The 2010 Children's
Book Council of Australia
Book of the Year awardsThe winners have been anounced,
look below to see if it was your favourite!!Teacher Resources:Myriad Maths 2010
Maths Activities for Book Week Books Capitalise on student interest in their favourite picture and story books and enhance your maths program! This is a resource you can dip into at any time with ease. Each story has a range of fun maths activities, engaging investigations, interesting inquiries and supporting blackline masters.
The shortlist for each category is:Older ReadersWinner
Jarvis
By David Metzenthen So far, Marc E. Jarvis has lost a white football boot, a school tie and a best friend.
But there's more in store for him when he completes Work Experience at a local car yard – where his world is truly rocked, shocked and shaken. Then Marc meets Electra. And nothing will ever be the same again . . . A story of true friends, crazed coaches, shooting stars, and loves lost and found. Stolen
By Lucy Christopher Told in a moving letter to her captor, 16-year-old Gemma relives her kidnapping from Bangkok airport while on holiday. Taken by Ty, her troubled young stalker, to the wild and desolate Australian Outback she reflects on a landscape from which there's no escape.
Honour
The Winds Of Heaven
By Judith Clarke When Fan was little she dreamed of magical countries in the far away blue hills. As she grew up she dreamed of love, and the boys came after her one by one by one.
Clementine thought her cousin Fan's house in the country had a special smell: of sun and dust and kerosene and the wild honey they ate for breakfast on their toast. But then there were the feelings: the anger that smelled like iron and the disappointment that smelled like mud.
Fan was strong and beautiful and Clementine thought she'd always be like that. But Fan was seeking something, and neither she nor Clementine knew exactly what...
With sharp poetic prose, insight and compassion, Judith Clarke tells a moving and beautiful story as she traces the lives of two young women, separated by circumstance, but linked forever by blood and friendship.
Liar
By Justine Larbalestier Secrets, lies, murder and betrayal.
Micah Wilkins is a liar. But when her boyfriend, Zach, dies under brutal circumstances, the shock might be enough to set her straight. Or maybe not. Especially when lying comes as naturally to her as breathing. Was Micah dating Zach? Did they kiss? Did she see him the night he died? And is she really hiding a family secret? Where does the actual truth lie?
Liar is a breathtaking roller-coaster read that will have you up all night, desperately seeking for something true.
Honour
A Small Free Kiss In The Dark
By Glenda Millard
 Skip's an outsider, a quiet observer. He draws pictures to make sense of the world. He's never fitted in. So he takes to the streets. Life there may be hard, but it's better than the one he's left, especially when he teams up with old Billy. Then come the bombs which leave little Max in his care, and also Tia, the sad dancer, with her sweet baby, Sixpence. Scavenging for food, living on love and imagination...how long can Skip's fragile new family hold out as war grips the city?
Loving Richard Feynman
By Penny Tangey Richard Feynman was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Catherine is a science-loving fifteen-year-old. Richard helped build the atom bomb. Catherine's just trying to survive school.
When your life is falling apart around you, is talking to a dead physicist normal? Catherine thinks so, but it isn't until her life begins unravelling that she learns who she can really trust. Younger ReadersWinner
Darius Bell And The Glitter Pool
By Odo Hirsch The Bell family's ancestors were showered with honours, gifts and grants of land. In exchange, they have bestowed a Gift, once every 25 years, on the town. The Gifts have ranged from a statue to a bell tower with stained-glass windows, but now it's Darius's father's turn - and there is no money for an impressive gift. It looks as though a wheelbarrow full of vegetables is the best they can do. Darius is determined to preserve the family honour, and when an earthquake reveals a glorious cave, with the most beautiful minerals lining the walls, he thinks he's found the answer...
Matty Forever
By Elizabeth Fensham Bill made a dash for it. He had never run so fast in his life. When he got back to Mat, he threw the bag of lollies at her feet like a knight might throw jewels at the feet of a princess. 'Am ...I ...in the club?' gasped Bill. 'Of course,' said Mat. 'Who else is in with us?' 'Just you and me.' Mat and Bill are neighbours - and best friends. They've told each other their deepest, darkest secrets and in return provide each other with someone to trust and to turn to when things aren't right at home. For Bill, it's a challenging time of missing his father, consoling his sad mother, and starting a new school. For Matty, it is the strength of Bill's steady friendship when her family is different from the rest. When you have a friendship like Bill and Matty do, nothing else matters. An enchanting story of friendship, acceptance and trust from one of Australia's acclaimed storytellers. Each book will include a free Matty Forever tattoo.
Honour
Running With The Horses
By Alison Lester Running with the Horses is a stunning picture book by Alison Lester, the much-loved creator of Are We There Yet? and many other treasured books for children. Young readers will love this beautifully illustrated classic story of adventure and friendship.
