Carnegie 2016 - my personal shortlist

The official CKG shortlists will be announced on Tuesday 15th March, when shadowing groups around the country will suddenly burst into life and twitter will be abuzz with opinions and reviews.  Next year I wont be allowed to tell you my shortlist because I will be one of the real judges (woo), having to look carefully at the criteria instead of just saying whether I enjoyed it or not!  Normally I would have read all the choices before making my list but there were 4* I didn't get to (trying to keep up with things eligible for next year!) so they had no chance of making my shortlist, but those that have are a fabulously diverse range of titles.  I look forward to seeing how many make the real list:

One by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan)

The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold (Bloomsbury)

Jessica's Ghost by Andrew Norriss (David Fickling Books)

The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett (Penguin Random House)

Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders (Faber)

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (MiraInk, HarperCollins)

Liccle Bit by Alex Wheatle (Atom Books)

There are a couple there that I think could be winners, the one winner is announced on Monday 20th June!

*I haven't had the chance to read these:

Book by John Agard (Walker Books)

The Earth Is Singing by Vanessa Curtis (Usborne)

Panther by David Owen (Little, Brown Book Group)

My Name's Not Friday by Jon Walter (David Fickling Books)

so who knows if they're shortlist-worthy?!

My #CKG15 shortlist!

The official shortlist comes out on Tuesday, & having read all the longlist I thought I'd share my favourites:

My Brother's Shadow by Tom Avery (Andersen Press)
When Mr. Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury)
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury)
Tinder by Sally Gardner (author) and David Roberts (illustrator) (Orion Children's Books)
More Than This by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
Trouble by Non Pratt (Walker Books)
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff (Penguin Books)
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (Electric Monkey)

There have been 8 on the list in recent years so I picked my top 8, I'm sure they won't all make the cut but I'm really looking forward to seeing how much overlap there is with the real one!

I honestly can't say which is my favourite to win, the judges have a difficult decision to make...

#CKG15 personal longlist

Tuesday February 10th will see the announcement of the official longlist for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway 2015 medals, woo!  It will also mean schools around the country start shadowing the award in earnest, something I'm not going to be involved in much this year because my maternity leave will begin shortly after the shortlist announcement...next year I imagine I'll focus more on the Greenaway :-)

Have a look at my post a couple of months ago about the nominations.  I've not done too badly with the reading list but there are still 33 of them that I haven't got to.  Of those there are a few that I think potentially could end up on the longlist, and of course there are some that I've read that will be on the real one, but these are my top 20:

Avery, Tom. My Brother's Shadow

Bedford, Martyn. Never Ending

Booth, Anne. Girl With A White Dog

Conaghan, Brian. When Mr. Dog Bites

Creech, Sharon. The Boy On The Porch

Crossan, Sarah. Apple and Rain

Crowe, Sara. Bone Jack

Dawson, James. Say Her Name

Doherty, Berlie. The Company of Ghosts

Doyle, Roddy. Brilliant

Earle, Phil. The Bubble Wrap Boy

Easton, T.S. Boys Don't Knit

Gardner, Sally (author) Roberts, David ( illustrator) Tinder

Furniss, Clare. The Year of the Rat

Hall, Tim. Shadow of the Wolf

Hardinge, Frances. Cuckoo Song

Ness, Patrick. More Than This

Pratt, Non. Trouble

Rosoff, Meg. Picture Me Gone

Slater, Kim. Smart: A Mysterious Crime, A Different Detective

Of the 60 or so that I read there are only two that I didn't think were really good books so I really struggled to make this list.  I can't wait til Tuesday to see how close to the real list I am!

#CKG15 nominations!

It is that time of year again, and I realise I haven't posted anything since last April!  The longlists are insanely long, 91 on the Carnegie, so I'm probably not going to see my good friend Matt for a few months as he gets through them in his official capacity of a judge.  So really quickly, I'm highlighting the ones I've read in red and the ones on my tbr pile in green, and at the end are my top picks from what I know of the list.  I've only read just over a third of them though, and some I know nothing about so my longlist is bound to change by February!

