On Monday I’m travelling with some year 9 and 10 students to the “Melbourne Writers Festival – Schools Program”. I look forward to this for a number of reasons. I always enjoy taking the students on excursions, because they are always engaged and at their best. We can only take a small number of students, so only those who are really passionate about reading and writing have gone to the effort, or been selected by their English teachers. I expect this will make for great conversation on the 2 hour + bus trip. I will also enjoy listening to the authors speak about their books. I’m not sure yet, which sessions I will be attending, but I will be sure to tell you after I’ve been.
For those who live a little closer, “Melbourne Writers Festival” is for adults also and there are plenty of sessions to cater for all. Check out the program on the webpage.
CBCA Winners 2007
2007 Winners
I am delighted that ‘Red Spikes’ has won the Older Readers category. Although I totally enjoyed each book that was shortlisted and we are considering using ‘Don’t Call Me Ishmael’ for our year 9s, my favourite’s were ‘Red Spikes’ and ‘The Red Shoe’. Margo Lanagan is an amazing writer and I have another of her earlier books to enjoy when I have completed two others I have began.
Catherine Bateson has taken out the Younger Readers book of the year with ‘Being Bee’. I am yet to read the rest of this category, but I can say I really enjoyed this one.
I am even less familiar with the other categories the CBCA Award Winners for 2007, I enjoyed Shaun Tan’s ‘The Arrival’, which won the Picture book category as well as the Honour books for the 2007 Eve Pownall Award for Information Books.
Sally Murphy at Scribblings has a great post on the CBCA Junior Judges Project. She has also created a list of 12 books to read before you turn 12. I want to create my own and will attempt it on the weekend perhaps.
Recapping My Weekend
Pa
Pa is back in hospital again. He turned 87 on the 8th. I haven’t been able to see him for a week because I had the flu again and didn’t want to expose him to it. I am worried about him.
Lovely Saturday Afternoon Visit
Visited Andy’s mum on Saturday afternoon. She’s had a delightful renovation done on her back veranda. I am very impressed. White rooms, floor, ceiling, walls, big windows, white mermot blinds and gorgeous red leather couches and mats. I should have taken a photo. That room was appealing. I had a divine and tasty lunch and was fed so well it brought back my nana’s cooking.
Saturday Night Taxi Service
My good friend Rhonda and I put their theatre room to good use whilst spending the time between depositing the young people at their parties and returning to get them home. We watched ‘Thank You for Smoking’. Possibly not a great choice for my quitting phase, yet it didn’t do too much damage.
Housework – Bare Minimum
Enough said. Changed the sheets, a touch of vacuuming – blah.
Reading
I started ‘Boys of Blood and Bone’ by David Metzenthen this weekend. I have a pile of good books again and I feel really good about that. When I had the flu, it came when my pile of books had been down to the last unread one. It was kind of scary. When I went to work/school on Friday, I ensured I visited the library and restocked my pile. I have one from the CBCA Awards list – an Elizabeth Honey, one of my favourites as well as the James Moloney sequel to ‘The Book of Lies’, ‘Master of the Books’. It’s helping with the pain of finishing Harry Potter.
Now I will go to bed early and read!