Miles Franklin Long List, 2013



The Miles Franklin Award Long List, 2013 has been announced. It includes eight female authors, five first time novelists, four previously shortlisted authors and one former double Miles Franklin Literary Award winner (Thomas Keneally, 1967- Three cheers for the Paraclete & 1968- Bring Larks and Heroes)


 The 2013 Long List:

Floundering by Romy Ash 
Lola Bensky by Lily Brett 
Street to Street by Brian Castro 
Questions of Travel by Michelle de Kretser
The Beloved by Annah Faulkner 
The Daughters of Mars by Tom Keneally 
The mountain by Drusilla Modjeska 
The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Stedman 
Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany 
Red Dirt Talking by Jacqueline Wright 



 Congratulations to all the Miles Franklin Award, 2013, Long Listed authors.  Request  a copy of any,  or all of these books from the Library! Look out for the Short List in April/May, and the announcement of the winner on 19 June, 2013. 

Women's History Month - Convicted!


The first European women to reach Australia's shores were sent against their will. They did not have the support, nor the 'leisure' to fight for their rights, yet made the best of it. They helped where they could to make the fledgling colony of New South Wales to be a place that could be called home.

 Margaret Catchpole was one such woman. Despite having been sent out for life, (arriving December 1801) for horse stealing and escaping from prison, all for love, Margaret made herself very useful in the colony. She found work in the kitchens of the free settlers and became indispensable to the families she worked for, for her skill with nursing the sick. Once she was eventually pardoned she set herself up in a small store at Richmond and did nursing and midwifery as required. She was also a very good diarist, and it is her memoirs that chronicle the only knowledge of many early colonial events. She certainly stirred up local interest with newspaper articles  written in the early papers about her and a film made of her life. Scapegallows gives an account of her life.

Molly Morgan was a woman with character. She was transported to Australia in the second, gained her ticket of leave, escaped in the Resolution with other, still bound, convicts. Once she made it back she married in England but was then convicted by her husband for burning down their home, and so was transported a second time. She was given a free rein by her protector, but continued to fall foul of the authorities. Eventually she achieved a ticket of leave and was granted a small parcel of land at the new Wallis plains settlement (Maitland). Although reasonably successful as farmer, it was her wine shanty that set her on the road to security, eventually to the establishment of the Angel Inn in the centre of Maitland. The Australian on the 23rd January 1928 named her as one of the regions largest landholder. Her background was in petty crime, immorality and self-indulgence and yet was known for her generosity and compassion for those less fortunate setting up a rough and ready hospital for the sick as well as a large donation towards the building of a school. She was a colourful pioneer of the Maitland district.

Keep Reading? A Canadian book for Earth Hour!




Looking for something to do during Earth Hour (Saturday, 23 March, 8.30pm local time),  this year?   Read book by torch or candle light! 

Did you know that Vancouver has been crowned  Global Earth Hour Capital, 2013 by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for its efforts to address climate change? 

So what could be more timely than to read an action packed, unpredictable and hard to put down book set in Vancouver by an Canadian/Australian author?


Read the  following opening paragraphs to see if you would like to keep reading this book...

RUN!
        I can't run fast enough...faster...run! I must go faster but my legs won't listen, the uniform won't move quick enough, the badge weighs me down. My gun is a hunk of useless metal, heavy and cumbersome in my slippery hands, I can barely lift it...QUICK! Before it's too late! The door is there, I finally reach it, knowing full well what horror awaits on the other side. I hit the door hard-slam- and burst straight through. It breaks apart into a million pieces, jagged shards flying all around like asteroids and I see her-my mother- tied to the bed and straining to escape the blade and the devil looks up, looking straight through my soul with eyes that are flickering red flames. I raise the weapon-it is so heavy and I struggle to aim between the flames. I squeeze the trigger but it will not give, it is frozen. The devil is smiling with great rotting fangs, he knows I am helpless. and flames leap from his eyes, shooting fire and a great rush of air to knock me down. He turns back to his prey, his captive-my mother- and he drives the knife down...
"No!"
 A loud noise woke Makedde Vanderwall from her nightmare. 
She sat bolt upright and inhaled sharply. What? When she realised the noise had come from her own lip, she broke into an embarrassed blush. She had dozed off again and cried out in her sleep. She surveyed her surroundings through puffy eyes, squinting with sleep heavy lids. A couple of passengers were staring at her. A few feet away a young man had looked up from his comic book and was smirking.