Angus, Sam. Captain

Avery, Tom. My Brother's Shadow

Baldacci, David. The Finisher

Barraclough, Lindsey. The Mark of Cain

Bedford, Martyn. Never Ending

Bergin, Virginia. The Rain

Black, Holly. The Coldest Girl In Coldtown

Blaxill, Gina. Saving Silence

Booth, Anne. Girl With A White Dog

Bowler, Tim. Night Runner

Boyne, John. Stay Where You Are And Then Leave

Breslin, Theresa. Ghost Soldier

Brooks, Kevin. The Ultimate Truth: Travis Delaney Investigates

Butler, Heather. Us Minus Mum

Buxton, Jamie. Temple Boys

Cain, Cate. The Jade Boy

Camden, Steve. Tape

Cantor, Jillian. Searching For Sky

Carroll. Emma. The Girl Who Walked On Air

Cassidy, Anne. Finding Jennifer Jones

Chan, Crystal. Bird

Christopher, Lucy. The Killing Woods

Conaghan, Brian. When Mr. Dog Bites

Cotterill, Jo. Looking At The Stars

Creech, Sharon. The Boy On The Porch

Crossan, Sarah. Apple and Rain

Crow, Matthew. In Bloom

Crowe, Sara. Bone Jack

David, Keren. Salvage

Dawson, James. Say Her Name

Day, Susie. Pea's Book of Holidays

Dickinson, Matt. The Everest Files

Doherty, Berlie. The Company of Ghosts

Don, Lari. Mind Blind

Doyle, Roddy. Brilliant

Earle, Phil. The Bubble Wrap Boy

Easton, T.S. Boys Don't Knit

Elson, Jane. A Room Full Of Chocolate

Furniss, Clare. The Year of the Rat

Gaiman, Neil. Fortunately, The Milk

Gardner, Sally. Tinder

Gavin, Jamila. Blackberry Blue: And Other Fairy Tales

Gemin, Giancarlo. Cowgirl

Gibbons, Alan. Hate

Gilman, David. Monkey and Me

Gleitzman, Morris. Loyal Creatures

Green, Sally. Half Bad

Haig, Matt. Echo Boy

Hall, Tim. Shadow of the Wolf

Hardinge, Frances. Cuckoo Song

Haughton, Emma. Now You See Me

Hearn, Julia. Dance Of The Dark Heart

Helsby, Genevieve. My First Orchestra Book

Howes, M.J. Feed

Ho-Yen, Polly. Boy In The Tower

Inglis, Lucy. City of Halves

Johnson, Catherine. Sawbones

Laird, Elizabeth. The Fastest Boy In The World

Landman, Tanya. Buffalo Soldier

Lewis, Gill. Scarlet Ibis

Lockhart, E. We Were Liars

Mason, Simon. Running Girl

Massey, David. Taken

McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Middle Of Nowhere

McGovern, Cammie. Amy and Matthew

McGowan, Anthony. Hello Darkness

McKenzie, Sophie. Every Second Counts

Mitton, Tony. Wayland

Moorhouse, Tom. The River Singers

Ness, Patrick. More Than This

Nicholls, Sally. Close Your Pretty Eyes

Pass, Emma. The Fearless

Pratt, Non. Trouble

Rai, Bali. Web of Darkness

Reeve, Phillip. Oliver and the Seawigs

Riddell, Chris. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

Rix, Megan. A Soldier's Friend

Robinson, Hilary. Where the Poppies Now Grow

Rosoff, Meg. Picture Me Gone

Sales, Leila. This Song Will Save Your Life

Sedgwick, Marcus. She Is Not Invisible

Sharpe, Tess. Far From You

Slater, Kim. Smart: A Mysterious Crime, A Different Detective

Smith, Alex. Devilskein and Dearlove

Smith, Andrew. Grasshopper Jungle

Stevens, Robin. Murder Most Unladylike: A Wells and Wong Mystery

Sutcliffe, William. Circus of Thieves and the Raffle of Doom

Suzuma, Tabitha. Hurt

Symon, Andrew. Jack Shian and the Mapa Mundi

Walter, Jon. Close To The Wind

Westcott, Rebecca. Dandelion Clocks

I will have definitely read more than half of them before the longlist is announced on February 10th, but at the moment my top 20 (that was how long the longlist was last time) are:

