We were very pleased and excited when KRudd announced two new categories for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards: Children's and Young Adult.
But today we were even more pleased and excited and proud when Peter Garrett (for JGill) announced the shortlists, and they were well seasoned with Onion authors.
Young Adult Fiction
Winds of Heaven by Judith Clarke
The judges said: 'The atmospheres and personalities Clarke poetically defines in The Winds of Heaven are haunting, the times richly evoked, and the plot beautifully developed to an optimistic, redemptive resolution.'Children's Fiction
Cicada Summer by Kate Constable
The judges said: 'a time-slip fantasy written with the gentlest of touches... This is a beguiling treasure of a book; an old-fashioned 'secret garden' type of story, with fully realised characters, set in a beguiling dream landscape.'
The judges said: 'a time-slip fantasy written with the gentlest of touches... This is a beguiling treasure of a book; an old-fashioned 'secret garden' type of story, with fully realised characters, set in a beguiling dream landscape.'**
Mr Chicken Goes to Paris by Leigh Hobbs
The judges said: 'an anarchic and exuberant work... Wryly comical and steeped in literary allusions, a love of architecture, and stylistic joie de vivre, this is a work for a wide readership, by one of Australia's most inventively original artists.'
**
The judges said: 'an anarchic and exuberant work... Wryly comical and steeped in literary allusions, a love of architecture, and stylistic joie de vivre, this is a work for a wide readership, by one of Australia's most inventively original artists.'**
Mannie and the Long Brave Day by Martine Murray and Sally Rippin
The judges said: 'Martine Murray's style of writing is so astute, with each word adding to the rhythm and the playfulness, the details rippling with quirky imagination, and Sally Rippin's glorious illustrations making this a total joy.'
--------------
We say: Huge congratulations to Judith, Kate, Leigh, Martine and Sally. We are in complete agreement with the PM** and her judging panel. And well done to all the other authors and illustrators who make up a fine shortlist.
* See what we did there? Aren't we clever?
** One probably doesn't get many chances in life to say that.
6 comments:
Such exciting news! Big well dones to everyone!
Congratulations to all!
Congrats all!!
Does that mean that there will be reprints of Mr Chicken goes to Paris now that it is on another awards list? I haven't been able to get a copy for my library.
Thanks, lovelies!
And Anon - There's definitely plenty of stock in the warehouse. Not sure why you might have had trouble ordering it before, but we suggest giving it another go. Mr Chicken goes to the library!
Yay. Of course I am very excited about co-author and all round good time gal Kate's well-deserved shortlisting (I have it on good authority that it's a 'treasure of a book' - eek, Julia Gillard is going to look at a book with MY name on it!), but there are a few on there that just make my heart beat with joy.
Judith Clarke is amazing (though I am yet to The Winds of Heaven) and totally deserves to be more famous than she is. Leigh Hobbes is a superhero in this house. And how wonderful to see how the friendship between Sally and Martine has expressed itself in a gorgeously fun book.
And I know she dwells in another bird's nest, but I am totally thrilled about Museum of Mary Child, a beautiful puzzle of a book, rich with ideas, but delicate in execution (bodes well for another difficult book from the future that I won't mention - *ahem*).
Congrats to all at House of Onion!!
Post a Comment