical value as an adjunct to study of the period.

Visit http://www.hipchicks.com.au for competition, Vietnam War information and Hipchicks playlist.

OZ LIT PROFILE #9 - Pamela Rushby

Pamela Rushby is the author of over 100 books for children, published in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Malaysia. But to stop there is to sell Pamela way short of the mark. She's also a scriptwriter, documentary producer, advertising copywriter, interactive muli-media maker and more... Visit her website to see just how talented she is. But this evening I'm focusing on Pamela Rushby, author of the recently released When the Hip Chicks Went to War, a thought-provoking and uniquely Australian young adult prespective on the Vietnam War. It's a book that entertains, challenges and sh... don't tell anyone, even taught me something.

Hipchicks has its own website where you can win a $500 flight voucher (closes June 2009, Australian residents only)

1 The last children's/YA book you read (fiction or non-fiction) "If I Stay" a young adult novel by Gayle Forman, published by Doubleday. Very interesting, original idea, of a girl who's been in a road accident and is in a coma. Will she choose to go - or stay? Really kept me turning the pages.

2 If it wasn't an Oz title, then the last Oz title "Dinosaur Knights" by Michael Gerard Bauer. Time-slip, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi story that also sucked me totally into the action. Could dragons have been misplaced dinosaurs? Great idea!

3 Name one favourite book from your childhood I really loved "The Wind in the Willows". When I was a kid the Big Author was Enid Blyton (that dates me!) and of course I devoured the Famous Five, Faraway Tree etc. But I found "The Wind in the Willows" in a bookcase at my grandparent's house, and it was something so different. I just loved it. It was a totally other-world, and the writing was of such quality (sorry, Enid).

4 Name one picture book that you love for the illustrations There was a series called the Church Mouse books, by Graham Oakley, about the adventures of mice who lived in an old English church, and the church cat. The illustrations are realistic and highly detailed, and the artist clearly visited a lot of churches for his research. I love travelling in England and visiting old churches, so these books bring back a lot of memories.

5 What is your personal favourite among the books you have authored/illustrated It'd have to be "When the Hipchicks Went to War", because I so much enjoyed doing the research. I spent two weeks in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, thanks to a May Gibbs fellowship. What a treat! And I also visited Vietnam. But then again, my favourite is usually the book I'm working on at the time. Currently I'm writing a non-fiction book about ancient Egypt, and I'm really liking that too, because ancient history is my Thing, and I've been to Egypt several times.

6 What book do you wish you had written - for love or money For love, Dodie Smith's "I Capture the Castle". A truly magic book. For money - well, wouldn't we all like to have been the author of Harry Potter?

7 If you could be a character in a book, who (or what) would you be Not very original, I know - but Elizabeth Bennet. What a girl! Witty, sensible, charming, vivacious, spirited, articulate - oh, all right, a bit inclined to prejudice, but you can't have everything. And she gets the guy! What more could you want?

8 Do you have a favourite quote - from a book or life in general! Anything. Years ago I went to a seminar given by a female film producer (Glenys Rowe, I think) and came away with this advice. YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU DON'T ASK FOR. For career advice, it's worked for me. Certainly, sometimes you don't get what you ask for - but you sure don't get it if you don't ask.

DINNER WITH MAL PEET & M T ANDERSON

Thursday night I was lucky enough to find myself at the CBCA International Dinner at the Hughenden Hotel in Woolhara. The evening's guest swere Mal Peet and MT Anderson, who despite being very tired after days on end of visiting and talking, were both entertaining and affable. Yes, affable - an old fashioned word but just the one I want. They sat in the middle of the group of diners and chatted with everyone. I'll admit I am usually overwhelmed by authors of such enormous critical and commercial acclaim but with these two guys - impossible! And I'll never look at Australian school uniforms the same way again!

