Visit the Premier’s Summer Reading Challenge website! Information is being distributed to schools and libraries and the challenge starts on 11 December 2008.
Get reading!
Perth Writers’ Festival 2009 – kids’ events!
Did you know that the Perth Writers’ Festival has kids’ events? As part of the Festival, look out for Perth Writers Festival Family Day – a free day of activities for children and their parents on Sunday 1 March at the University of Western Australia for ages 1 to 12! You can register to receive the full program of events by going to the Perth Writers’ Festival website. The program is due out at the end of January.
In the line-up of events, there’s even a children’s stand-up comedian – James Campbell – visiting from the UK! This is what the Perth Writers’ Festival has to say about him:
Warm up your funny bones for the world’s only stand-up comedian for children. Think there is no such thing? Think again. James’ unique style covers everything from parents to Playstations, why we have hair and what he had for breakfast. Top quality stuff for children over the age of 6, their parents and anyone
who likes comedy without the rude words. And there might even be an otter – but probably not.
He belongs on stage THE NEW YORK TIMES
The best sort of absurdist comedy there is THE GUARDIAN
I should have given him six stars – just too brilliant SUNDAY HERALD
My seven-year-old was howling with laughter and so was I DAILY MAIL
His stand-up has achieved almost holy status – don’t miss SUNDAY TIMES
James Campbell is a stand-up comedian for children who talks about topics relevant to kids or anyone who has ever been a kid – everything from parents, Playstations and breakfast foods to deeply philosophical questions like ‘why we have hair?’ His show is aimed at children aged six and above, their parents and anyone who enjoys top-quality comedy without the swearing.
James has made numerous appearances at the Edinburgh Festival, including shows in the Ballroom of the prestigious Assembly Rooms (2004) and at the Spiegeltent (from 2005 to 2007) He has performed his Comedy 4 Kids show at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, Hay-on-Wye literary festival, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, The Comedy Store (London) and many UK comedy festivals. His largest audience to date is 4000 children at the Royal Albert Hall. James regularly hosts special events for charities and frequently works as MC for the Ulster Symphony Orchestra narrating such works as Peter and the Wolf. He completed a highly acclaimed Broadway season at The New Victory Theatre in New York in 2006 and began an extensive tour of Canada in 2007, which will continue in Spring 2008.
James also writes plays, poems, articles and songs.
For more info about James Campbell, you can visit his website: www.jamescampbell.info.
Subscribing: addresses outside Australia
We’ve had some queries about buying Alphabet Soup magazine subscriptions for family and friends who live overseas (outside Australia). Yes! We send orders to overseas addresses. You can order an overseas subscription by going to our website www.alphabetsoup.net.au and clicking on the ”subscribe” tab.
Prices (must be paid in Australian dollars):
A. $35.33 for 1-year subscription (includes $12.60 postage & handling) to:
Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nepal, New Calendonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna Islands.
B. $40.73 for 1-year subscription (includes $18.00 postage & handling) to:
All other destinations (including USA and UK).
Alphabet Soup Reviewed on ‘Aussie Reviews’ site
Sally Murphy has reviewed Alphabet Soup magazine on her Aussie Reviews website. She gives us a positive plug! The Aussie Reviews site reviews ‘the best of Australian books, films, music websites and more’. We’re proud to be up there with ‘the best’! 🙂
(Please note that the web address she has quoted for the magazine is incomplete and should read www.alphabetsoup.net.au.)
Keep writing – and don’t forget, there’s still time for children aged 10 and under to enter our first writing competition. Entries close 21 November 2008!
Book Titles that Shine
Many people collect things. I collect book titles. When I come across a book title that shines, I write it in a notebook I keep just for my list of shiny book titles. Sometimes I request one of these books from the library, hoping the book will live up to its title – but often it doesn’t. Which is disappointing.
Glancing over my list, two from the list that do live up to their titles are Owl Moon and The Naming Of Tishkin Silk. I love how the first makes you say the title slowly and already sounds like the story within. The Naming of Tishkin Silk just sounds like poetry to me. All those sshh and ck sounds. Lovely.
Do you have any titles that make you sigh over their perfection? Have you ever picked up a book because the title called to you? Did it live up to its title?
