Month: October 2013

Hatched Anthology forward by Tim Winton

IT’s an odd thing to have a writing award given in your name, especially when you’re not dead yet. But clearly, not being dead has its rewards. The pay-off is being here to see young people exercising their hearts and minds for the pleasure and excitement of simply being allowed to do so. And if being the patron of such a prize is premature then I’ll just have to endure it as another form of being a little early and a bit awkward, as is my lifelong habit.

It’s an odd thing to have a writing award given in your name, especially when you’re not dead yet. But clearly, not being dead has its rewards. The pay-off is being here to see young people exercising their hearts and minds for the pleasure and excitement of simply being allowed to do so. And if being the patron of such a prize is premature then I’ll just have to endure it as another form of being a little early and a bit awkward, as is my lifelong habit.

Hatched is a collection of stories taken from the twenty years of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers. The annual Award, auspiced by the City of Subiaco in Perth, is open to all Western Australian school children from five years old to age eighteen years old. This anthology features work from the first 20 years of the Award. Each story is accompanied by the category it was entered in and the school at which the author studied. Stories range from the real to the fantastical and explore a range of themes. Generational feuds, friendships, bullies, obsessions, the future all get an outing. Writers featured range from mid-primary to upper-secondary. The collection includes a forward by Tim Winton and cover image by Shaun Tan.

There are not many opportunities for young writers to practise their craft beyond school boundaries. Or to read the work of other young writers. The Tim Winton Award for Young Writers offers both. Young writers can see their work in print and also read works by their peers. It also allows the wider community access to the stories and the concerns of young writers. This anthology is testament to the imagination and skills of our young writers as well as to their families and teachers. It will be useful in schools and libraries to inspire other young writers. Beyond that, it’s an entertaining and fascinating read. Recommended for mid-primary to upper-secondary schoolers and beyond.

Hatched, an Anthology, forward by Tim Winton Fremantle Press 2013 ISBN: 9781922089458

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Once Upon a Slime by Andy Griffiths ill Terry Denton

1.Bad Mummy & Daddy cartoons

Some of my favourite characters in all of the books that Terry and I have created are Bad Mummy, Bad Daddy and the kid who always asks permission to do something really stupid and/or dangerous. Most normal parents would say no, but I wanted to play with the idea of parents who do the opposite, that is, say yes when they should say no. They then surprise us again when, instead of being upset at what happens to their child as a result of their bad parenting, they simply shrug and say, ‘Oops!’

1.Bad Mummy & Daddy cartoons

Some of my favourite characters in all of the books that Terry and I have created are Bad Mummy, Bad Daddy and the kid who always asks permission to do something really stupid and/or dangerous. Most normal parents would say no, but I wanted to play with the idea of parents who do the opposite, that is, say yes when they should say no. They then surprise us again when, instead of being upset at what happens to their child as a result of their bad parenting, they simply shrug and say, ‘Oops!’
Once Upon a Slime offers 45 ways to get writing … FAST! Griffiths uses the same conversational style as in his myriad titles to inspire young readers to become young writers. With illustrator, Terry Denton, he offers wild and wacky ways to write based on their work. Beginning with cartoons and ending with a Random Idea Generator, each chapter offers insight into how Griffith begins and continues his stories, then offers suggestions for writing activities. There’s Dos and Don’ts lists, free writing exercises with prompts, jar labels, How to Create a Monster and many, more. There are info boxes, cartoons, and illustrations on each page.

Once Upon a Slime is simply brilliant. Even the most reluctant writer will be drawn in and their imagination revealed via these writing prompts. For young writers, there’s an exercise for all their moods and inclinations. For teachers and parents, there’s support to get young writers over ‘white page fever’ that besets many. For writers for children, there’s a reminder to be child-like in creating work for young readers. And if you’re not in any of the aforementioned categories, there’s something for you too: a reminder of childhood, an insight into the minds of a very talented pair of creators. Aimed at middle primary readers, ‘Once Upon a Slime’ will be a hit with many more. Recommended for anyone who likes to mix crazy with their learning/teaching.

