The Children’s Book Council of Australia has released a ‘trailer’ for Book week 2009. This year’s Book Week theme is ‘Book Safari’!
Coming soon: interview with Sandy Fussell, author of Samurai Kids
Make sure you check back on 8 August 2009 – we’ll be chatting with Sandy Fussell, author of the Samurai Kids series.
The fourth book in the series, Monkey Fist, will be out in August 2009 – stay tuned!
Haiku competition
If you like to write haiku and senryu, you might like to enter the 2009 City of Perth Library Haiku Competition. (First prize in the primary school category is a $40 gift voucher!) Entries close Thursday 13 August 2009, at 5 pm.
Entries will be displayed on the Haiku Wall in the Library during the WA National Poetry Week (31 Aug – 5 Sept). Entries will be judged by the Office of the Consulate-General of Japan, Perth.
Make sure you read the entry conditions.
Illustrator at work
We came across this video of Stephen Michael King working in his studio. Watch him at work!
To improve your writing skills – keep writing!
Well done to everyone who sent entries in for our winter ’09 writing competition!
Over the past two days we’ve read through some imaginative and entertaining stories – and we’ve come to the conclusion that you really are a talented bunch. It’s difficult to choose just one winner for each age category.
Remember that writing as often as you can is a good way to improve your writing skills. So, even if you are not a prize-winner this time, entering the competition has helped your story-writing. Keep writing!
You’ll read the winning stories in the spring ’09 issue of Alphabet Soup and there’ll be a new writing competition announced in the spring ’09 issue. (Hurrah!)
And of course, while you’re waiting for the next writing comp, there’s still time to send in your artwork for our design-a-cover competition (for kids under 12). For entry forms and more details, see the competitions page on the Alphabet Soup website.
The Pied Piper (NSW)
Marian Street Theatre for Young People presents ‘The Pied Piper’
The Pied Piper has been adapted by puppeteer Terry Ryan and will be on at The Lighthouse Theatre during the July school holidays from 13 – 25 July.
Now set in an Australian wheat town, rain breaks the drought and brings prosperity at last – but then come the rats! The Mayor offers a reward of $50,000 to rid the town of rats and this attracts some hilarious characters.
After the show children can meet the actors, have a look at the set, the puppets and costumes, and learn a little bit more about the enchanting world of theatre.
The Pied Piper is suitable for children aged 3 -10 years, and uses storytelling, original songs, music and puppetry.
Where: The Lighthouse Theatre, North Ryde
When: 13 – 25 July 2009, Monday to Saturday at 10.30am & 1.00pm
Prices: Children $16, Adults $20, Families of four $60, Group discounts avail
Bookings: 1300 306 776 or www.mca-tix.com.au (booking fees apply)
Byron Bay Writers Festival: kids’ events
Join Australia’s best children’s writers at the Byron Bay Writers Festival (NSW) on Saturday 8 August from 9.00am – 2.30pm.
In the kids’ marquee, kids aged 6 to 16 will find authors, book signings, storytelling and fun activities!
For more information about events and purchasing tickets, visit the Byron Bay Writers Festival website. (The festival runs from 7 – 9 August 2009.)
Book review: The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived, by Anna Fienberg and Kim Gamble
The first time Minton the salamander saw Hector, he was shooting out of a volcano! 
Hector is the hottest boy who ever lived.
Inside he burned like a bonfire.
When he sighed, the grass turned brown.
He lives near a volcano, with Minton for a pet. He eats mangoes and pineapples and there’s nobody to tell him when to go to bed! But he is very lonely.
One day there is a terrible storm and Hector and Minton are swept out to sea, still clinging to a tree. They drift until they arrive in a country of Vikings and freezing weather. The Vikings are afraid of Hector’s unusual heat (and red hair!), and start to blame him for the bad luck they have. Hector has to find a way to reach out to them so he can make a new home for himself.
The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived is illustrated by Kim Gamble (Anna Fienberg and Kim Gamble work together on the Tashi books). The illustrations really help you to imagine how Hector feels as you read the story of his journey. (My favourite illustration is one of Hector holding a child who fell into the ice – you can see that he really cares, and just looking at it makes you feel warm!)
This is a good winter read!
The Hottest Boy Who Ever Lived, by Anna Fienberg, illustrated by Kim Gamble, Allen & Unwin, 2009 (first published 1993)
Our review copy was sent to us by Allen & Unwin
Book review: The Princess Plot, by Kirsten Boie
Will suit older readers (upper primary).
Jenna attends an audition to star as a princess in a movie (without her mother’s permission), and is amazed to be chosen for the role over her friends. Even more amazingly, Jenna’s normally strict mother gives permission for her to fly to Scandia for the movie shoot, where Jenna discovers her own resemblance to the Princess of Scandia, Malena. And Malena has gone missing …
This is an exciting mystery – you might find yourself staying up late to finish reading it! The story had unexpected twists and is told from several different perspectives. Nothing will be the same for Jenna by the end of the book. If you like a story with royalty, a kidnapping, a chase, mistaken identities, and an everyday girl (turned heroine), then you’ll love The Princess Plot!
The Princess Plot, by Kirsten Boie, Chicken House, May 2009
Our review copy was sent to us by Chicken House
Enter our kids’ writing competition
Winter writing competition: entries close 3 JULY 2009
Win a $20 book voucher! Write a short story up to 350 words (shorter is fine). Your story must include this line: ‘The paper aeroplane was gone!’
*UPDATE: in the winter issue of the magazine, the rules state that entries must be handwritten. It has since been decided that WE WILL ALSO ACCEPT TYPED ENTRIES.
Please remember to include a competition entry form for each entry. This may be printed from the website, photocopied, or contact us to have one emailed or posted to you.
For more information (and to print a competition entry form), visit the Alphabet Soup website: www.alphabetsoup.net.au.
alphabetsoup.net.au 