1. Bedford, Martyn. Never Ending
2. Bergin, Virginia. The Rain
3. Black, Holly. The Coldest Girl In Coldtown
4. Booth, Anne. Girl With A White Dog
5. Boyne, John. Stay Where You Are And Then Leave
6. Cassidy, Anne. Finding Jennifer Jones
7. Conaghan, Brian. When Mr. Dog Bites
8. Crossan, Sarah. Apple and Rain
9. Crowe, Sara. Bone Jack
10. Dawson, James. Say Her Name
11. Doyle, Roddy. Brilliant
12. Earle, Phil. The Bubble Wrap Boy
13. Easton, T.S. Boys Don't Knit
14. Gardner, Sally. Tinder
15. Hardinge, Frances. Cuckoo Song
16. Ness, Patrick. More Than This
17. Pratt, Non. Trouble
18. Rosoff, Meg. Picture Me Gone
19. Slater, Kim. Smart: A Mysterious Crime, A Different Detective
20. Smith, Andrew. Grasshopper Jungle

It was really difficult to get the list down as there are so many great books this year!

So many questions: can Tinder do the double - nominated for the Carnegie and the Greenaway?  Might we have a "middle grade" funny winner that no one will complain about? Will Patrick Ness win again? Take a look at all the details, including the fabulous Greenaway nominations, on the official CKG site.

CKG Shortlists announced!

Before I even got to school this morning the shortlists were announced:

CILIP Carnegie Medal 2014 shortlist:
Julie Berry ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME Templar (14+)
Kevin Brooks THE BUNKER DIARY Puffin (14+)
Rachel Campbell-Johnston THE CHILD'S ELEPHANT David Fickling Books (11+)
Susan Cooper GHOST HAWK Bodley Head (11+)
Anne Fine BLOOD FAMILY Double Day (14+)
Katherine Rundell ROOFTOPPERS Faber & Faber (11+)
Rebecca Stead LIAR & SPY Anderson Press (9+)
William Sutcliffe THE WALL Bloomsbury (11+)

CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2014 shortlist:
Rebecca Cobb (illustrator) Julia Donaldson (text) THE PAPER DOLLS Macmillan Children's Books (3+)
Olivia Gill (illustrator) Michael Morpurgo and Clare Morpurgo (text) WHERE MY WELLIES TAKE ME Templar (8+)
Oliver Jeffers (illustrator) Drew Daywalt (text) THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT HarperCollins Children's Books (5+)
Jon Klassen (illustrator) THIS IS NOT MY HAT Walker Books (5+)
Jon Klassen (illustrator) Lemony Snicket (text) THE DARK Orchard Books (5+)
Dave McKean (illustrator) David Almond (text) MOUSE, BIRD, SNAKE, WOLF Walker Books (9+)
Birgitta Sif OLIVER Walker Books (5+)

Some overlap with my lists but a few surprises!
 

CKG 2014 shortlist predictions

The official shortlists will be announced on Tuesday 18th March but earlier this week I, along with some other fantastic librarians and bloggers, made our predictions for the Carnegie shortlist on acaseforbooks.  I thought I'd just quickly put mine on here as well:

but also share my Greenaway predictions having had a chance to look through 17* of them today:

Open Very Carefully by Nicola O'Byrne (illustrator) and Nick Bromley (author) (Nosy Crow)
Weasels by Elys Dolan (Nosy Crow)
Puss Jekyll Cat Hyde by Jill Barton (illustrator) and Joyce Dunbar (author) (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
The Day the Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator) and Drew Daywalt (author) (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Mouse Bird Snake Wolf by David McKean (illustrator) and David Almond (author) (Walker Books)
Oliver by Birgitta Sif (Walker Books)
Jemmy Button by Jennifer Uman and Valerio Vidali (illustrators) and Alix Barzelay (author) (Templar)
Too Noisy! by Ed Vere (illustrator) and Malachy Doyle (author) (Walker Books)

This personal shortlist could very well be different to the 'real' one as I didn't think too much about the criteria, I just went for those I loved for their cleverness, cuteness (not allowed in the judging room) and originality!  My favourite is The Day the Crayons Quit.

