*PLEASE NOTE!* Media notices will now be posted on the Misrule blog.

Sunday, 11th January, 2004

David Metzenthen, author of Boys of Blood and Bone, interviewed in the Melbourne Age. Read it here.

Wednesday, 7th January, 2004

The Guardian obituary on the death of Joan Aiken. Misrule notes this enormous loss to the world of children's literature with great sorrow.

Saturday, 6th December, 2003

Nicola Robinson reviews John Marsden's While I Live, the first in the post-Tomorrow When the War Began "Ellie Chronicles" in The Sydney Morning Herald. Marsden remains one of the few Australian children's authors to have his novels published in hardback. Read the (somewhat ambivalent) review here.

The SMH also runs a "Best Books of 2003" feature, including several reviewers picks of the best in children's books. Read it here.

Saturday, 29th November, 2003

Misrule is very sad to record the death of children's author Hesba Brinsmead. At 81 years of age, Hesba led a long and full life, but nevertheless, her passing is mourned. Hesba's novel Longtime Passing was a seminal novel in my childhood reading life. Her obituary can be read here.

Thursday, 27th November, 2003

A compendium of critics putting the boot into the film of The Cat in the Hat.

Saturday, 22nd November, 2003

Review of four picture books in The Sydney Morning Herald.

Sunday, 2nd November, 2003

Article in The Observer about the National Theatre's forth-coming production of Pullman's His Dark Materials.

How do you stage animal mutability? How do you cut through from one world to another with a knife? How do you present harpies, angels, armoured bears? How do you look in on the Land of the Dead? Or show the audience mythological dust?

Powells Books on line— undated

Philip Pullman, Tamora Pierce and Christopher Paolini in conversation on the Powell's website. This is a fascinating discussion and highly recommended for anyone interested in fantasy, and in the creative process.

Saturday, 1st November, 2003

Philip Pullman writes in the New York Times — Why I Don't Believe in Ghosts.

So I came to the conclusion some time ago that imagination and reason were two powers that didn't always agree, and that the one who had sovereignty was the imagination. There's nothing democratic about what goes on in this business. Everything about the act of writing fiction is an exercise of absolute and despotic power. There's no point in deploring this, or wishing it were all nicer and kinder, or gentle and caring and inclusive. It's a tyranny, and that's that.

Saturday, 25th October, 2003

The Sydney Morning Herald has recently made some welcome welcome changes to its practice of reviewing children's books. Herald literary editor Malcolm Knox is casting the net wide for competent and informed reviewers, and several children's and YA books have been reviewed in recent weeks. It's awelcome change; long may it last!

This weekend:

Reviewed: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Interviewed: Anthony Horowitz (see also Events)

Recently:

Nicola Robinson reviews David Almond's The Fire-Eaters 18/10/03

Tim Cadman reviews Garth Nix's Mister Monday