Once Upon a Slime

Once Upon a Slime, Andy Griffiths ill Terry Denton
Pan Macmillan 2013 ISBN: 9781742612096

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

City of Monsters Book 1: Monster School by DC Green

My name is Thomas Regus. I’m a prisoner in two castles.

One was built by giant ants; one constructed of lies.

I had to escape both.

Yet my single option was such a long shot it almost made me chuckle.

Make Erica chatty!

Ogres, of course, are trained from birth – not for their chatty conversational skills, but to be the best bodyguards in the wold

THOOM!

Erica, the best of the best, kicked wide my iron-braced doors. But before the hinges could rebound, she tromped into my private dining room.

Right on time.

My name is Thomas Regus. I’m a prisoner in two castles.

One was built by giant ants; one constructed of lies.

I had to escape both.

Yet my single option was such a long shot it almost made me chuckle.

Make Erica chatty!

Ogres, of course, are trained from birth – not for their chatty conversational skills, but to be the best bodyguards in the wold

THOOM!

Erica, the best of the best, kicked wide my iron-braced doors. But before the hinges could rebound, she tromped into my private dining room.

Right on time.

Thomas lives a life of privilege, except when it comes to doing what he wants and learning what he wants. His tutor, Lord Boron, might as well have been called Lord Boring, so dull are his lessons. Apparently that’s just the lot of a prince who’s preparing to rule one day. Thomas breaks out of his castle prison and attends school, Monster School. Here he learns more in a day than he’s learned in months in the castle. And some of what he learns makes him suspect that Lord Boron may have been withholding information. Thomas makes friends with a rag-tag group of monsters, a cross-species collection of misfits. There’s Bruce, a giant spider, a vampire, a zombie, a mummy and a bush goblin. And then the adventures begin. Black and white illustrations throughout depict some truly monstrous characters.

DC Green has a truly frightening imagination. He has created grotesque characters and set them in a post-flood world where goblins are in charge, and humes (humans) are endangered. With unsubtle nods to the cost of ignoring climate change, he brings forth magical and horrific creatures and sets them all on the last remaining parcel of land. There they must, if not co-exist, then co-locate. Each species, and within species, each group seems to be working for themselves. Mistrust and active dislike is rife. Enter Thomas (aka swamp monster) and slowly some of the walls are lowered. Wrapped up in grossness and humour,Monster School, Book 1in a trilogy, is a story about acceptance, tolerance and how the little people can make a difference. Hilarious and disgusting, middle-school readers will love it!

 

Monster school

City of Monsters Book 1: Monster School, DC Green Ford Street Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9781925000078

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Welcome Home, by Christina Booth

When I heard her call, it came from the river,

echoing off the mountain like a whisper

while the moon danced on the waves.

When I heard her call, it came from the river,

echoing off the mountain like a whisper

while the moon danced on the waves.

A young boy hears a whale voice, calling from far away. The whale speaks just to him. She tells of history, of whales once hunted to the edge of extinction. It is a siren call to the boy, floating into his sleep, filling him with joy, with knowledge and sadness. The whale is getting closer and the boy waits by water’s edge. His temporary discomfort in the cold morning is nothing to the danger of her journey. She comes and speaks to him alone seeking understanding. The boy can only apologise for the past. Then she is gone. But not for long. This time, she speaks to all the early morning watchers, introduces her calf. This time, she and her baby are safe. Illustrations are in watercolour, ink and crayon using rich blues and sunrise yellows to link boy and whale. A final spread shares the story of the story, some history and some facts about Southern Right Whales and their connection with the Derwent River in Hobart, where this story is set.

‘Welcome Home’ is the story of a boy and a whale, of hope and trust. The boy can hear what his family cannot. Young children will love the connection the boy has with this sea giant, while older readers will understand the environmental message behind the story. There is potential for them to be involved in the future, not bound by the past. ‘Welcome Home’ includes themes for many school levels, including life cycles, conservation, human responsibility and more. The illustrations are soft and dreamy and though ‘Welcome Home’ showcases a sad past, it points to a future that is not without hope. Recommended for primary-schoolers.

 

Welcome Home

Welcome Home, Christina Booth

Ford St Publishing 2013 ISBN: 9781925000092

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com