To Keep Reading this book, request it from the Library. Read it by torch or candlelight, or download it from Overdrive to listen to it!

iBLURB - Harmony Day



Quote: 'If you want to make beautiful music, you must play the black and the white notes together.' 
― Richard M. Nixon (37th American President)
Honour book 2001

Nips XI  by Ruth Starke
If white boys can't jump, can Asian kids play cricket? Lan's fed up with being called a Nip. He wants to be a true-blue Aussie. What better way than by playing the greatest Anglo game of all? Lan gathers a team together and defiantly gives it a name: Nips XI. Now all they have to do is get some equipment, find a coach, get themselves a sponsor and learn the rules of the game. Then it's time to challenge the best cricket team in the district.

This is a funny, empowering story of cricket and curry, spinners and leggies, Nips XI is about overcoming cultural barriers, in sport and in life. (What a ripper read for ALL Aussies - old and new!)
Shortlisted 2005

Soraya the Storyteller  by Rosanne Hawke
Soraya, her mother and younger brother are refugees from Afghanistan adjusting to life in Australia under Temporary Protection Visas, after surviving the journey on a people-smuggling boat and spending time in the Woomera detention centre. The story is told through Soraya who uses storytelling to come to terms with the tragedy of her family's life in her homeland and struggle for acceptance in Australia. Stories from the Arabian Nights told by Soraya's adopted grandmother keep Soraya in touch with her culture and her father, who was killed; while writing in her diary and ESL class help her to express her thoughts, fears and dreams. Featuring realistic characters and dialogue, this poignant novel is simply and engagingly told. It will engender empathy for refugees and provoke discussion on a range of ethical issues.  (This is an enchanting read!)
Shortlisted - 2003

Jamil's Shadow  by Christine Harris
Since losing his parents, Jamil has kept himself apart from the rest of his village. He makes a living by looking after his herd of cattle, which he takes up the grassy slopes of the mountains each day.  But when a stray dog follows him home one day, he finds he can't get rid of it. Can Jamil risk letting anything get close to him again?
A heart-warming story of hope, connection and friendship. (Too good for words!) for grades 3-5

Shortlisted - 2008
Winning the World Cup  by David Metzenthen
After school, Marco and his neighbourhood friends, who have all come to Australia from different countries, play the World Cup in the local paddock. Henry, the new boy from Kenya is too sad to play, while his sister is in hospital, but he amazes the children with his knowledge of cows and then .. when his sister is better, with his amazing ball skills. This story, with it's subtle message, will have wide appeal and can be used to stimulate discussion about how all people can get along and how it is possible to love your homeland as well as your new country. for grades 2-5

Ziba came on a boat  by Liz Lofthouse
Ziba came on a boat. A soggy old fishing boat
That creaked and moaned as it rose and fell,
Rose and fell, across an endless sea…

Shortlisted - 2008
The setting in the story is a boat somewhere in the middle of an 'endless' ocean. Ziba, a little girl, rides it with her mother and a group of other people. You can't help but notice the gray and blue colours of the pages, and the sorrow-filled expressions on the faces of the people riding on the boat, this leads you to immediately realize they are not part of a fun-filled and entertaining journey. You start to wonder if they are refugees of a war. Where are they going and what is their story? What will the future hold for Ziba and her mother? a great way to introduce and educate older children on the harsh realities of the world in a picture book format - a happy ending! Yay! for grades 2-5
Children smile in ALL languages
Clever phrase: Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by colour. Anon 





iBLURB Kids Fiction 4

Theme: It's not easy being Green!