I also had a memorable conversation with Kate Forsyth whose new release, The Puzzle Ring, is my current read. And it's the sort of book you can get wonderfully lost inside. Fantasy has always been my favourite genre as a reader and I'll be posting a review soon. Kate is inspiring to listen to. I felt quite swept away. If ever a writer needs motivation, inspiration and encouragement I recommend 15 mins in a room with Kate.

Another wonderful snippet I overheard - a librarian who has a special 'books with awful covers' section in her high school library. She brownpaper covers selected books - I don't think they actually had to have a bad cover to qualify - and the kids borrow them to see if they are as bad as the notorious cover! What a unique way to create interest! The covers always return a little tattered (where the reader 'peeked') and often have to be re-brownpapered.

So now I am the proud owner of signed copies of Tamar and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. Plus my new Tamar has a different cover. To celebrate the evening I'm posting a review of Tamar I did when I first read it three years ago. I loved it then and have loved it every time I have re-read it since. But a warning first - now that I am a more experienced reviewer - I realise I have given a little of the plot away in my review. So if you haven't read Tamar, stop now, go away and read it - and come back here tomorrow. You won't be able to put it down so one night is all you'll need *grin*

Tamar. by Mal Peet - Walker Books. Paperback rrp $16.95

This book won the 2005 Carnegie Medal (awarded in 2006). So as I sat down to read Tamar I had very high expectations. And the good thing about high expectations, is the reward when they are fulfilled. Tamar is a brilliant novel – the story of two lives, two histories and the tragic effect of war.

When Tamar’s grandfather dies she inherits a small cardboard box. A former wireless operator in the war, William Hyde’s life was full of codes, crosswords and cryptic messages. And that’s what the box contains - the clues to the puzzles in Tamar’s own life.With her cousin Johannes she sets out to solve them.

Towards the end of the Second World War, two young Dutchmen, trained in London, are sent to Holland to aid the resistance. Their code names are Tamar and Dart. Tamar’s role is to co-ordinate the local forces but he is also returning to Marijke, the woman he fell in love with on a previous mission. Dart (William Hyde) is his wireless operator.

Tamar is killed but Dart survives and returns to England with Marijke. They raise a son who, at his father’s request, names his daughter Tamar. Two lives and two histories begin to converge. Later the son inexplicably abandons his family and Tamar spends ever increasing time with her grandparents.

As the story unfolds Tamar discovers her grandfather is not who she thinks he is. His reality distorted by the strain of war and the pressures of a covert operation, Dart murdered his colleague Tamar and married the unsuspecting and already pregnant Marijke. William Hyde despises what Dart did, but he loves his family deeply. When Tamar’s father discovers the deception, he is filled with hate. He wants to kill William but instead walks away.

Now Tamar knows everything. Two lives and two histories have collided with a force strong enough to destroy them all. But with Johannes’ help, Tamar finds it in her heart to forgive what her father never can. She understands what the box means. William is completing the apology he began when he chose Tamar’s name.

I read an interview with Mal Peet where he talked about ‘connectedness, the way that we are all individually shaped by past events, by our family experiences, whether they are secret or not, by our grandparents’ lives’ [1]. This is the crux of Tamar.

Tamar is not an easy read. The plot is complex with many twists and turns, winding across Europe and through time. But this is an engrossing, dramatic and thought provoking narrative. Well worth the concentration it requires. While Tamar is marketed as young adult fiction, the line is very finely drawn. The book will equally appeal to adults.

[1] The full transcript of the UK Chartered Library Institute of Professionals interview can be viewed at (http://www.cilip.org.uk/publications/updatemagazine/archive/archive2006/september/malpeetsep.htm).

MAILBOX MONDAY on WEDNESDAY

It's been one of those weeks -the sort you wouldn't wish on anyone - not even once a year. So today I am doing Mailbox Monday on Wednesday. I received something truly special in my mailbox this time - an original piece of artwork from Rhian Nest-James the illustrator of the Samurai Kids series. Isn't it amazing? It's no surprise that every review makes mention of the wonderful oriental-style brushwork illustrations throughout the books.

