News

"Acclaimed Australian author John Marsden has died aged 74.

Marsden wrote the Tomorrow series, which sold millions of copies worldwide and was adapted for film and television." ABC News.

Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2024 have been announced. Congratulations Will Kostakis for We Could Be Something, the Prime Minister's Literary Award in the Young Adult category. Tamarra: A story of termites on Gurindji Country by Violet Wadrill is the winner in the Children's literature section.

Queensland Literary Awards 2024 winners have been announced. Of special interest is The Spider and Her Demons by Sydney Khoo, which has won the Queensland Literary Award in the Young Adult category and Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Cromer for the Children's Book Award.

The longlists for the UKLA awards have been announced. They aim to encouraging 'teachers’ knowledge of high-quality children’s books, that can reflect all identities and promote diversity.'

YA Book Prize 2024 has been won by Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher. 

The 2024 NSW Premier’s History Awards have been announced. Of particular interest:

Young People’s History Prize

Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim (Allen & Unwin)

The 2024 CBCA Book of the Year Award Honours, Winners, and Sun Project: Shadow Judging Book of the Year Award Winners have been announced.

Book of the Year: Older Readers Winner
Karen Comer Grace Notes

Honour Books
Lili Wilkinson A Hunger of Thorns
Megan Williams Let's Never Speak of This Again 

Shadow Judging Winner
Suzy Zail Inkflower

Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Tristan Bancks Scar Town 

Honour Books
H. Hayek Huda Was Here
Andrew McDonald (text) Ben Wood (illustrator) Real Pigeons Flap Out

Shadow Judging Winner
Tristan Bancks Scar Town   

Book of the Year: Early Childhood Winner
Briony Stewart Gymnastica Fantastica!

Honour Books
Caz Goodwin (text) Pip Kruger (illustrator) Grace and Mr Milligan
Sue DeGennaro Bear & Duck are Friends

Shadow Judging Winner
Bob Graham The Concrete Garden

Picture Book of the Year
Kelly Canby Timeless

Honour Books
Mateja Jager (illustrator) Margrete Lamond (text) Paper-flower Girl
Ronojoy Ghosh & Niharika Hukku (illustrators) Kate Temple & Jol Temple (text) That Bird Has Arms

Shadow Judging Winner
Peter Cheong Every Night at Midnight

Eve Pownall Award
Isolde Martyn & Robyn Ridgeway (text) Louise Hogan (illustrator) Country Town

Honour Books
Jess Racklyeft Australia: Country of Colour
Mark Greenwood (text)Frané Lessac (illustrator) Our Country: Where History Happened

Shadow Judging Winner
Jess Racklyeft Australia: Country of Colour

CBCA Award for New Illustrator
Erica Wagner (text by Johanna Bell) Hope is the Thing

South Australian Literary Awards shortlists 2024 have been announced. Of special interest:

Young Adult Fiction Award

Completely normal (and other lies) by Biffy James
If you could see the sun by Ann Liang
Sugar by Carley Nugent
Sugar town queens by Malla Nunn
The brink by Holden Sheppard

Children’s Literature Award

Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd
Exit through the gift shop by Maryam Master
Runt by Craig Silvey
Scar town by Tristan Bancks
Stay for dinner by Sandhya Parappukkaran
The way of dog by Zana Fraillon

The NSW Premier's History Awards have been announced. Of special interest:

Young People's History Prize

Our Country: Where History Happened by Mark Greenwood and illustrated by Frané Lessac (Walker Books Australia)
Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim (Allen & Unwin)
Country Town by Isolde Martyn, Robyn Ridgeway and illustrated by Louise Hogan (Ford Street Publishing)

The 2024 YABBA shortlist has been announced. 'Students are encouraged to read as many of these books across Term 2 and Term 3 as they can. All this reading leads to each student rewarding their very favourite book during the voting process that starts in early Term 4.'

Book Links Children’s Historical Fiction Award Shortlist:

Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim, A & U Children, 2023.

The Fortune Maker by Catherine Norton, Harper Collins, 2023.

Inkflower by Suzy Zail, Walker Books, 2023.

The British Book Awards 2024 have been announced. Of special interest:

Impossible creatures by Katherine Rundell 

Bunny vs Monkey, Multiverse mix-up! by Jamie Smart