Quote:  If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in. - Rachel Carson

The Lorax  by Dr Seuss
"Unless someone like you...cares a whole awful lot...nothing is going to get better...It's not.
Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's natural beauty.
"The big, colorful pictures and the fun images, word plays and rhymes make this an amusing exposition of the ecology crisis."—School Library Journal.  Also in Motion Picture DVD & Animated DVD


Horton Hears a Who!  by Dr Seuss
Horton adopts a petite planet full of perky little persons led by a tiny, gallant mayor. Believing Horton must be crazy to befriend a dust speck, a snooty, meddlesome kangaroo and her gang of monkey roughnecks decide to boil the elephant's microscopic pals in Beezle-Nut oil! Seuss takes readers on a whimsical tale with a stirring message. That's to say “A person's a person, no matter how small.”  Also in Motion Picture DVD & Animated DVD

Michael Recycle  by Ellie Bethel
I'm Michael Recycle, for all that I'm worth, I'm green and I'm keen to save planet Earth! A small town near you is drowning in piles of rubbish from it's lazy and wasteful inhabitants! But here is Michael Recycle, the green-caped crusader, to rescue the town and prove that recycling is fun! Ages 5+  (learn about being GREEN)



Litterbug Doug  by Ellie Bethel
Litterbug Doug is lazy. He's wasteful. He's messy but worst of all... he hates recycling!  Only Michael Recycle, Planet Earth's Super Green Hero, can save the day and change Doug's wasteful litter-bugging ways.  Ages 5+
(Can Doug's sloppy habits be changed for the better?)

Why trash your neighbourhood?

iBLURB - St. Patrick's Day

It's the night before St. Patrick's Day, and Tim and Maureen are wide awake setting traps to catch a leprechaun! When they wake the next morning to the sound of their dad playing the bagpipes and the smell of their mom cooking green eggs, they're shocked to find that they've actually caught a leprechaun. But will they be able to find his pot of gold? 


This is an ideal first board book to share with your baby or toddler as a first step to discovering the fun and celebration of St Patrick’s Day. The pages feature traditional St Patrick’s Day images, such as shamrocks, harps and parades, and there are lots of different touch-and-feel textures which little fingers will love to explore.



Ten Lucky Leprechauns  by Kathryn Heling
Fiddle-de-fizz, 'tis magic, it is!
When leprechauns find each other.

Count from one to ten as one little leprechaun looking for treasure magically becomes ten silly leprechaun friends at the end of the rainbow! A humorous, rhyming celebration of St. Patrick's Day!



Patrick  by Quentin Blake Setting out to buy a violin, Patrick finds that playing it transforms not only his outlook on life, but the lives of all he meets, be it plant, animal or human! Dull, everyday things become colourful and fun, and those who are poor or unhappy are rejuvenated by music's magical qualities.
 Blake's illustrations are inimitable, and his text is perfectly in tune with his style of image, which shows the transformations taking place - colour, stars and fireworks appearing around (and from) the characters and their surroundings. Blake's text and images are readily accessible to small children, filled with spiky movement and quirky action.

St. Patrick’s Day countdown  by Salina Yoon
Count along with the forest friends in this shimmery board book! Five bright green holographic shamrock tabs and fun rhyming text make this a St. Patrick’s Day treat!
Have a Sparkly Day!



Reel Teens Mystery Film Night

NATIONAL YOUTH WEEK
5 – 14 APRIL 2013

Be Active. 

Be Happy. 
Be You.
To help us celebrate the start of Youth Week 2013 we will be having our first Teen Mystery Film Night on Friday the 5th of April.

The movie starts promptly at 6.00pm and runs until 8.15pm.

Pizza and soft drink will be provided (hint) don't eat before you arrive!

