Congratulations to Malorie Blackman who is to be awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthdays Honours List.
Malorie says of the honour:
“I have been a professional writer for almost two decades now, so I am thrilled and honoured to receive an OBE for services to children's literature.”
Malorie Blackman is one of the country’s most well loved and acclaimed authors for young adults. She worked as a Database Manager and Systems Programmer before becoming a full-time writer. After receiving 82 rejection letters for her first eight to ten books, her first book, Not So Stupid! was published in 1990 and was a selected title for the 1991 Feminist Book Fortnight, and Malorie participated in the first BBC TV Black Women’s Screenwriting Workshop in 1991. She has written a number of books for young readers which have been dramatised successfully for children’s television including the Whizziwig series and has worked on other TV projects such as Byker Grove and Pig Heart Boy which won a BAFTA for best children’s drama 2000.
Malorie’s titles for Random House Children’s Books include Cloud Busting (selected for the first Booked Up Scheme in 2007), Hacker, Thief and Pig Heart Boy. For older readers her name has become famed for the Noughts & Crosses sequence, where set ideas of race, heritage, belief, power, money and love are challenged – the first book was recently adapted for the stage and directed by Dominic Cooke for the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing to critical acclaim in the Winter Season 2007/8, in Stratford upon Avon and on tour around the UK. A fourth book is to be published in November 2008, moving on the story in Double Cross, which is set to be one of the most highly anticipated books of the year.
Malorie’s reputation has steadily grown and she has been awarded a number of prizes, and has been involved in countless projects enabling children and young adults to access her work, and get interested in reading. She lives in Kent with her husband and daughter – and a collection of around 15,000 books!
(taken from Randon House Press Release
Monday, 16 June 2008
Sunday, 15 June 2008
No to Age Banding
No To Age Banding
I believe that this should be supported (the campaign against age banding that is). There has been quite a lot of movement in the blogosphere and in national press about this - both for and against. Some links follow below:
Pop Goes the Library
The Guardian
Adele Geras - Guardian Blogs
Forbidden Planet Blog
The Bookseller
CBBC News
Anne Fine - Scotsman News
I believe that this should be supported (the campaign against age banding that is). There has been quite a lot of movement in the blogosphere and in national press about this - both for and against. Some links follow below:
Pop Goes the Library
The Guardian
Adele Geras - Guardian Blogs
Forbidden Planet Blog
The Bookseller
CBBC News
Anne Fine - Scotsman News
Monday, 19 May 2008
Teen Librarian Monthly News
As of this month (May) TLM will be released at the end of the month, rather than mid-month. The May edition will be come out on the 30th.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
For any Libraries in the London area that have manga groups:
EXCLUSIVE SIGNING & MANGA ART COMPETITION, 26TH APRIL, 1PM
Date: April 26th 2008
Time: 1pm
Location: Orbital Manga
Address: 4c Orion House, Upper St Martins Lane, London WC2H 9NY
Tel. 0207 2405577
Email: manga@orbitalcomics.com
Manga Fans this is your chance to meet the artists from the new manga graphic novel Demon Prince: Children of Gaia.
Don't miss this opportunity to see the artist from Dimensional Manga in action sketching on some pretty big peices of board!
You'll also be able to pick up some pre-release volumes of the manga book 1-5 exclusively and limited edition A1 sized posters @ Orbital Manga on the day of the signing.
The first 10 customers to buy vol.1 and a poster will recieve signed copies and a FREE manga art illustration drawn in front of them!
Manga Art Competition!!
To be in with a chance of winning some cool prizes courtesy of Dimensional Manga all you have to do is draw some cool art and post / hand it in to Orbital Manga with your name, email and contact number on the back.
Deadline: 26th April by 2pm (bring your art with you on the day of the signing)
Here's what you could win -
*GRAND PRIZE*
If you're supertalented - there's a chance of a possible position within Dimensional Manga!!
*1st PRIZE*
Demon Prince: Children of Gaia volumes 1-5 signed, 3 posters and a special limited edition hand drawn manga art (That's around £80 worth of goodies!)
*2nd PRIZE*
Demon Prince - Children of Gaia volume 1-2 signed
*3rd PRIZE*
Demon Prince - Children of Gaia volume 1 signed
Orbital Manga recommends London Graphic Center as a great stockist for materials needed to prepare any art for the competition
Date: April 26th 2008
Time: 1pm
Location: Orbital Manga
Address: 4c Orion House, Upper St Martins Lane, London WC2H 9NY
Tel. 0207 2405577
Email: manga@orbitalcomics.com
Manga Fans this is your chance to meet the artists from the new manga graphic novel Demon Prince: Children of Gaia.
Don't miss this opportunity to see the artist from Dimensional Manga in action sketching on some pretty big peices of board!
You'll also be able to pick up some pre-release volumes of the manga book 1-5 exclusively and limited edition A1 sized posters @ Orbital Manga on the day of the signing.
The first 10 customers to buy vol.1 and a poster will recieve signed copies and a FREE manga art illustration drawn in front of them!
Manga Art Competition!!
To be in with a chance of winning some cool prizes courtesy of Dimensional Manga all you have to do is draw some cool art and post / hand it in to Orbital Manga with your name, email and contact number on the back.
Deadline: 26th April by 2pm (bring your art with you on the day of the signing)
Here's what you could win -
*GRAND PRIZE*
If you're supertalented - there's a chance of a possible position within Dimensional Manga!!
*1st PRIZE*
Demon Prince: Children of Gaia volumes 1-5 signed, 3 posters and a special limited edition hand drawn manga art (That's around £80 worth of goodies!)
*2nd PRIZE*
Demon Prince - Children of Gaia volume 1-2 signed
*3rd PRIZE*
Demon Prince - Children of Gaia volume 1 signed
Orbital Manga recommends London Graphic Center as a great stockist for materials needed to prepare any art for the competition
Friday, 18 April 2008
Books to look out for
I received two excellent books by Lisa Clark recently for review purposes and while I am the wrong gender I think they are worth having in a library collection. The covers of the books are below:


