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Young Writers in Action: Mr Malgroot

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Mr Malgroot by Christopher Y, 10, Victoria

I stared at it. That gap in the fence tormented me. Just my luck Mom bought this house. Why am I complaining? Mr Malgroot lives next door! He is the meanest man in the neighbourhood!

Once, my best friend dared me to go in the gap leading to his house. He promised he’d give me a nickel for my trouble. He’s a good friend, and even gave me the money upfront! Holding tight to the nickel in my hand, I crawled through the small gap in the fence. Unfortunately, Mr Malgroot caught me, and confiscated my money! All that, and I didn’t get anything!

I sighed. I had to dare myself to do it, and I would prevail. I crawled through the small gap in the fence.

And that explains why I’m in the hospital with a broken leg.

—

This is one of a selection of stories we are featuring from Carey Baptist Grammar School in Victoria over the next week. Tune in tomorrow for another great tale!

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Coming soon: Young Writers in Action!

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Over the next week, we will feature stories penned by year 4 students at Carey Baptist Grammer School in Victoria. Their teacher, Colleen, included a note to say that the students were asked to write the final paragraph of their story and use that as a starting point.

We look forward to sharing some fabulous tales with you. Check in on Tuesday for the first story—‘Mr Malgroot’!

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Happy Book Week!

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

2012 Children’s Book Week is underway, and this week’s theme is Champions Read. (We know quite a few champions in that case—a lot of books get read around here!)

When I was at school, I loved dressing up for the Children’s Book Week parade. When I was six, my teacher came dressed as a pirate from Treasure Island. She made a giant octopus as part of her costume and I was terrified of it. It was the best Book Week costume ever!

Are you dressing up this year? Can you tell us about your costume, or is it a secret?

Happy Book Week!

~Rebecca Newman, Editor

Posted in competitions, info

2012 Design-a-magazine-cover comp (tips!)

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Alphabet soup runs a cover-design competition every year. The 2012 competition is now open and entries close 16 September 2012.

Here are the covers done by our 2009, 2010 and 2011 winners, K Larson, A Hatton and E Nolan:

"Issue 5 cover (winner of 2009 design-a-cover comp)"

"Alphabet Soup magazine issue 9 cover"

Issue 13 cover

Now we’re looking for a winning design for our summer 2012 issue!

Here are some tips for all you budding artists.

COMPETITION DETAILS

Using any materials you like, design a cover for Alphabet Soup magazine.

Important – your artwork must be on one side of a sheet of white A4 paper. Make sure the paper is portrait orientation. Do NOT include the Alphabet Soup logo. And we’d prefer it if the paper wasn’t folded (but if you’ve already folded it, that’s OK!)

Entry to the competition is free. You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must have a competition entry form with the declaration signed by you and a parent. (Entry forms can be printed from the website, or contact us to have one sent to you.)

The winner’s artwork will be used on the cover of the summer 2012 issue of Alphabet Soup magazine (out in November 2012), and the winner will receive one copy of the summer 2012 issue and art supplies worth $20.

The theme for the cover is: AT THE CARNIVAL/FAIR.

You can interpret the theme any way you like. You could show a whole fairground scene or you could focus on one particular item/event/person/activity you would find at a carnival or fairground. Artwork can be realistic, or abstract, or collage, or cartoon-like, or any style you choose. It must be your own work and it must be original (no tracing pictures!). Remember that the magazine’s readers are aged 6 to 12.

Our covers don’t usually have a lot of unused white space. If you draw one item in the middle of the page and nothing else, it would be tricky for us to turn it into a cover for the magazine!

There will be one winner chosen. By entering the competition, you agree to us using your artwork on the cover of the summer 2012 issue of Alphabet Soup magazine. We cannot return entries.

Download an entry form from the Alphabet Soup website.

We can’t wait to see your artwork!

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Giveaway winner

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Little Treasures pack (covers)Everyone who entered our Peter Carnavas book-pack giveaway nominated wonderful picture books as their ‘must read’ recommendations.

We put all the entrants’ names into a hat and the winner is … KEN WILLIAMS. Congratulations—we know you’ll love these four fabulous picture books by Peter Carnavas! (Please email editor@alphabetsoup.net.au with your postal address, Ken.)

Here’s what Ken said about his nominated picture book treasure:

A favourite book is Waiting for Mummy by Tae-Jun Lee—a Korean classic retold and published by Australian publishers Wilkins Farago. Story is told largely through some amazing illustrations that take me back to my own childhood as an only child waiting for my mother to finish work to tell her about my day. It transforms me into a sobbing mess with each read.

Waiting for Mummy (cover)

 

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Winter 2012 writing competition

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

Entries close 12 JULY 2012

Boy writing. Artwork copyright Greg MitchellWrite a story no longer than 500 words (shorter is fine). Your story should include the word ‘orange’.

You can enter as many times as you like, but each entry must include a separate competition entry form. This may be printed from the website (see competition rules), photocopied, or contact us to have one emailed or posted to you.

Your entry can be handwritten or typed. Make a copy of your entry as we cannot return entries.

A $20 book voucher is awarded to the winner in three age categories: Under 7s, Under 9s, and Under 12s.

Posted in info, National Year of Reading

Winter 2012 issue – out now!

Posted on by Alphabet Soup

You have probably heard lots of talk about reading lately and that’s because 2012 is the National Year of Reading. Our winter issue celebrates the National Year of Reading (because we do love reading and we know you do, too!).

Here’s what you’ll find inside issue 15:Alphabet Soup issue 15 cover

… and more!

Subscribe via our website (you can order single copies from the subscribe page, too). If  you’re in WA, rush in to one of our WA stockists—Westbooks (Victoria Park) and Zero to Ten (South Fremantle) who will have copies of the winter issue to sell you from Wednesday 16 May 2012.

Happy National Year of Reading!

–

National Year of Reading button 

 

 

 

Alphabet Soup magazine is a proud partner of the National Year of Reading.

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WA school holiday event – puppet workshops

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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.)

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Perth writing workshops for kids with Cristy Burne

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Takeshita Demons (cover)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!