I am not a visual person - never have been. When I was first shown the illustrations for White Crane, I was asked if they matched what was in my head. I was so thrilled to see them because there was nothing in my head! Well, no pictures anyway. I see everything with words only. But as soon as I saw Rhian's drawings of Sensei and Niya, and the rest of the kids, well... I recognised them straight away.

INTERVIEW with Sally Murphy

Today I'm thrilled to be sort-of interviewing Sally Murphy about her recently released verse novel for middle grade readers. I say sort-of because I didn't actually do any interviewing. I feel very strongly that Pearl Verses the World is a book which speaks equally well to two very different audiences - older readers (such as myself) and younger readers (such as #2 son). So after reading the book together, I asked #2 to think of some interview questions he would like to ask Pearl and Sally.

What transpired was an eye-opener for me personally - not only an insight into how a young person interacts with Pearl Verses the World but also how my own child, who has had little experience of illness and death, reacted when confronted with such big issues in narrative.

However, I couldn't convince him it was a verse novel. 'Poem book' he insisted.

Pearl Verses the World is a sensitive and skilful look at greif, loneliness, illness and death. But at the same time it is hopeful and uplifting, a celebration of family and friendship. But I digress. I'm not reviewing today, I'm introducing Pearl and Sally through nine-year-old eyes.

QUESTIONS FOR PEARL

1 How old are you? I am 9 and I think you are the same age as me.
Yes, I just turned 10, though I didn’t get to have a big party or anything because of Mum being so busy with Granny. Still, I didn’t mind – all I wanted was to spend time with Granny and see her smile.

2 At the start of the book, why don’t you have any friends? You seem very nice.
You know how sometimes when you feel sad or grumpy you tend to stick to yourself? And sometimes when you’re feeling that way, without meaning to you shut other people out. So you don’t smile at them, or talk to them, or even feel like sitting with them at lunch or recess. That’s what happened to me. I just stuck to myself because I was so sad, and then I felt like I had no friends.

3 Why doesn’t Lucy Wong like you any more?

We used to be best friends, but these days she wants to play out in the playground, and I just don’t feel like playing those games at the moment. And I haven’t been a very good friend to her – she has tried to include me in things but I haven’t joined in. I hope we will be friends again.

4 What is wrong with your grandmother? Does she have an illness or is she just sick because she is old?
Granny is pretty old, and when people get old they can have all sorts of illnesses. One of Granny’s problem is dementia – which is when you start to lose your memory. At first it was just little things – like he’d forget where she put her teeth, or she would put the milk away in the oven – but then she started to forget more and more things, and by the time she died she didn’t seem to even remember who Mum and I were. That was sad for all of us.

5 Are you scared other people might die? What if your mum died? Who would look after you?

Sometimes, yes, I worry about other people dying. And if I think about Mum dying it is really scary, because we don’t have a lot of other relatives, but Mum has friends so maybe one of them would look after me. I might ask Mum about that – she always listens to me when I am worried, so she might tell me what she thinks would happen.
But mostly, since Granny died I know that life does go on after someone you love dies. Sometimes I am really sad that she has gone – but I am glad that she was my granny and that I had a chance to know and love her.

6 Do you think Prudence will become your friend?
I think we might not be enemies any more. She was quite nice when I came back to school after Granny died, but I don’t think we will ever be best friends. She is a bit too goody-goody for me. I like to have fun.

7 What is your cat’s name?
Narelle. If you say it really fast it sounds like the sound a cat makes.

QUESTIONS FOR SALLY

8 I like how some of the words are like pictures – they wind and curve around. They are big and little. Was that your idea?
No, it wasn’t my idea. When I wrote them, I wrote them on separate lines to emphasise them, but it was the designer and editor who used the different fonts and shapes. I like it too.

