To celebrate the National Year of Reading, every Friday for the rest of the year we’re sharing some first lines from books on our bookshelves.
Here’s today’s Fabulous First Line*:
It was Mrs May who first told me about them.
What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?
Do you know the name of the book? (We’ll put it right at the end of this post so you can try to guess first.)
To celebrate the National Year of Reading, we thought it would be interesting to share some first lines from books on our bookshelves. So, every Friday for the rest of the year we’re posting a fabulous first line here on Soup Blog.
Here’s today’s Fabulous First Line*:
I was raised on the banks of a winter creek.
What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?
Do you know the name of the book? (We’ll put it right at the end of this post so you can try to guess first.)
To celebrate the National Year of Reading, we thought it would be interesting to share some first lines from books on our bookshelves. So, every Friday for the rest of the year we’re posting a fabulous first line here on Soup Blog.
Here’s today’s Fabulous First Line*:
Jack Gordon was up early and dressed before his parents began to stir.
What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?
Do you know the name of the book? (We’ll put it in at the end of this post so you can try to guess first.)
Come along to Spare Parts Puppet Theatre’s holiday programs—their tutors will guide you through the process of crafting and performing your very own puppet show! (Bring your own morning tea and lunch.)
One Day Puppet-Making Workshop (4 – 6 year olds)
Cost: $75.00
9am – 3pm
When: Choose from Thursday 12 April or Friday 13 April or Wednesday 18 April
—
Two Day Puppet-Making Workshop (7 – 12 year olds)
Cost: $140.00
9am – 4pm both days, with a special 3pm performance featuring the newly created puppets on the second day!
When: Tuesday 10 – Wednesday 11 April, or Monday 16 – Tuesday 17 April, or Thursday 19 – Friday 20 April.
Ring 9335 5044 for information or to make a booking. (Or see the Spare Parts Puppet Theatre website.)
To celebrate the National Year of Reading, every Friday for the rest of the year we’re posting a fabulous first line here on Soup Blog. (The first lines are quoted from children’s books on our bookshelves.)
Here’s today’s Fabulous First Line*:
My Obasaan told me the story of the dragon that used to visit her at night.
What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?
Do you know the name of the book? (We’ll put it right at the end of this post so you can try to guess first.)
If you’re in Queensland, there are two chances this weekend to meet the author of Australian Story: an illustrated timeline.
1. Saturday 24 March 2012 at 2pm.
Maroochydore Library (Sunshine Coast) a fun event to celebrate the launch of Australian Story! Come dressed as your favourite Aussie character. For more info and bookings, visit Tania’s blog.
Join Tania McCartney at Black Cat Books and Cafe for a fun afternoon of interactive historical fun! Things kick off at 3.30pm. Come dressed as your favourite Aussie historical character and you could win a prize! For more info and bookings, visit Tania’s blog.
Tania visited Soup Blog earlier this month to talk about Australian Story and why history is cool. Read her post here.
Have you ever been hit with a wonderful story idea but when you sat down to write, you just couldn’t find a first line that would get the story flowing?
We read lots of books at the Alphabet Soup office. Lots. And we’ve noticed that we pick up some books to read before others because their first lines jump out and grab us and we want to read on and on. (The sort of books where you think ‘I’ll just look at the first page’ and you read the first line and then an hour later you hear someone calling you for dinner and you realise—OOPS—you’ve read 243 pages and you’re nearly to the end of the book … )
To celebrate the National Year of Reading, we thought it would be interesting to share some first lines from books on our bookshelves. So, every Friday for the rest of the year we’ll post a fabulous first line.
But isn’t it Friday TODAY? we hear you ask. Why, yes, it is! So here’s the very first Fabulous First Line Friday*:
It must be the longest day this winter, Grace thought, and all I’ve found are a few bits of coal and a piece of rope.
What do you think—if you opened a book and read that first line, would you want to read on?
Do you know the name of the book? (It’s at the end of this post.)
If you live in Victoria, don’t miss the exhibition of Ann James’s original illustrations.
When: 31 Mar to 15 Apr 2012 (Go on Thursday 12 April and you can meet Ann James and have your books signed!)
Time: Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm
Where: Foyer Gallery, Gasworks
Suitable for all ages.
For more information, visit the Gasworks website.
Do you like reading fantasy, adventure, action or horror stories? Cristy Burne has a writing workshop for kids who want to write their own! The workshops start on Monday 7 May and run for 6 weeks at the Victoria Park Centre for the Arts.
(If you know a grownup who likes writing, there are workshops for grownups, too!)
Check out Cristy Burne’s blog for all the details or email her with your questions. Get writing!
Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard and illustrated Patricia Mullins. Published by Scholastic Australia, ISBN 9781741693911.
(A review copy of this book was sent to us by the publisher.)
Sam Tully dares to ride the midnight horse, Lightning Jack—a stockman’s horse, a flying horse, a daring horse, a dancing horse. On the back of such a horse, magnificent feats are accomplished.
This tale is a modern-day bush ballad. The rhythm of the words keep the story moving along, like the galloping horse and—along with the poetic language—this makes Lightning Jack a fantastic book for reading out loud.
The illustrations feature the colours and scenes of the outback and capture the adventurous spirit of horse and rider. (The imprint page states that the illustrations are ‘created entirely from paper, meticulously blending coloured tissue, Japanese and Indian papers.’ Perhaps you could have a go at creating your own outback scene using torn papers.)
Like many good bush ballads, this tale has an unexpected ending. A great Australian picture book—add this one to your ‘must read’ list!
alphabetsoup.net.au 