We have Teen Mystery Film nights once a term and even though we have our regulars from last year it would be great to see some new faces. What? You're a bit nervous about joining us... why not bring a friend or even two? The movies we choose are PG rated so they are light-hearted, funny or thought-provoking. This particular movie is a 80's classic teen comedy, if you want to know or need to know what the title is then just give us a call at the Kids section @ 97100178 and we'll be happy to tell you. It's just that our regulars enjoy the element of surprise and that is what the Mystery Film Night is all about, after all!

If you would like to join us again or for the first time just fill in the online booking form or call us directly and turn up on the night with your appetite. (we need to know numbers so that we can order the correct amount of pizzas & refreshments - so don't miss out! ) We hope to see you there on the night - Happy Youth Week guys!

Keep Reading...An eco -read


1
The Measure of a Man
A certain eeling comes rom throwing your good lie away, andit is one part rapture. Or so it seemed or now, to a woman withame-colored hair who marched uphill to meet her demise. In-nocence was no part o this. She knew her own recklessness andmarveled, really, at how one hard little int o thrill could out-weigh the pillowy, suocating atermath o a long disgrace. Theshame and loss would inect her children too, that was the worsto it, in a town where everyone knew them. Even the teenagecashiers at the grocery would take an edge with her ater this,clicking painted ngernails on the counter while she wrote hercheck, eyeing the oatmeal and rozen peas o an unhinged am-ily and exchanging looks with the bag boy:
She’s that one.
Howthey admired their own steadast lives. Right up to the day whenhope in all its versions went out o stock, including the crummydiscount brands, and the heart had just one instruction let: run.Like a hunted animal, or a racehorse, winning or losing elt ex-actly alike at this stage, with the same coursing o blood andshortness o breath. She smoked too much, that was anothermortication to throw in with the others. But she had cast herlot. Plenty o people took this way out, looking uture damagein the eye and naming it something else. Now it was her turn.She could claim the tightness in her chest and call it bliss, ratherthan the same breathlessness she could be eeling at home rightnow while toting a heavy laundry basket, behaving like a sensi-ble mother o two.


March is the month to read books themed "Eco- reads".  Try a book with themes about the environment, nature, sustainability or climate change. 

This week's featured book is suspenseful, brilliant tale, centred around the effects of climate change.



Read the  following opening paragraphs to see if you would like to keep reading this book...

A certain feeling comes from throwing your good life away, and it is one part rapture. Or so it seemed for now, to a woman with flame-coloured hair who marched uphill to meet her demise. Innocence was no part of this. She knew her own recklessness and marvelled, really, at how one hard little glint of thrill could out-weigh the pillowy, suffocating aftermath of a long disgrace. The shame and loss would infect her children too, that was the worst of it, in a town where everyone knew them. Even the teenage cashiers at the grocery would take an edge with her after this, clicking painted fingernails on the counter while she wrote her check, eyeing the oatmeal and frozen peas of an unhinged family and exchanging looks with the bag boy:
She’s that one.
How they admired their own steadfast lives. Right up to the day when hope in all its versions went out of stock, including the crummy discount brands, and the heart had just one instruction left:  run. Like a hunted animal, or a racehorse, winning or losing felt exactly alike at this stage, with the same coursing of blood and shortness of breath. She smoked too much, that was another mortification to throw in with the others. But she had cast her lot. Plenty of people took this way out, looking future damage in the eye and naming it something else. Now it was her turn. She could claim the tightness in her chest and call it bliss, rather than the same breathlessness she could be feeling at home right now, while toting a heavy laundry basket, behaving like a sensible mother of   two.


To Keep Reading this book, request it from the Library.
  


ily and exchanging looks with the bag boy


iBLURB for Kiddies 4

Theme: Neither Hide nor Hair!


