New(ish) year, new books

I made a good start to the blogging year, didn't I, but have been a bit slack the past couple of weeks. I have been busy, but I've also somehow completely changed my routine. Naturally a late to bed, late to rise girl, I've been waking up (and often getting up) around 6am, sometimes going for morning walks with friend-and-neighbour Pamela, getting into work nice and early (lots and lots on at the moment)... I even got up at 6 o'clock on Sunday to take part in an online chat about fairytale retellings, part of the online FlyCon—my first spec fiction convention!

I am rather liking this new Morning Me, except that the penalty is being very sleepy at night, even falling asleep on the couch around 10 o'clock. So, not so much energy at night to blog and so on.

Anyway, enough explanations/excuses! I have been collecting stuff to blog about and here is a little roundup based on the fact that as the new year has gotten under way, the new books have been coming in a pleasingly steady flow.

So, about a month ago, that same Pamela's new book, Victor's Challenge, was launched at Cerdon College, a Catholic secondary school in western Sydney where Pamela's brother Paul teaches.

Victor's Challenge is the sequel—after about more than ten years!—to Pamela's beloved Victor's Quest. In this sequel, Victor has won the girl's heart—now he has to win her hand from two reluctant parents (his mum, her dad). It's a terrific sequel, satisfying as a novel (or chapter book) in its own right, but progressing the story and the characters for readers familiar with the prequel. Victor is such a dear character, and he is in fine form here—and there's the welcome reprisal of a most popular character from the first book. I hope it will be as fondly received by its readership as Victor's Quest was—and there's still one more Victor adventure to come!

I was one of the speakers at the Victor's Challenge launch—Pamela invited me both in my official capacity as the Western Sydney Young People's Literature Officer, but also because I was one of the book's first readers, and as such contributed to one of the early edits of the book before it was ready to go to the publisher. But the real stars of the day (apart from Pamela's son Robert, who totally stole the show!) were three fans, Alyssa, Talia and Maddie, Year 9 students who are huge fans of Pamela and her books.

It was a lovely launch. The school hall was filled with kids from Cerdon's feeder primary schools, but I think it's fair to say that the high school girls were as, if not more excited, about the launch and meeting Pamela as the younger kids were. Here's a photo of Pamela and Robert with Alyssa, Talia and Maddie—you can see some more (including me in the red pants) here.

    

So, that was my first launch of the year, in February. Pop forward a couple of weeks to not-exactly-a-launch, but a lunch, to celebrate the publication of two fine books by two fine friends and one-time colleagues: Ursula Dubosarsky and Cassandra Golds. I worked with both Ursula and Cassandra at different times at The School Magazine, but more than that (and before and after that) they are good friends who also happen to be remarkable writers.

The books whose publication we were celebrating in the first week of March are Ursula's brilliant and hilarious picture book, The Terrible Plop, stylishly illustrated by Andrew Joyner, and Cassandra's wonderfully atmospheric and at times downright creepy novel The Museum of Mary Child. Very different books, very different audiences: The Terrible Plop is a classic fable-in-rhyme in the spirit of Little Rabbit Foo-Foo, while The Museum of Mary Child is a gothic tale with a healthy streak of horror which older children whose tastes run to such things will relish*.

Cassandra and Ursula invited a small group of us to lunch at the delightful Tea Room in the QVB, a fitting setting for this literary soiree of sorts (especially if you've seen the very spooky, long, Mary-Child-ish hallway that leads to the rest rooms—you half expect Jack Nicholson to stick his head through the plasterboard at any moment!).

I've only read either of the books pre-publication. The Terrible Plop I read in page proofs, but The Museum of Mary Child I read as a manuscript, so I am very eager to read the final version of the novel now it's been edited and published.

So thrilled about these books! The really important thing about both Casandra and Ursula is they are writers who simply aren't like anyone else. They write books that aren't like anything else that's out there for young readers, books that challenge and demand of their readers, even as they entertain and satisfy, intellectually and aesthetically. Yay for that, yay for them, and yay for Penguin for publishing them. It's not all bums and skittles (and vampires) out there and hallellujah for that. (And I reminded that I have neglected to mention Penguin's new youth website, Between the Lines, so here 'tis. Check it out.)

Here's Ursula with the Plop (and our friend the illustrator Stephen Axelsen in the background), and Cassandra with Afternoon Tea. If you want to see them in the Corridor of Doom, there's a couple of shots on my Flickr account.

                             

The evening after Cassandra and Ursula's lunch, two more Ladies who Launch were in conversation at Konikuniya bookshop in the city. Margo Lanagan and Justine Larbalestier chatted about Justine's new book, How to Ditch Your Fairy, just published here by those smart onions at Allen and Unwin. I loved How to Ditch Your Fairy; it's smart and knowing and very, very funny. Reminds me tonally of Laurie Halse Anderson's Prom, but also has a distinctive Australian feel to it, to me, in the laconic humour and the practical nature of its protagonist. Most definitely recommended (as is Justine's blog). 

I had battery issues on the night, so this is the only pic I got. (Sorry, Justine!)

And finally, here's a new book I haven't read yet but am extremely thrilled and excited about: Tohby Riddle's first novel The Lucky Ones. I received my review copy this week and am really looking forward to it. Tohby is another friend and colleague from The School Magazine, and a fantastic picture author/illustrator, so I have high expectations of this novel. Here's the cover, which if you know Tohby's work, you will recognise his signature style:

Haaaaarbour Bridge!

Cool. Congratulations on all these really wonderful new books, and more to come. It's looking like a fantastic year for Australian children's and YA books.

*And here's a little treat, speaking of kids who like creepy books: Neil Gaiman on The Colbert Report. Hilarious!