Friendship

And the winner is…

Linda J

Book of the Year 2017

Announced in Hobart today, the CBCA winners in the Older Readers’ category were:

Book of the Year: Claire Zorn, One Would Think the Deep (see review here)

Honour book: Cath Crowley, Words in Deep Blue

Honour book: Zana Fraillon, The Bone Sparrow

(Did you pick the winner this year? I never do…)

This year’s winners were among 600 Australian authors and illustrators, who created over 400 titles selected for the 2017 notables list!

As noted in a Sydney Morning Herald commentary on the CBCA awards this weekend, many of this year’s shortlisted books touched on friendships and families:

In a strong year where friendship and family were the dominant themes… Claire Zorn’s One Would Think the Deep, (which) captures the grief and anger of 17-year-old Sam following the unexpected death of his mother and how he learns to move on. Children’s Book Council of Australia reveal the best books of 2017, August 19, 2017

Claire’s previous books have also won prestigious nominations and awards, such as CBCA Book of the Year in 2015 for the Protected, CBCA Honour Book for the Sky so Heavy in 2014, along with Premier’s Literary awards along the way. Truly a creative talent to keep an eye on. You can more about her, and how she writes, on her blog here.

Of course, even Claire would look up to another winner in these awards, who has been winning great accolades since 1986 – Bob Graham, Australian author and illustrator of children’s picture books! Bob won again this year with his book called Home in the Rain – “a tender, touching story of family life, perfect for sharing when a new baby is on the way. A beautifully observed celebration of the way inspiration can, and often does happen in the most ordinary and unlikely of places.” (Walker Books)

As stated above, there are many more wonderful titles to enjoy if you take a look at the Notables list for 2017. Happy reading!

For the complete list of winners for 2017 (Picture Books, Younger Readers, etc) see the CBCA site. Happy Book Week!

Big questions – the Honest Truth

Linda J

Your friend has gone missing, and you have finally worked out where he is heading. The trouble is, you think he doesn’t want to be found. And he is trusting you not give him away. What should you do?

For most of his life, Mark has been battling to stay alive. When his cancer returns, he decides he wants to do what he wants to do – and not be dictated to by others such as doctors. In other ways, Mark is lucky – he has loving parents, a great friend in Jessie, and a loyal dog. These are his supports – but he has had enough. He wants to be a normal kid, but how can this happen if you spend your life in and out of hospital?

‘The Honest Truth’, by Dan Gemeinhart, is a gentle but emotional tale, dealing with big questions – of life and death, friendship and promises. It will have you in tears; then in the next minute, pondering what YOU might do if YOU were Mark’s friend.

For those who have loved books like ‘the Fault in our Stars’, or ‘Zac and Mia’, this tale presents the thoughts of a terminally ill protagonist who fights to achieve a personal goal. It intersperses these with the thoughts of his friend Jess, and how his parents deal with his choices. How this occurs, and the impact his disappearance has on others, make for a moving story with a powerful message about some of the important things in life.

A closing quote from the Honest Truth states:

“What Jessie said wasn’t a lie. It was just a better kind of truth.”

How this fits with the story is for the reader to discover; just like understanding “the mountain was calling me”, and why. Recommended read.

Capturing magic

Linda J

nnestLife is not easy for ‘Little John’. His little sister is dead, his mother is in mourning, while his dad drinks away the money which is meant to pay their rent. Feeling mistakenly responsible for Raelyn’s death, John works hard by his father’s side in his tree-felling business during the summer.

While at a job for a wealthy community member, Mr King, John discovers Gayle – a young girl, perched in a tree on the property, who brings forth a beautiful birdsong. Gayle has also been noticed by the property owner, Mr King, who conspires a deal with John to get her to sing to him – so that he can ‘capture her voice’.

Tragically, Gayle is a foster child in a spiteful family – they have even renamed her, and so ‘Little John’ is drawn to protect her. At the same time, John is tempted by the offer from Mr King (to encourage Gayle to ‘sing for him’).

The struggles faced by both the children and adults in the story are realistic and thought-provoking. There are many decisions John needs to make – with sometimes conflicting outcomes.

Mixed in with this, is the mystery of Gayle’s songbird qualities – and her tale of longing to remain in her ‘nest’ for when her parents return for her. Ultimately, after she is left to sing for Mr King, Gayle loses her songbird skills, and we are left to ponder what happened. Further tragedy occurs, and John has to consider the outcomes of some of the choices he has made over the summer.

Taking a stand – ‘The Beauty is in the Walking’

Linda J

the-beauty-is-in-the-walkingDoes the title of a book ever keep you wondering all the way through? Does it capture you more, or less, than the book cover?

I admit that I picked this book up based on the reputation of the author. Australian author, James Moloney has over 40  books for children and teenagers in his writing swag, along with a collection of literary awards. But the title had me puzzled.

It is only gradually that the reader is introduced to the narrator, 17-year-old Jacob O’Leary, who seems to be an average teenager – looking for friendship, his own status and love. What makes Jacob unique is his cerebral palsy (CP).

The Beauty is in the Walking shows how this impacts his daily life, his own thinking and his family’s expectations of him. Also, though he has a strong circle of friends, he is sometimes the victim of bullying. And of course, at times, even these friendships can be fickle and changeable when under pressures such as final exams and outside influences.

Set in a fictional country town in Queensland, the story raises issues about outsiders, racism, fitting in and the adolescent search for romance, against the mystery of a series of violent crimes. Jacob shows strength, determination and commitment when he believes that the police have accused the wrong person for the shocking crime that has impacted the whole community.

At the same time, he begins to question, with the help of his outspoken English teacher (Mr Svenson) and friend, Chloe, the limited opportunities set out for him after he completes Year 12. He struggles with the plan his parents have set for him (to remain in Palmerston in the family business), against the changing perception of his own potential.

Students will identify with the angst felt by Jacob, as he ventures timidly into his first romantic relationship. They will feel his pain as he deals with his mother’s protective nature, intensified since his older brother, Tyke, has left home. And older students will understand the difficulties and anxieties faced in the final days of high school. (Though students in NSW schools may question the timing of some end-of-year events)

Jacob has a lot to prove – to the community, his parents, his teachers and himself. With determination he will try – can he succeed in his ‘walk’?