9 Do you know anybody called Pearl? Where did her name come from?
No, I don’t know anyone called Pearl, but it is a name I like. I chose it because I wanted a name that was a bit different. Pearl is a different sort of a girl and deserved a unique name.

10 Are you a poet? My mum is a writer but she isn’t a poet.
I am a poet, but I don’t only write poetry. Most of the other books I have written are prose, but I have also written a picture book (called Pemberthy Bear) which was a rhyming poem, and a book of performance poems (called Assembly), which also mostly rhymed.

11 Are you going to write another poem book?
Yes! I have written another verse novel, called Toppling which Walker Books will publish in 2010. I have also written lots of poems about different topics which I have made into a collection, but I don’t know yet if that will be published or not. I have my fingers crossed. I think kids like reading poetry and I certainly love writing it.

Thank you for taking the time to think up such good interview questions. I really had to think hard to come up with clever answers.

TEASER TUESDAY

The Teaser Tuesdays meme is hosted by Should Be Reading. It's easy and fun. Open your current read at a random page and share two sentences from somewhere between lines 7 and 12. There's one important rule - no spoilers!

I'm really excited about this book. The Secret Ministry of Frost by Nick Lake. How's this for a by-line? Snow lies. Frost Bites.

And just look at the cover. If only you could see how it sparkles with holgraphic pieces - like sun on ice.

Without further adieu:

She stopped screaming.

The darkness lifted, coalescing beside her bed into the ghostlyform of a girl, barely a teenager, standing in an attitude of proud defiance. The girl was made entirely of shadows - a shifting grey darkness, with eyes of the blackest night. "I hope you are not going to scream again," the girl said. "It would be a shame to have to kill you already."

IN MY MAILBOX

Two fantastic, fabulous fantasy novels.

Worldshaker - a steampunk, gothic fantasy by Richard Harland that comes complete with inspiring recommendations from Ian Irvine and D.M. Cornich. But having read all of Richard's other fantasy fiction, I don't need any recommendations. I know I'm going to love it. Great cover too.

The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth. Once again this is known territory for me as I have read all of Kate's fantasy fiction too. A quick look at the blurb and I'm promised Scotland and a cursed castle, a timeslip to the days of Queen Mary when witches were burned at the stake... and a feisty red-haired heroine. Sounds exciting.

The big question - which one to read first?

OZ LIT REVIEW #8 - Loathing Lola

Loathing Lola by William Kostakis Pan Macmillan Young Adult, Fiction Paperback rrp A$16.99

You’ve watched at least a dozen reality shows on television. Now it’s time to read the book.

Fifteen-year-old Courtney Marlowe doesn’t even like reality shows. She only auditioned for ‘Real Teens’ to prove to her boyfriend Liam, that ordinary kids don’t get selected. Liam loves reality shows and wagers that Courtney is just the type of girl this new show is looking for.

But by the time Courtney is called for an interview and subsequently chosen, Liam has been killed in a tragic accident. It’s the stuff reality television is made of.

Everyone wants to be part of Courtney’s new ‘real life’ on film as the cameras follow her around - from her boyfriend’s jealous friend Chloe, to her best friend’s twin sister, Kate, who automatically styles herself ‘second best friend’. Courtney didn’t even know she had a stepmother until Lola appears, confessing a heart’s desire to ‘one day be on TV’.

Courtney quickly loses control of her life. What is real and what isn’t? Who is a real friend and who is a pretender? No wonder Courtney doesn’t know. As the reader, I too found it impossible to tell. This is a book that drags you neck deep into the drama. And there’s lots of it.

The title is ironic. Much as I wanted to hate many of the characters, including Lola, I couldn’t. Each had a reason for what they did and those reasons were all too familiar and human. The author has cleverly made each person so real to the reader that they empathise rather than criticise.

This is a contemporary young adult book which explores the phenomenon of reality television and the far reaching effects it has on all involved. Ultimately we must make our own decision about what is real and who is faking it.

