The winners of this year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards were announced in Canberra today, marking the official launch of Children’s Book Week!
How many have you read?
OLDER READERS
WINNER
Wildlife
by Fiona Wood
Life? It’s simple: be true to yourself.
The tricky part is finding out exactly who you are…
“In the holidays before the dreaded term at Crowthorne Grammar’s outdoor education camp two things out of the ordinary happened.
A picture of me was plastered all over a twenty-metre billboard. And I kissed Ben Capaldi.”
Boarding for a term in the wilderness, sixteen-year-old Sibylla expects the gruesome outdoor education program – but friendship complications, and love that goes wrong? They’re extra-curricula.
Enter Lou from Six Impossible Things – the reluctant new girl for this term in the great outdoors. Fragile behind an implacable mask, she is more…
HONOUR BOOKS
Fairytales for Wilde Girls
by Allyse Near
‘He’s gone the same way as those little birds that bothered me with their awful songs! And you will too, you and your horrible heart-music, because you won’t stay out of my woods!’
There’s a dead girl in a birdcage in the woods… more…
Grab a copy of Fairytales for Wilde Girls here
The Sky So Heavy
by Claire Zorn
From an exciting new voice in Australian YA literature, Claire Zorn, comes a haunting novel, The Sky So Heavy, that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned.
For Fin, it’s just like any other day – racing for the… more…
Grab a copy of The Sky So Heavy here
YOUNGER READERS
WINNER
A Very Unusual Pursuit
by Catherine Jinks
A clever adventure with feisty characters, set in a time where science clashes with superstition and monsters lurk in chimneys. Birdie, the singing bogler’s apprentice, will win your heart in this fantastic beginning to an action-packed series.
Monsters have been infesting London’s dark places for centuries, eating every child who gets too close. That’s why ten-year-old Birdie McAdam works for Alfred Bunce, the bogler. With her beautiful voice and dainty looks, Birdie is the bait that draws bogles from their lairs so that Alfred can kill them.
One life-changing day, Alfred and Birdie are approached by two very different women. Sarah Pickles runs a local gang of more…
Grab a copy of A Very Unusual Pursuit here
HONOUR BOOKS
My Life as a Alphabet
by Barry Jonsberg
Candice Phee wants to bring light and laughter to those around her, and somehow she succeeds despite the bizarre mix-ups and the confusion she effortlessly creates. An uplifting comedy-drama from award-winning author, Barry Jonsberg.
This isn’t just about me. It’s also about the other people in my life – my mother, my father, my dead sister Sky, my penpal Denille, Rich Uncle Brian, Earth-Pig Fish and Douglas Benson From Another Dimension. These are… more…
Grab a copy of My Life As an Alphabet here
Light Horse Boy
by Dianne Wolfer
In 1914 Jim and Charlie abandon the Australian outback for the excitement and adventure of the war to end all wars. But in the Light Horse they quickly discover the brutal realities of life on the frontline. And nothing will ever be the same again. Featuring stunning charcoal sketches by Brian Simmonds alongside primary source documents and historical photos, Light Horse Boy goes behind the scenes of the great ANZAC legends for an intimate look at their experience of World War I.
Grab a copy of Light Horse Boy here
EARLY CHILDHOOD
WINNER
The Swap
by Jan Ormerod, Andrew Joyner
Caroline Crocodile’s baby brother dribbles. But all Mama crocodile Ever says is how Gorgeous he is. Caroline is very jealous. So she goes to the Baby shop and tries to swap her dribbly brother for a new baby. The trouble is, there’s just something not quite right with any of them…
Grab a copy of The Swap Book here
HONOUR BOOKS
I’m a Dirty Dinosaur
by Janeen Brian, Ann James
From award-winning author Janeen Brian and award-winning illustrator Ann James, comes this gorgeous rhyming picture book about a naughty little dinosaur who loves to get dirty. Bright simple illustrations and rounded corners perfect for the very young.
Grab a copy of I’m a Dirty Dinosaur here
Banjo and Ruby Red
by Libby Gleeson, Freya Blackwood
A funny and touching story of antagonism and love by award-winning author Libby Gleeson, with illustrations by internationally acclaimed Freya Blackwood. Freya Blackwood’s stunning illustrations perfectly capture the endearing personalities of boisterous Banjo and head-strong Ruby Red. A stunning clothbound cover makes this a beautiful gift item that will be treasured for years to come.
Grab a copy of Banjo and Ruby Red here
PICTURE BOOK
WINNER
Rules of Summer
by Shaun Tan
The much anticipated new book from Australia’s most acclaimed picture-book creator.
Shaun Tan’s books have won world acclaim, the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, as well as an Academy Award for the animated short film adaptation of his book The Lost Thing.
Tan s new book, Rules of Summer, is a deceptively simple story about two boys, one older and one younger, and the kind of rules that might govern any relationship between close friends or siblings. Rules that are often so strange or arbitrary, they seem impossible to understand from the outside. Yet through each exquisite illustration of this nearly wordless narrative, we can enjoy wandering around an emotional landscape that is oddly familiar to us all.
Grab a copy of Rules of Summer here
HONOUR BOOKS
King Pig
by Nick Bland
Because he was the king, he could make the sheep do whatever he wanted, whenever he pleased. But he just couldn’t make them like him.
A royal romp about a little pig with a lot to learn, from best-selling picture book creator Nick Bland.
Silver Buttons
by Bob Graham
At 9.59 on Thursday morning, Jodie draws a duck. Just as she is about to add one final silver button to the duck’s boots, her little brother takes his first step. At this exact same moment, a man buys bread, a soldier leaves home, a baby is being born…
Here is a book, a story, a philosophy so simply told and yet – in true and inimitable Bob Graham style – so rich with emotion and meaning.
Grab a copy of Silver Buttons here
About the Contributor
Andrew Cattanach
Andrew Cattanach is a regular contributor to The Booktopia Blog. He has been shortlisted for The Age Short Story Prize and was named a finalist for the 2015 Young Bookseller of the Year Award. He enjoys reading, writing and sleeping, though finds it difficult to do them all at once.
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