I have passed them on to a colleague of mine for a review from a female perspective.
You can get to Lisa's website by folliwing this link: Pink World


I have passed them on to a colleague of mine for a review from a female perspective.
You can get to Lisa's website by folliwing this link: Pink World
Saturday, 22 March 2008
YLG London AGM at Faber & Faber
On Wednesday the 19th March the AGM for the Youth Libraries Group: London was held at the Faber & Faber Offices in Queen Square. The AGM went smoothly and quickly; then with official business having been taken care of, this left the evening clear for the main draw of the evening - A talk with four of Faber's Teen/YA authors.
These were:

Steve Voake

Alexander Gordon Smith (and his brother Jamie's head)

Rachel Wright
and

Alex Milway and his rats.
All attendees were introduced to the F&F youth punlishingteam and then the floor was left open to the authors.
Steve Voake discussed his books The Dreamwalkers Child, The Web of Fire and The Starlight Conspiracy.
Alexander Gordon Smith (so named he said to prevent him having the nickname 'GAS' in school) - call him Gordon, spoke about his series The Inventors that he co-writes with his younger brother Jamie.
Rachel Wright spoke about her book You've got Blackmail and the heroine Lozzie Cracknell (described as Kelly Osbourne without the drag queen make up).
Alex Milway introduced his book The Mousehunter and showcased some mice (lovingly made by his mum) as well as speaking about workshops he has run on mouse creation and stories.
After the authors had spoken they fielded questions from the audience and then everyone had a chance to get their books signed and chat to the authors (as well as getting photos taken).

A close up of three of the mice from The Mousehunter - The Golden Mouse, The Howling Moon Mouse and (I think) the Moose Mouse.

A close up of one of AGS's tattoos - worn that night in honour of the Librarians he was speaking to
It was an excellent evening that left all attendees feeling good and is a sign of the high-quality YA books currently being published in the UK.
These were:

Steve Voake

Alexander Gordon Smith (and his brother Jamie's head)

Rachel Wright
and

Alex Milway and his rats.
All attendees were introduced to the F&F youth punlishingteam and then the floor was left open to the authors.
Steve Voake discussed his books The Dreamwalkers Child, The Web of Fire and The Starlight Conspiracy.
Alexander Gordon Smith (so named he said to prevent him having the nickname 'GAS' in school) - call him Gordon, spoke about his series The Inventors that he co-writes with his younger brother Jamie.
Rachel Wright spoke about her book You've got Blackmail and the heroine Lozzie Cracknell (described as Kelly Osbourne without the drag queen make up).
Alex Milway introduced his book The Mousehunter and showcased some mice (lovingly made by his mum) as well as speaking about workshops he has run on mouse creation and stories.
After the authors had spoken they fielded questions from the audience and then everyone had a chance to get their books signed and chat to the authors (as well as getting photos taken).

A close up of three of the mice from The Mousehunter - The Golden Mouse, The Howling Moon Mouse and (I think) the Moose Mouse.

A close up of one of AGS's tattoos - worn that night in honour of the Librarians he was speaking to
It was an excellent evening that left all attendees feeling good and is a sign of the high-quality YA books currently being published in the UK.
Labels:
alex milway,
alexander gordon smith,
rachel wright,
steve voake,
teen authors,
ylg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)