Quote: There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is best of all.  Jacqueline Kennedy

Isla Lu, where are you? by Catriona Hoy & Annie White
‘One, Two, Three, run away and hide!
‘Four, Five, Six, make sure
that I can’t hear you.
‘Seven, eight, nine, nearly there.
‘Nine and a half,
nine and three quarters …
Ten! ‘Here I come, ready or not.
Isla Lu, where are you?
She isn’t upstairs, she isn’t downstairs,
she isn’t in the garden … or is she? 
Mum is looking all over the house for Isla Lu, coming across all the family members as she goes, and they all join in the fun — but they know that Isla Lu is closer than Mum thinks!

Who’s Hiding?  by Sebastien Braun
Lift the flaps with baby in the garden in an exciting board book from the new ‘Baby Walker’ range. This beautiful board book is full of flaps so you can explore the garden with baby. With shaped flaps perfect for little fingers to lift, and sweet pictures from a favourite children's book illustrator, there is endless fun for babies. 

How to hide a Lion  by Helen Stephens
How does a very small girl hide a very large lion? It's not easy, but Iris has to do her best, because mum’s and dad’s can be funny about having a lion in the house. Luckily, there are lots of good places to hide a lion. But Iris can't hide her lion forever, and when her mum discovers him, he has to run away and hide all on his own.

Hide and Squeak  
by Heather Vogel Frederick
Baby Mouse isn't quite ready to settle down for the night so he takes Daddy Mouse on a wild hide-and-squeak game all over the house. Only time will tail..whoops..tell...if Daddy can catch Baby! Large, expressive illustrations and the rhythmic pattern of the text makes it a fun, sing-song story that will be perfect to get the little ones snuggled in! (this little baby mouse is adorable!)

I'm Read-y!






March is Women’s History Month.

March each year is allocated, internationally, as Women’s History Month.

This year Australia is highlighting, “Finding Founding Mothers”. The women who stood up for themselves and the ‘common’ folk, against the established order as it had been in England and in her colonies.

The Australian Women’s History Forum has pulled together some great stories on the theme of, ‘Finding Founding Mothers’, from the wealth of resources they have gathered on women’s history in Australia. Women from all the colonies are represented as the people struggle to create a nation, which will have equality for all.

Vida Goldstein was one such woman who had seen her mother’s , involvement with the Victorian Women’s Suffrage Society and at 19 took up the challenge to get signatures on the Women Suffrage Pettion. In 1891 it was handed to the Victorian parliament with 30,000 signatures. She went on to become the leader of the women’s reform movement in Victoria. Victorian women were the last to achieve the vote in 1908, 14 years after their sisters in South Australia (and by association Northern Territory!)

The Australian Dictionary of Biography or Women Australia are excellent places to find other great women from our past like Selina Sarah Elizabeth Anderson , was the first woman in Australia to contest an election. Selina supported the rights of women to become doctors, she promoted better conditions for tramway employees and objected to the importation of domestic servants! The Browse allows for searching by occupation, so one can find women from all walks of life. There’s a Poisoner, some Pro-conscriptionists and a Puppeteer as well as the Political Activists I was searching for.

Having a browse through some of these sites I have been reminded of how hard women fought for the many ‘rights’ we now take for granted. Have you found a favourite story of a woman from our past? 

There are books on display for borrowing at Sutherland Library, featuring important women from our past, titles similar to Trailblazers.

March - EcoReads for Teens

Quote: Only when the last tree has been cut down, Only when the last river has been poisoned, Only when the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. - Native American Cree Tribe Prophecy

Trash  by Andy Mulligan
Raphael is a dumpsite boy. He spends his days wading through mountains of steaming trash, sifting it, sorting it, breathing it, sleeping on it. Then one unlucky-lucky day, the world turns upside down. A small leather bag falls into his hands. It’s a bag of clues. It’s a bag of hope. It’s a bag that will change everything. Soon Raphael and his friends are running for their lives. Hounded by the police, it takes all their quick-thinking and fast-talking to stay ahead. As the net tightens, they uncover a dead man’s mission to put right a terrible wrong. And it's three street-boys against the world...Pick up TRASH today!

