isis27

This has been cross-posted from Brave New World.
Did you know that UNESCO bestowed on the city of Melbourne the title of City of Literature as part of its Creative Cities Network?
Maybe you did, but did you also know that the Arts Minister, Lynne Kosky, announced two days ago the creation of The Wheeler Centre: Books, Writing, [...]

This has been cross-posted from Brave New World. Now that we’re winding down to the end of the year (winding up, perhaps?), I thought I would share my thoughts about poetry – old and new.
I’ve been meaning to scan some old photos and pictures for a long time, and today I finally did. This picture [...]

This has been partially cross-posted from Brave New World.
There is an excellent special feature in the literary journal, Fiction Focus, which I want to share: Wow websites – book inspired web wonders, linking to websites which are an extension of books and series.  I would strongly recommend these websites if you’re a fan of these [...]

BOOK REVIEW/TRAILER                                                                                                   (Staff, 7-9, 10-12)
Liar by [...]

Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan, his new science fiction, steampunk alternate WWI series, is coming out October 6 2009 (October 18 in Australia). His blog gives a synopsis of the story:
Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a [...]

This is cross-posted from Brave New World.
How far will an author go to fuel a readership?
Will he go as far as to don a soft-toy unicorn head to get people to read his book?
Well, John Green will and has. He and his brother, Hank, have created an internet video gameshow which he explains here:
Okay, so here’s [...]

Shaun Tan was the 2009 winner of the Older Readers Book of the Year in the Children’s Book Council competition. His Tales from outer suburbia demonstrated brilliantly his dual talents in writing and illustration. Some people have a talent, but few are as multi-talented and original as Shaun Tan.

And The Inkys longlist has also been [...]

more about "Jenny Luca – Ning", posted with vodpod

Ms Powling has been discussing the relationship between books and films in her blog.
Listening to our students, I don’t think anything will replace the experience of reading the “good” or compelling novel, but movies can enhance experiences. Comparisons between graphic novels and films are tailor-made to start discussions about books and films. Both are visual [...]

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. When the book came out, I was more excited than I could ever remember being, apart from when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released. I felt myself feeling the same feelings going into the movie, which was a first, since the other movies had never heralded [...]

I’ve written before about the way authors are becoming much more accessible through websites, blogs and videos – you can really get to know an author these days. Chris Morphew is one such author; just have a look at his blog!
I love the way you can find out what he’s reading,

what he’s watching,

and what he’s [...]

Watch this animation about a boy called Vincent Malloy. Vincent Malloy is seven years old. He's always polite and does as he is told. For a boy his age, he's considerate and nice. But he wants to be just like Vincent Price...

 It's narrated by Vincent Price, and it's POETRY!



A film by Tim Burton.

 

 

PLOT: Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you."

Three kids, a mystery involving the FBI, a smuggling operation and a plane that's appeared out of nowhere....

Found is a tantalising opener for the Missing series.  Book 2, Sent, is coming out soon.

 

Here's her website. Check it out.

READ THE BOOK!   WATCH THE VIDEOS!
Patrick Carman has brought books into the 21st century by combining text and video in his new book Skeleton Creek.  The story is set in the mythical town of Skeleton Creek.  The novel opens with a journal entry from Ryan, telling about his accident on the old gold dredge which nearly cost him his life.  He and his friend Sarah were on the dredge trying to uncover its sinister secrets when the accident happened.  Ryan is now confined to bed as he recovers, forbidden to have any contact with Sarah.  However the two teenagers are still in contact with each other, through email.  Sarah has been continuing her search for clues though, and sends frequent videos to Ryan as they continue their investigations into the strange happenings in their town.
Carman combines the viewpoints of both Ryan and Sarah, with alternating chapters of diary entries for Ryan, followed by a video entry for Sarah.  Following each of Ryan’s notes is a web link (URL) and a password which allows the reader to view Sarah’s video online, just as Ryan would.  Gradually the story unfolds and finally reaches a very dramatic, cliff hanger, conclusion.

I really enjoyed reading and viewing the story.  It’s a very clever idea and adds a new dimension to storytelling.  Have a look at this YouTube video of the author explaining more about how the book came to be.


Patrick Carman has a great website with lots of book trailers, vlogs and cool links. His other books are worth reading as well and he has dedicated websites for those as well as Skeleton Creek. Take the time to explore his site as it may inspire you to read Skeleton Crekk and his others books.

I talked about Jonathon Stroud's new book Heroes of the Valley in a previous post.
Have a look at the book trailer for this book - you won't be disappointed.
 

Have a look at one of the clever new ads for Neil Gaiman's Coraline. I found out on  Twitter that Gaiman loves these ads; he thinks they're funny.
You can check out what I wrote about Coraline in a previous post (30/01).
 
Also read a review about the movie by Valentina on her blog

Mac Slater, Cool Hunter, is a great new series, starting with The rules of cool.
 

What's the first book about?
Mac's just crashed his flying bike in front of practically the whole school. So when the creators of Coolhunters approach him and tell him he's an Innovator, Mac thinks they're crazy.
I mean, Mac lives in an old bus with his hippie mum. He doesn't have a TV, let alone a mobile. But Tony and Speed say he's so uncool he's, like, cool.
They offer Mac a trial. He'll vlog all the cool stuff coming out of King's Bay for a week. If he wins he'll travel the world, uncovering stuff he loves and reporting it via Coolhunters, a massive online space dedicated to the coolest things on earth.
But hunting cool ain't easy. Mac's opponent, Cat DeVrees, wants the gig real bad and she'll do just about anything to get it.
The website allows you to read an extract.

What I like the most is this page which allows you to watch the book trailer as well as a video of the author talking about his books. He looks like a student! How old is he? 16?
I HEART NY is the second book in the series. Mac and his best friend, Paul have just become coolhunters for a massively popular webspace in New York, and Mac is beyond excited. The catch: he has to find the Next Big Thing in NYC – or be sent home.
Mac makes friends with a young inventor, Melody, who lets him into a secret headquarters for kid inventors - a place where kids are secretly inventing the best stuff on the planet. They're about to test an invention that could change the world - and Mac can't even tell anybody! It's killing him!
What about this page - Tristan Bancks lets us into his head. He's written down all his thoughts while he was writing.
A paragraph from one of his entries:
Here’s how I write. I write on the move. I listen to rock music – U2’s Vertigo, Silverchair’s Straight Lines, The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony, Matchbox Twenty and I’d like to get some Green Day. I listen to this stuff be

Nightmare before Christmas director, Henry Selik, is bringing Neil Gaiman's Coraline to the big screen.
 
Click here to get a preview and hear Neil Gaiman talk about