TEN-YEAR-OLD NINA lives with her father above the palace stables at the Royal Academy of Dancing Horses. She loves watching the famous white stallions as they parade for the crowds, but her favourite horse is an ordinary mare called Zelda - an old cab horse Nina often pats on her way home from school. When Nina's world changes dramatically, she and her father have to flee from the city. Their journey over the mountains with Zelda and the stallions seems impossible, with danger at every turn . . . The Whisperer
By Fiona McIntosh Griff is an ordinary boy, working at a circus - but he has an extraordinary ability. He can receive people's thoughts, although in an unfocussed way. When the circus master decides to exploit this talent, disaster ensues. Griff decides to escape, taking fellow circus member Tess and her magical creatures with him. Meanwhile Griff is hearing a cry for help from Lute, the Crown Prince of the realm, under attack from his uncle Janko, who wants to rule in his stead. Escaping from Janko's clutches, Lute encounters Bitter Olof, a bandit with a long history, and Calico Grace, captain of the pirate ship Silver Wind. With allies both magical and human, Griff and Lute must reclaim their inheritance and discover the truth behind their mysterious communication.
Honour
Pearl Verses The World
By Sally Murphy, illustrations: Heather Potter Pearl Verses the World is a moving, accessible illustrated verse novel about a girl dealing with isolation at school, and with her grandma’s illness at home. The book also sensitively addresses the issues of dementia from a child’s perspective. At school, Pearl feels as though she is in a group of one. Her teacher wants her to write poems that rhyme but Pearl’s poems don’t. At home, however, Pearl feels safe and loved, but her grandmother is slowly fading, and so are Mum and Pearl. When her grandmother eventually passes away, Pearl wants life to go back to the way it was and refuses to talk at the funeral. But she finds the courage to deliver a poem for her grandmother that defies her teacher’s idea of poetry – her poem doesn’t rhyme; it comes from the heart. Teacher’s resources are available for Pearl Verses the World from Walker Books Australia.
Tensy Farlow And The Home For Mislaid Children
By Jen Storer It is a commonly held belief that a baby born at midnight on a Friday will be able to see ghosts. The baby in this story was born at midnight on a Friday, but whether she could see ghosts or not was yet to be proven. In fact, at the time our story begins, ghosts were the least of her problems. You see, right from the very beginning there was something strange, something not quite right, about this child. It seemed to set her apart from other babies, from other people in general, and it had nothing to do with the timing of her birth, or even her startling orange hair. It had more to do with her presence. For some reason, it was unsettling.
Early ChildhoodWinner
Bear And Chook By The Sea
By Lisa Shanahan, Illustrated Emma Quay Bear and Chook are the best of friends.
So when Bear decides to visit the seaside, Chook goes too, even though he is a little afraid.
But when Bear gets into trouble, only Chook knows how to make it all better!
The Wrong Book
By Nick Bland Nicholas Ickle is trying to tell a story, but he keeps getting interrupted by characters from other stories - a pirate, a queen, even some monsters! To get a chance to tell his story, he has to convince the others that they are in the wrong book.
Honour
Kip
Christina Booth When Kip finds his voice and begins to crow he causes all sorts of problems for Mrs Bea's neighbours. Reluctantly Mrs Bea sends him away but much to the neighbours surprise, life is not as good as they thought it would be without him.
The Terrible Plop
By Ursula Dubosarsky Here is the story Of the Terrible PLOP, With a bear and a rabbit And a hop hop hop.
But what is the PLOP? And where does it hide? Open the book And look inside . . .
From award-winning author Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrator Andrew Joyner comes an irresistible new picture book about a little rabbit who learns that some things in life aren't as scary as they seem. Based on a Tibetan myth, a sound in the forest sets all the animals running for their lives from the Terrible Plop. Children will be charmed by the wonderful zany energy of the illustrations and the rollicking rhyming story. Honour
Clancy And Millie And The Very Fine House
By Libby Gleeson, illustrated Freya Blackwood Clancy has just moved house. He is missing his old house terribly - the new house is much too big and much too lonely. How will he ever make it his home? As despair takes hold Clancy hears a small voice. Soon, Clancy with the help of his new friend Millie is building towers to the sky and trains to the street outside, and together they build the home that Clancy thought he had lost forever.
'I love my new home,' says Clancy's mother. 'It's the best house.'
'It's a very fine dwelling,' says Clancy's father.
'It's too big,' whispers Clancy. Ages 3+
Fearless
By Colin Thompson, Illustrated Sarah Davis When a new baby is born it's difficult to tell if it will grow up to be big or small or brave or scared of the dark and spiders. sometimes babies get the wrong name. It's the same with dogs.
So when the Claybourne-Willments, who should have been called the Smiths, got Fearless as a little puppy, it seemed a good name for him Except Fearless wasn't.
How does Fearless finally live up to his name? By accident, of course!
Ages 4-7.
Picture Book of the YearWinner
The Hero Of Little Street
By Gregory Rogers Escaping from a gang of bullies, a Boy slips into a grand old gallery - the perfect hiding place, full of mystery and treasures. Enchanted by the magic of painting and befriended by a mischievous dog, the Boy ventures into the world of a famous Vermeer painting - and he and his new friend are transported to Little Street, Delft in seventeenth century Holland. But the streets of Delft are a dangerous place for a dog, and the Boy has to use every ounce of his ingenuity to rescue his canine mate from an untimely fate on the butcher's block.