Lake at the end of the World
by Caroline McDonald

Have you ever wondered what the earth will be like in twenty years time? Set in the year 2025, this book describes the dark and primitive future in store for us if we continue on our present path of destruction. This thrilling science fiction novel follows the experiences of the two main characters, Dianna and Hector who learn to trust each other in a world where only a handful of people have survived the nuclear and chemical devastation. A highly acclaimed novel from a popular writer. (Fantastic book, I've never forgotten it!)

Flyaway  by Lucy Christopher     One cold winter morning, Dad gets sick – and goes into hospital. It’s there I meet Harry, with his scruffy hair and firefly eyes. From his window we watch a wild swan on the frozen lake outside. There’s something different about her, truly different. She's almost magical. 
While visiting her father in hospital, Isla meets Harry, the first boy to understand her and her love of the outdoors. But Harry is ill, and as his health fails, Isla is determined to help him in the only way she knows how. Together they watch a lone swan struggling to fly on the lake outside Harry’s window. Isla believes that if she can help the damaged swan, somehow she can help Harry. And in doing so, she embarks upon a breathtakingly magical journey of her own.

Forty signs of Rain  by Kim Stanley Robinson
This is a novel that features cutting-edge science, international politics, and the real-life ramifications of global warming as they are played out in America's national capital TODAY — all told through the daily lives of those at the center of the action. Hauntingly realistic, the novel is set in the near future but inspired by scientific facts already making headlines. With style, wit, and rare insight into our past, present, and possible future, the novel propels us into a world on the verge of unprecedented change.  (Be warned this is an adult novel but it is highly recommended for high school students - our future decision-makers to ponder and digest)




March - EcoReads for Kids

Theme: March - EcoReads

Quote:  Along with milk and vegetables,
               kids need a diet of rocks and worms:
                 Rocks need skipping.
                   Holes need digging.
                     Water needs splashing.
                       Bugs and frogs and slimy stuff needs finding.

Window  by Jeannie Baker
Window is a groundbreaking work which points to one possible direction for books in the future - the wordless picture book. It also has a serious purpose, to give children an understanding of how growth affects the world we live in. (While it has no text, it does not lack words; what words there are, are incorporated into the visual images; some of the scenes are 'immersed' in print.) The central image is a window. Each of the thirteen double-page spreads shows the window frame and the view outside the window - the reader is always standing inside, looking out.
Belonging  by Jeannie Baker 
Thirteen years passed between these companion titles. 'A friend spoke about a street she really loved in inner Sydney. This street of terrace houses had been closed to traffic. It's windows, walls and pavements were filled to overflowing with plants, growing from window boxes, from breaks in the pavement, from pot plants, creeping up and covering walls of the houses. It was a narrow street but full of character … a place where neighbours chatted and children played.' The community in ‘Window’ have a home: but in my mind we could call any place home whereas the word ‘belonging’ implies an emotional connection. If one wants to really belong to something one has to work at it and contribute to it. - Jeannie Baker

The Tomorrow Book  by Jackie French & Sue Degennaro      
A timely picture book about a young prince who is determined to rule over a country where the future is filled with environmental hope - and practical solutions, such as common usage of solar and wind power. Lively, fun and positive, this book serves to give young people information about their world and shows them that a lot of environmental solutions are simple and relatively easy to put in place.  Produced on recycled paper to reflect the message within, this is a beautiful book.

Uno's Garden  by Graeme Base
When Uno arrives in the forest one beautiful day, there are many fascinating and extraordinary animals there to greet him. And one entirely unexceptional Snortlepig.  Uno loves the forest so much, he decides to live there. But, in time, a little village grows up around his house. Then a town, then a city. . . and soon Uno realises that the animals and plants have begun to disappear. Enter the magical world of Graeme Base's forest, filled with wild and wonderful animals, Uno's unique family and friends and also - the elusive Snortlepig!

Mud, mud, glorious mud!