OZ LIT PROFILE #8 - William Kostakis

This weeks' profile victim is William Kostakis. William is talented, witty and a lot of fun - in his writing and in real life. He's much cleverer with words than I am so I am going to steal from his web site to introduce him. BTW when I sneaked back in to William's website to do my pilfering I discovered another hidden talent. He's a damned good poet too. Check out the blog post titled April's Poem.

But back to William and the word pilfering:

William Kostakis is the award-winning author of LOATHING LOLA, the side-splittingly funny story of Australia’s newest reality TV star, fifteen-year-old Courtney Marlow, with a love story, some mystery, betrayal, cuss words and Lola to boot. In 2005, William won Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year. If you’ve met him, he’s probably beaten you over the head with his plaque. He’s just that into himself. He's 19 and likes to think he's in way over his head...

Or read the author's description of himself in this Age article (oh I wish I could write an article like this!)

1 The last children's/YA book you read (fiction or non-fiction) James Roy's Hunting Elephants. It's not the sort of book I'd usually read, but was guilted into it because I know the author - and it was sensational.

2 If it wasn't an Oz title, then the last Oz title Proudly Australian.

3 Name one favourite book from your childhood The 3 Magic Faraway Tree books... it's a shame they've been censored though. Still trying to Ebay my way to THE uncensored originals...

4 Name one picture book that you love for the illustrations Nick Bland's The Very Cranky Bear made me chuckle.

5 What is your personal favourite among the books you have authored/illustrated Well, there's only one. Nice to see I'm not getting a set of generic questions or anything, Sandy. :-P It was a difficult choice, but how about... Loathing Lola. {Hmmm... red-faced apology from me... I was trying to be consistent... anyway I bet it's not long before the ball park changes and there are many more balls in the air}

6 What book do you wish you had written - for love or money Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett... well, anything by Terry Pratchett really, but that's one of the stand-outs. Chosen for love, but let's not act like Terry's a starving author or anything...

7 If you could be a character in a book, who (or what) would you be
Tossing up between Gandalf, super awesome in a you-shall-not-pass kind of way, and Edward Cullen, because... well, if you're stuck in a bad novel, do you notice all the grammatical errors?

8 Do you have a favourite quote - from a book or life in general! Anything.
I believe in Chloe and chocolate.I believe the best part is always before.I believe that most girls are shifty and most guys are dumb.I believe the more you spill, the less you are.I don’t believe in life after death or diuretics or happy endings.I don’t believe anything good will come of this.
- Simmone Howell, Everything Beautiful

I'M GOING ON A BLOG HUNT

And I know exactly where I'm going. With all the wonderful blogs about books and reading and writing, for books of all types for all ages, you wouldn't think there would be a niche left. But there is.

Check out Guys Lit Wire. A site that targets books for guys.

Now I know there are all sort of gender issues in literature and I don't want to discuss those. Well, not tonight anyway. But teenage boys exist in a YA world where I am totally lost. I often have to buy a book for a reader in that age group, and with the exception of sci-fi/fantasy (the most genderless fiction of all) I haven't a clue where to start looking.

Until I found Guys Lit Wire. Set up in May 2008, their mission is (from the website):

Guys Lit Wire exists solely to bring literary news and reviews to the attention of teenage boys and the people who care about them. We are more than happy to welcome female readers - but our main goal is to bring the attention of good books to guys who might have missed them. The titles will be new or old and on every subject imaginable. We guarantee new posts every Monday through Friday and have a list of twenty-three individual scheduled contributors plus several additional occasional posters all of whom have different literary likes and dislikes. We hope to provide something for everyone and will strive to accomplish that goal.

And they succeed in doing exactly that. I love the insight they give me. I love the books they help me find. And I love the way I now have a much better chance of choosing a successful present match.