Young readers will enjoy spotting much-loved characters from the previous Boy Bear books in this triumph of visual storytelling.
Honour
Isabella's Garden
By Rebecca Cool, Illustrated by Glenda Millard
 Following the well-known structure of The House That Jack Built, this tells the tale of growth and seasonal change, beginng and ending with 'the seeds that slept in the soil all dark and deep' and how they bloom and flourish and ultimately lead to new growth. Ages 3+.
Schumann The Shoeman
By Stella Danalis, Illustrated by John Danalis When the laces are tied, your shoes will be ready.
For a world where nothing seems to last, here is a tale that will stay with you forever. Schumann the Shoeman is a story with soul. To The Top End: Our Trip Across Australia
By Roland Harvey Another fabulous Roland Harvey holiday book exploring some of the most spectacular landscapes of Australia, full of adventure, mishaps, and madcap activity.
Mr Chicken Goes To Paris
By Leigh Hobbs 'The world's most beautiful city meets the world's most startling chicken... Not since Quasimodo has Paris been host to a monster of such charm. In typical exuberant style, Hobbs takes us abroad with the gentlemanly Mr Chicken, who tours the magnifique sights of Paris unaware that his enormous top-hatted self is the most astonishing spectacle of all. Joyously colourful, brilliantly observed, hilariously wry, Mr Chicken Goes to Paris is Leigh Hobbs' masterpiece.' Sonya Hartnett
Mr Chicken has taken up his friend Yvette's invitation to visit Paris. As they journey together through the City of Love, Mr Chicken is overcome by the magic of all the city has to offer - and the inhabitants of this most stylish city don't quite know what to make of him. Mr Chicken will delight children of all ages. Honour
Fox And Fine Feathers
By Narelle Oliver Lyrebird, Coucal, Pitta and Nightjar are groundbirds of the Australian forest floor. Although as different from each other as it is possible to be, they always watch out for danger and warn each other to hide. One day, Lyrebird, Coucal and Pitta are preening and performing and forget to look out for wily Fox. Only Nightjar, with his patchy, dull feathers, is on watch for danger. Can he warn the others in time?
Eve Pownall Award for Information Book of the YearWinner
Australian Backyard Explorer
By Peter Macinnis Australian Backyard Explorer tells the stories of many intrepid individuals who explored the Australian continent in the first 120 years of European settlement. It includes little known explorers as well as the old favourites, such as James Cook, Edward John Eyre, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills.
There are tales not only of tragedy, conflict and death, but also of loyalty, amazing perseverance and wonder over the new animals and landscapes they encountered.
Prehistoric Giants: The Megafauna Of Australia
by Danielle Clode In the Footsteps of Giants, the second in the Museum Victoria Nature series, introduces the reader to the amazing world of Australian megafauna in the Pleistocene era. Imagine an Australian landscape in which Diprotodon optatum roamed - this rhinoceros-sized diprotodon was probably the largest marsupial ever to exist. There was also the awesome Megalania prisca, an enormeous goanna-like carnivore which weighed at least 600 kilos and grew to 5.5 metres long. Even Zaglossus hacketii, an echidna, was the size of a sheep!
M Is For Mates: Animals In Wartime From Ajax To Zep Without the service of animals many more Australians would have lost their lives during wartime. Find out more in this educational book, filled with photographs and designed for primary students.
Honour
Polar Eyes: A Journey To Antarctica
By Tanya Patrick, Illustrated by Nicholas Hutcheson On 8 December 2006 Tany Patrick headed to Antarctica across some of the roughest seas in the world.
On her journey, Tanya collected material for the Kids' Antarctic Awareness Project.
Polar Eyes is an interactive children's book about Antarctica.
Lost! A True Tale From The Bush
By Stephanie Owen Reeder Tales of children lost in the bush have frightened and fascinated Australians since colonial times. In August 1864, three children Isaac aged nine, Jane aged seven and Frank aged three survived nine long days and eight cold winter nights in the desolate scrub of the Wimmera region of west Victoria. The children walked for nearly 100 kilometres with no food and very little water. Against all odds, they were found alive. This is their inspiring story.
Honour
Maralinga: The Anangu Story
By Yalata And Oak Communities with Christobel Mattingley In the style of the multi-award-winning Papunya School Book of Country and History, this is an extraordinary illustrated history told from the indigenous perspective and created through a series of workshops, extensive research and community consultation.
'Maralinga - the Anangu Story is our story. We have told it for our children, our grandchildren and their children. We have told it for you.' In words and pictures Yalata and Oak Valley community members, with author Christobel Mattingley, describe what happened in the Maralinga Tjarutja lands of South Australia before the bombs and after. Schools - for your order form please contact your nearest Birchalls store.Southern Tasmania: Birchalls Education Centre HobartNorthern Tasmania: Birchalls Launceston
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