The CBCA Shortlist 2013

The theme this year is "Read Across The Universe".

And here it is, this year's short list. Congratulations to those on the list. 

Here is a link to this year's Notables:

http://cbca.org.au/Notables2013.htm

Sorry, but I couldn't get those copied and pasted and some of them were on the short list anyway. I am very pleased to say that Ford Street's anthology Trust Me Too, in which I have a story, got a Notable in the Younger Readers category, though I personally would have put it under Older Readers. It's very disappointing that two of the Ford Street titles entered, Ships In The Field and In The Beech Forest, both reviewed on this blog, didn't even get a Notable. In The Beech Forest is illustrated by Den Scheer, a young woman who is going to become very well known, and one day she will mention in an interview that her first book didn't get into the Crichton Awards for new illustrators. Well, Animalia did make it to the short list but didn't win; the book that did is long forgotten, while Graeme Base continues to rake in the sales, for this and others that have been published since then. Sorry, judges, I know you worked hard and read hundreds of books, but IMO, you got it wrong in this! Perhaps, as I have heard, it was a matter of one vote - and I don't think the Crichtons have a Notable section.  There were some wonderful books that missed out, but that happens in every competition.

I will have to buy at least the Older and Younger Reader books for my library. We have Sea Hearts and Friday Brown in the Older Readers and Pennies For Hitler and After in the Youngers. I've read Sea Hearts, of course, am still reading Friday Brown,  and have After on my iPad. That's a beautiful book, like all the others in that series that began with Once, and our students have been borrowing all of them enthusiastically, from Year 7 students who read the others in primary school, to Year 10 boys who read and loved Once for English Literature Circles in my Year 8 class.

Some of the short listed folk are friends (hi Doug!) or Twitter buddies (hi Vikki, Margo!). And Vikki came to my school once, with the State Library's Teen Booktalkers. She gave a very interesting talk about how she put together her first novel, All I Ever Wanted, and it helped that she has art talent as well as writing!

Interesting to note that three of the five Eve Pownall non fiction books were published by a non-publisher - Art gallery, museum, National Library. Alas, very few regular publishers are buying non-fiction for children these days; it's very hard to sell these books in bookshops, which have no idea how to present them in such a way that buyers will find anything in particular. Allen and Unwin tried, very hard, twice, with True Stories and the It's True! series. They were wonderful books and my school is trying, right now, to get as many of them as possible for our literacy program, but they're out of print, although you can still get some of the books, such as my own Your Cat Could Be A Spy, as POD. I wrote the only non-fiction book for Ford Street, on commission, but it hasn't earned back its advance due to some stuff-ups that happened between distributor and bookshops and then, once it did get to the bookshops, it was put in the adult section. Yet kids LOVE non-fiction. Only recently, two Grade 6 children visiting my school made my day when they approached me to say how much they had enjoyed Crime Time. 

I will have to get students, perhaps book clubbers, to help me read the short listed books and perhaps blog about them or interview the authors.

Book of the Year: Older Readers

These books are for mature readers

Grant, Neil  The Ink Bridge Allen & Unwin 9781742376691

Lanagan, Margo  Sea Hearts Allen & Unwin 9781742375052

MacLeod, Doug   The Shiny Guys  Penguin Group 9780143565307

Touchell, Dianne  Creepy & Maud  Fremantle Press 9781921888953

Wakefield, Vikki  Friday Brown Text Publishing 9781921922701

Zail, Suzy  The Wrong Boy  Black Dog Books, Walker Books Australia 9781742031651

Book of the Year: Younger Readers

French, Jackie  Pennies for Hitler Angus & Robertson, HarperCollins 9780732292096

French, Simon  Other Brother Walker Books Australia 9781921720833

Gleitzman, Morris After Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia) 9780670075447

Hartnett, Sonya Children of the King Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia) 9780670076130

Herrick, Steven Pookie Aleera is Not my Boyfriend University of Queensland Press 9780702249280

Millard, Glenda Ill. Stephen Michael King The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk HarperCollins

9780733329838

Book of the Year: Early Childhood

Allen, Emma Ill. Freya Blackwood	The Terrible Suitcase	Scholastic Press, Omnibus Books	9.78186E+12
Cox, Tania Ill. Karen Blair	With Nan	Windy Hollow Books	9.78192E+12
DeGennaro, Sue	The Pros & Cons of Being a Frog	Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia	9.78174E+12
Dubosarsky, Ursula Ill. Andrew Joyner	Too Many Elephants in This House	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)	9.78067E+12
Harris, Christine Ill. Ann James	It's a Miroocool!	Little Hare Books, Hardie Grant Egmont	9.78192E+12
Walker, Anna	Peggy	Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia	9.78174E+12
Intended for children in the pre-reading to early reading stages.

Picture Book Short List 2013 (arranged by illustrator)
Author	Title	Publisher	ISBN
Brooks, Ron Text: Julie Hunt	The Coat	Allen & Unwin	9.78174E+12
Goodman, Vivienne Text: Margaret Wild	Tanglewood	Omnibus Books Scholastic Press	9.78186E+12
Gordon, Gus	Herman and Rosie	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)	9.78067E+12
Lester, Alison	Sophie Scott Goes South	Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)	9.78067E+12
Mullins, Patricia Text: Glenda Millard	Lightning Jack	Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia	9.78174E+12
Wilson, Mark Text: Jackie French	A Day to Remember	Angus & Robertson, Harper Collins	9.78073E+12
Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years range (Some books may be for mature readers).

Top

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books Short List 2013
Author	Title	Publisher	ISBN
Cheng, Christopher & Jackson, Mark	Python	Walker Books, Australia	9.78192E+12
Kerin, Jackie Ill. Gouldthorpe, Peter	Lyrebird! A True Story	Museum Victoria	9.78192E+12
Murray, Kirsty	Topsy-turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers	National Library of Australia	9.78064E+12
Queensland Art Gallery	Portrait of Spain for Kids	Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art	9.78192E+12
Weidenbach, Kristin Ill. Ide, Timothy	Tom the Outback Mailman	Lothian Children’s Books, Hachette Australia	9.78073E+12

Crichton Short List 2012

Illustrator	Title	Publisher
Acton, Sara	Ben & Duck	Scholastic Press, Scholastic Australia
Battersby Katherine	Squish Rabbit	University of Queensland Press
Bowen, Dean Written by Jennifer Castles	A Song for Lorkie	Allen & Unwin
Goh, Heidi	York's Universe	Windy Hollow Books
Okalyi, Sandy Written by Doug MacLeod	Mozzie and Midgie	Working Title Press
Streich, Michel	Grumpy Little King	Allen & Unwin

So, anyone got any thoughts on this list? Please do share!