SANDY WRITES

Recently a young reader asked me "Where did you get the idea for Mitsuka Manuyoto?" Mitsuka is a character in Owl Ninja, the second book in the Samurai Kids series.

Throughout the Samurai Kids writing process my constant companion is The Book of Five Rings by the great Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, even today, considered without a doubt the best. When Musashi's ghost heard that question, I am sure he laughed. For much of Mitsuka is drawn from Musashi. And that's one of the wonderful things about writing history. It provides its own starting points and ideas.

Musashi was not only a skilled swordsman but a very interesting man. He is almost as famous for his unkempt appearance. There's even a little gossip - was it that he didn't like having a bath or did he have an illness? I suspect if you are the best swordsman in the world then no-one argues too much about whether you smell or not! He was also a man with a sense of humour and an integrity that led him to put his sword aside for the wooden bo (he tired of winning by killing opponents he admired). Eventually he decided he'd had enough of battle and retired to paint birds on silk. The dichotomy of the man of who excelled at war but at the same time exalted in the pattern of canary feathers immediately attracted my writer's interest.

But while Mitsuka too is a great swordsman and could do with a dunking in something wet, he is otherwise totally fictional. His clumsiness and his devotion to his former teacher are his alone. As is the reason why he hasn't got any trousers when the kids first meet him. Taking off your trousers can be a useful opponent-distracting strategy!

We stop underneath a giant cherry tree. But Sensei's space is already taken by a large dirty man in the ragged remains of a red kimnon and jacket. Snoring there without his trousers on. We don't know which way to look. Sensei makes it even harder when he sits down next to the tramp.

Despite his idiosyncracies and his tendency to drop his sword, in his own time, Mitsuka is the best there is. Even better than Mikko. And when he has a blade especailly made for him by Sensei's old friend, the master craftsman Onaku:

The ronin reaches for it, eyes bright as he recognises the Sword Master's handiwork. From here I can see the grip is unusual. It melts into the ronin's hand and as flesh and sword join together, I hear the blade sing. Everyone can. It drowns out the thump of the drum.

Note: A ronin was a wandering samurai who, unlike most of his peers, served no master.

You can download a fact sheet about Musashi from the Samurai Kids website or read about him in the Chi! Jin! Yu! newsletter. You can read more about Mitsuka Manuyoto in Owl Ninja, the second book in the Samurai Kids series.

TEASER TUESDAY

The Teaser Tuesdays meme is hosted by Should Be Reading. It's easy and fun. Open your current read at a random page and share two sentences from somewhere between lines 7 and 12. There's one important rule - no spoilers!

Introducing Pearl versus the World by Sally Murphy, illustrated by Heather Potter

She nudges me and hisses
That's for stealing my boyfriend.
Does Prudence have boyfriend?
And how could I steal him when I don't know who he is?
And would he let himself be stolen?

Now I am going to break the Teaser Tuesday rules. This was such an engrossing story I read it in one sitting. So I already know that to do it justice requires more than the above extract. While the book is a thoughtful glimpse into the life of Pearl - her problems with school, friends, the teacher and poetry - it is also much more than that. It is the heart stirring story of a young person coping with grief and loss. So if I just turn one page:

Where is the book
About a girl
Whose poems don't rhyme
And whose Granny is fading?
Pearl, says Mrs Rose
The bell has gone.

I go back to class
Empty-handed
Empty-headed
Empty-hearted.

Beautiful cover, beautiful words. A beautiful book.

