Shortlist: Book of the Year: Younger Readers

Entries may be fiction, drama or poetry. They must be appropriate in style and content for readers from middle to upper primary years (ages 7 - 12 years).

NB: Photocopying of book covers is covered by the 2016 agreement between ALIA and the Australian Publishers Association is in place see https://www.alia.org.au/copyright-and-book-covers (please note the following publishers are not members of the Australian Publishers Association: EK Books, Riveted Press, Scribble Kids’ Books, Starfish Bay Publishing).

Judy Hannah's presentation slides from the Book Week Forum

• online tool for making anagrams of book titles https://wordsmith.org/anagram/
• online tool for making jigsaws https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/

Kate Gordon Aster’s Good, Right Things. Riveted Press 9780648492573

• Themes: contemporary - island - setting (Tassie?) - mental health/anxiety disorder
• Age: upper primary/lower secondary
• Kate Gordon's website
• The CBCA judges comments
• Teachers' resources https://www.yellowbrickbooks.com.au/AstersGoodRightThings_teachingnotes_2020_web.pdf
• Display information from kidshelpline https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/anxiety

Jaclyn Moriarty (illus. by Kelly Canby) The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst. Allen & Unwin 9781760875060

• Themes: fantasy, third novel in the Kingdoms and Empires series
• Age: 10 - 14 years
• Jaclyn Moriarty's website
• Teaching notes https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/childrens-fiction/The-Stolen-Prince-of-Cloudburst-Jaclyn-Moriarty-9781760875060
• The CBCA judges comments
• Reading Time Review http://readingtime.com.au/the-stolen-prince-of-cloudburst/

Sally Murphy (illus. by Sarah Davis) Worse Things. Walker Books Australia 9781760651657

• Themes: contemporary, sports, verse novel
• Ages: 10 years +
• a display of “fridge poetry” with sporting themes - each visiting class could write a poem together
• Reading Time review http://readingtime.com.au/worse-things/
• Sally Murphy's website http://sallymurphy.com.au/2020/05/welcome-worse-things/

Katrina Nannestad We Are Wolves. HarperCollins Publishers 9780733340888

• Themes: WW2 - set in Germany - war - survival
• Age: 10 years +
• Katrina Nannestad's website
• “Wolf children” was the name given to East Prussian children who lost their parents in the last days of World War II and fled to neighboring Lithuania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_children and an image of some Wolfskinder https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lost_children_russia_about_1942.jpg
• Better Reading review https://www.betterreading.com.au/review/our-review/uplifting-and-heartbreaking-read-our-review-of-we-are-wolves-by-katrina-nannestad/
• Reading Time review https://readingtime.com.au/we-are-wolves/

Kirli Saunders (illus. by Dub Leffler) Bindi. Magabala Books 9781925936667

• Themes: contemporary - Indigenous author and character - climate - bush fires - verse novel
• Age: 10 years +
• Kirli Saunders' website including lots of links to teaching resources https://kirlisaunders.com/resources/
• Teaching Indigenous Content (notes from Magabala Books) https://www.magabala.com/pages/teaching-indigenous-content
• Reading Time review http://readingtime.com.au/bindi/
• Teaching resources from Reading Australia (Copyright Agency) https://readingaustralia.com.au/lesson/bindi/

Sue Whiting The Book of Chance. Walker Books Australia 9781760651367

• Themes: contemporary - set in Wollongong - social media - family & friendships - truth & lies
• Sue Whiting's website https://suewhiting.com/the-book-of-chance/
• A CBCA video of Sue introducing the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iCtyncYuHM
• Reading Time review https://readingtime.com.au/the-book-of-chance/
• Teacher notes https://classroom.walkerbooks.com.au/home/the-book-of-chance-by-sue-whiting/

—- Back to 2021 Book Week Forum