Giveaway announced: War’s End … no winner
We have had emails about Alphabet Soup and about Soup Blog, but nobody was interested in actually entering the competition for this particular giveaway!
We will donate our copy of War’s End to the local primary school. So perhaps there is a winner after all. 🙂
Sydney Writers’ Festival School Days 2009 (advance notice!)
Join Sydney Writers’ Festival for School Days 2009!
If you love books, reading and creative writing then Sydney Writers’ Festival’s School Days is an event just for you. This is your very own festival of children’s literature, featuring a handpicked line-up of writers for both primary- and secondary-school-aged children.
This is a wonderful opportunity to be inspired by, and learn from, your favourite writers in a fun, educational and interactive day. The writers will talk about their craft, read from their work and answer your questions. You also have the chance to meet the writers and have your books signed.
The Primary School Days line-up features some of Australia’s best-loved authors for children, Morris Gleitzman, Tristan Bancks, Danny Katz, Mitch Vane and Catherine Bateson, as well as the UK’s ‘Queen of Tween’, Cathy Cassidy.
They will be appearing at Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay on Monday 18 May, Riverside Theatres in Parramatta on Tuesday 19 May and the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith on Wednesday 20 May.
The Secondary School Days program features award-winning UK writer Mal Peet, as well as bestselling Australian authors Isobelle Carmody, Randa Abdel-Fattah, James Roy and Garth Nix.
You can catch them at Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay on Tuesday 19 May, and Riverside Theatres in Parramatta on Wednesday 20 May.
Families and school groups are welcome. Make sure you book early to avoid disappointment.
For full program details and booking information visit www.swf.org.au/school-days.
(Text courtesy of Linly Goh)
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas …
Well, maybe not just yet … but you’re someone who likes to get organised early, right? So, what will you buy your favourite young bookworm for Christmas? Have you considered a subscription to Alphabet Soup magazine? If you didn’t feel like forking out $25 all in one hit, a single copy would make a great stocking filler at only $7! It’s light to post too!
We now have postage and handling prices for postage to addresses outside Australia. (Free postage and handling for delivery to Australian delivery addresses for orders placed by 31 December 2008.) Visit the Alphabet Soup website for details.
Giveaway: War’s End by Victoria Bowen
2008 is the 90th anniversary of the end of The Great War. We have one copy of War’s End by Victoria Bowen to give away to a Soup Blog reader.
From the blurb: ‘Dad is finally on his way home from The Great War. Twelve-year-old Nell barely remembers him but when the Spanish Influenza enters their lives, threatening Dad’s return, she begins to understand the gap in the family his absence has created. This is one family’s experience of the end of the war, a time of hope that turned into a time of trial.’
Email us at editor @ alphabetsoup.net.au (remove the space after editor) with War’s End in the subject line. In the body of your email, include the statement ‘I agree to the terms and conditions of this giveaway.’ Then, in 25 words or less, tell us why you’d like to receive a copy of War’s End.
If your entry is the winner, we’ll contact you by email.
Terms and conditions:
1. Immediate family members of Alphabet Soup staff are not eligible to enter. 2. The prize is only open to Australian citizens or residents and can only be sent to an Australian delivery address. 3. Email entries must be received by midnight (in Western Australia) on Friday 14 November 2008. 4. Chance plays no part in this giveaway. 5. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 6. The prize is one copy of War’s End by Victoria Bowen. 7. Entry is free 8. All entries become the property of Alphabet Soup Publishing and will be destroyed after the winner has been announced. 9. The winner’s initial of their first name, surname and Australian state of residence will appear on Soup Blog and remain for as long as Alphabet Soup Publishing desires. 10. You must abide by these conditions to be eligible to enter the giveaway.
About the illustrator
Greg Mitchell is our talented illustrator! (The header for this blog is taken from one of his drawings.)
Greg and his wife Kate are Education Consultants and somehow Greg finds time to draw all the illustrations for the magazine as well! We send Greg pages from the magazine with just the text. He draws all his pictures on white paper and posts them to us. We can then scan his drawings and place them exactly where we want them on each page of the magazine (and enlarge or reduce them if we need to).
We keep him very busy. 🙂
alphabetsoup.net.au 