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REVIEWS FOR ME

Last week I was on the receiving end of two wonderful reviews - the sort that bring a tear to an author's eye. Now that I've put the soggy tissue away, here's a sample of what was said:

For Shaolin Tiger
As with the earlier volumes, it’s a story told with warmth and wisdom, and Sandy Fussell is a wizard herself, casting spells over the reader with a deceptively simple style which fits the Eastern wisdom perfectly. This is a series which deserves to be widely read and recommended. Malcom at StoryTime Books for Kids in NZ

For Polar Boy
What an unusual book! This shortlisted book for younger readers is amazing and very, very different... I found the writing riveting. One of the early chapters sees Iluak fall through the ice while on a seal hunt. The tension in that chapter simply caught my interest and held it until I finished the book in one sitting. Lowly's Book Blog

OZ LIT REVIEW - Nit Boy series

Nit Boy – Lift Off and Nit Boy – Bug Out by Tristan Bancks Illustrated by Heath McKenzie Laguna Bay Publishing Australia rrp $14.95 Paperback Junior fiction $14.95

These easy to read books are perfect for newly independent readers. A good story. Lots of humour. Funny drawings by Australian illustrator Heath McKenzie.

Eleven-year-old Lewis has a wild blonde afro and a head full of nits. He hates hair cuts but he’s grown to love his nits. ‘Lewis had had nits for so long he thought of them as cute little head mice rather than head lice.’ He’s even found a nit money-making scheme. He passes them on to other children, who if they get nits, are given time off school.

Then Ned is born on Lewis’ head. The first ever jumping louse. The nits are on the move and suddenly, the whole town is scratching. Lewis’ nits are in great danger as the townspeople band together to exterminate the lice.

Heath McKenzie’s illustrations are wickedly funny. Especially ‘evil’ deputy principal, Mrs Herrick, whether she’s peering through Lewis’ hair, yanking great hunks of it or waving an electric razor.

There is much more to this book than simply a good story. First there is a wealth of information and even a quiz about nits. The concept of species adapting and evolving is introduced. Lewis explores his sense of identity when faced with the loss of his hair.

But what I liked best is the positive message this series brings to its readers. You don’t need to be embarrassed about having nits. While nits are prevalent in our primary schools (23% of kids I’m told), many children are still uncomfortable about admitting they have or have had them. A recent visitor to my house was appalled when her mother, with good intentions and consideration for the other parents present, announced she was treating her daughter’s hair for nits. Tears welled up in my little visitor’s eyes.

Enter Nit Boy, to rescue the damsel in distress, in true super hero fashion. I showed the cover. I told the story. Later I refereed the tug-of-war between her and my son when she wanted to take the Nit Boy books home.

Lift Off and Bug Out are excellent books for children of all ages – to read or have read to them. Nit products might help with infested hair but this book will help give kids a reason to laugh about nits.

OZ LIT PROFILE #7 - TRISTAN BANCKS

This week's guest is author, actor, presenter, fim-maker, writer and much-too-talented Tristan Bancks. Tristan is the author of the YA series Mac Slater, Cool Hunter and its yr life (co-authored with Tempany Deckert) His latest release for junior readers is the Nit Boy series. These books have already resulted in a family tug-of-war in our house but more about that tomorrow. Tonight it's Tristan's turn to answer a few questions:

1 The last children's/YA book you read (fiction or non-fiction) Slam by Nick Hornby. Funny, page-turning and well worth the investment.

2 If it wasn't an Oz title, then the last Oz title Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak. Such well-drawn characters but not a word wasted in description. Incredibly tight prose. Gritty and funny and honest. I loved it and will be heading out on a Zusak-fest in the near future. I'm also looking forward to reading some James Roy.

3 Name one favourite book from your childhood My Side of the Mountain by Jean Graighead George

4 Name one picture book that you love for the illustrations The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard by Gregory Rogers

5 What is your personal favourite among the books you have authored/illustrated ***Hmmm, Tristan skipped this one.... Very diplomatic ***

6 What book do you wish you had written - for love or money The Body by Stephen King, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Bugalugs Bum Thief, Tim Winton

7 If you could be a character in a book, who (or what) would you be? I'd be Max in Where the Wild Things Are

8 Do you have a favourite quote - from a book or life in general! Anything.' Fall seven times. Stand up eight.' - Chinese proverb.
'Experience is what happens when we don't get what we want.' - Not sure who.