*I wasn't able to get hold of:
The Dark by Jon Klassen (illustrator) and Lemony Snicket (author) (Orchard Books)
Where My Wellies Take Me by Olivia Lomenech Gill (illustrator) and Clare and Michael Morpurgo (authors)(Templar)
The Journey Home by Frann Preston-Gannon (Pavilion Children's Books)

CKG2014 update

The longlist will be announced in about 4 weeks, on Tuesday 4th February, so I thought it was about time I updated my personal list.  Because I've been alternating nominations with new books, and read literally nothing during the Christmas fortnight, I've not added to my 'read' total by many titles:
Almond, David, The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas (Walker Books)
Bowler, Tim, Sea of Whispers (Oxford University Press)
Bryce, Celia, Anthem for Jackson Dawes (Bloomsbury) 
De Quidt, Jeremy, The Feathered Man (David Fickling Books) 
Fisher, Catherine, The Obsidian Mirror (Hodder Children's Books) 
LaFleur, Suzanne, Listening for Lucca (Puffin Books) 
McGowan, Anthony, Brock (Barrington Stoke)
Prue, Sally, Song Hunter (Oxford University Press) 
Yangsze, Choo, The Ghost Bride (Hot Key Books)

I'm half way through Cooper, Susan, Ghost Hawk (Bodley Head Children's Books)

Again, I enjoyed them all but don't think any stood out as definite winners, but there are still 34 (and a half) that  I haven't read! 

Unofficially someone involved in managing the CKG this year made an educated guess that the longlist might be about 20 books, so here (in alphabetical order) are my personal top 20 so far:
Brooks, Kevin, The Bunker Diary (Puffin Books)
Cooper, Susan, Ghost Hawk (Bodley Head Children's Books)
Cousins, Dave, Waiting for Gonzo (Oxford University Press)
Creech, Sharon, The Great Unexpected (Andersen Press)
Cross, Gillian, After Tomorrow (Oxford University Press)
Diamand, Emil, Ways to See a Ghost (Templar)
Dowswell, Paul, Eleven Eleven (Bloomsbury)
Earle, Phil, Heroic (Puffin Books)
McGowan, Anthony, Brock (Barrington Stoke) 
Mussi, Sarah, Seige (Hodder Children's Books)
Pitcher, Annabelle, Ketchup Clouds (Indigo)
Shearer, Alex, The Cloud Hunters (Hot Key Books)
Stead, Rebecca, Liar and Spy (Andersen Press)
Stiefvater, Maggie, The Raven Boys (Scholastic)
Stroud, Jonathan, Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase (Doubleday Children's Books)
Sutcliffe, William, The Wall (Bloomsbury)
Torday, Piers, The Last Wild (Quercus)
Wein, Elizabeth, Rose Under Fire (Electric Monkey)
Wooding, Chris, Silver (Scholastic) 
Yangsze, Choo, The Ghost Bride (Hot Key Books)
There are a number of other books I've yet to read, of those 34 there are at least a dozen that I would choose to pick up, so it could still change dramatically!

 Have a look at my initial post about the Carnegie nominations to see the whole list...hopefully I do a bit better in these next 4 weeks.

Here we go again...the Carnegie nominations 2014

I can't believe it is this time already, but the nominations were announced today!  I've highlighted those that I've already read:

Almond, David, Mouse Bird Snake Wolf (Walker Books)
Almond, David, The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas (Walker Books)
Barber, Elke, Is Daddy Coming Back in a Minute?: Explaining Sudden Death to Pre-School Children in Words They Can Understand (Elke Barber)
Beasley, Andrew, The Claws of Evil (Usborne Books)
Berry, Julie, All the Truth That's in Me (Templar)
Black, Holly, Doll Bones (Doubleday Children's Books)
Blackman, Malorie, Noble Conflict (Doubleday Children's Books) 
Bowler, Tim, Sea of Whispers (Oxford University Press)
Bradford, Chris, Bodyguard: Hostage (Puffin Books)
Brooks, Kevin, The Bunker Diary (Puffin Books) 
Bryce, Celia, Anthem for Jackson Dawes (Bloomsbury)
Campbell-Johnston, Rachel, The Child's Elephant (David Fickling Books)
Carthew, Natasha, Winter Damage (Bloomsbury)
Colfer, Eoin, The Reluctant Assassin (Puffin Books) 
Cooper, Susan, Ghost Hawk (Bodley Head Children's Books)
Cossanteli, Veronica, The Extincts (Chicken House)
Cousins, Dave, Waiting for Gonzo (Oxford University Press)
Creech, Sharon, The Great Unexpected (Andersen Press)
Crocket, S. D., One Crow Alone (Macmillan Children's Books)
Cross, Gillian, After Tomorrow (Oxford University Press)
Crossan, Sarah, Breathe (Bloomsbury) 
De Quidt, Jeremy, The Feathered Man (David Fickling Books)
Dennis, H.L., The Knights of Neustria (Hodder Children's Books)
Diamand, Emil, Ways to See a Ghost (Templar)
Dickinson, Peter, In the Palace of the Khans (Peter Dickinson Books)
Dockrill, Laura, Darcy Burdock (Corgi Children's Books)
Dowswell, Paul, Eleven Eleven (Bloomsbury)
Drewery, Kerry, A Dream of Lights (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Earle, Phil, Heroic (Puffin Books) 
Fine, Anne, Blood Family (Doubleday Children's Books)
Fisher, Catherine, The Obsidian Mirror (Hodder Children's Books)
Flood, C. J., Infinite Sky (Simon & Schuster Children's Books)
Gibbons, Alan, Raining Fire (Indigo)
Harris, Carol, Adventures of the Chickalloon: A Bird's Eye View of Earth (Pentre Publications)
Jarratt, Laura, By Any Other Name (Electric Monkey) 
Jones, Gareth P., Constable and Toop (Hot Key Books)
Jones, Rob Lloyd, Wild Boy (Walker Books)
Kessler, Liz, North of Nowhere (Orion Children's Books)
Kuehn, Stephanie, Charm and Strange (Electric Monkey)
Kurti, Richard, Monkey Wars (Walker Books)
LaFleur, Suzanne, Listening for Lucca (Puffin Books)
Lake, Nick, Hostage Three (Bloomsbury)
LaBan, Elizabeth, The Tragedy Paper (Doubleday Children's Books)
Mayhew Julie, Red Ink (Hot Key Books)
McCaughrean, Geraldine, The Positively Last Performance (Oxford University Press)
McDowell, Nigel, Tall Tales from Pitch End (Hot Key Books)
McFall, Claire, Ferryman (Templar)
McGowan, Anthony, Brock (Barrington Stoke)
McKay, Hilary, Binny For Short (Hodder Children's Books)
McNeal, Tom, Far Far Away (Jonathan Cape)
Morris, Jackie, East of the Sun, West of the Moon (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
Mulligan, Andy, The Boy With Two Heads (David Fickling Books)
Murdoch, Emily, If You Find Me (Indigo)
Mussi, Sarah, Seige (Hodder Children's Books)
Pass, Emma, ACID (Corgi Children's Books)
Pitcher, Annabelle, Ketchup Clouds (Indigo)
Pratchett, Terry, Dodger (Doubleday Children's Books)
Prue, Sally, Song Hunter (Oxford University Press)
Robinson, Jon, Nowhere (Puffin Books)
Rundell, Katherine, Rooftoppers (Faber Children's Books)
Said, S. F., Phoenix (David Fickling Books)
Sepetys, Ruta, Out of the Easy (Puffin Books)
Shearer, Alex, The Cloud Hunters (Hot Key Books)
Smale, Holly, Geek Girl (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Stead, Rebecca, Liar and Spy (Andersen Press)
Stiefvater, Maggie, The Raven Boys (Scholastic)
Stroud, Jonathan, Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase (Doubleday Children's Books)
Sutcliffe, William, The Wall (Bloomsbury)
Syson, Lydia, A World Between Us (Hot Key Books)
Torday, Piers, The Last Wild (Quercus)
Watts, Helen, One Day in Oradour (A & C Black)
Wein, Elizabeth, Rose Under Fire (Electric Monkey)
Whyman, Matt, The Savages (Hot Key Books)
Wooding, Chris, Silver (Scholastic)
Yancey, Rick, The 5th Wave (Penguin Books)
Yangsze, Choo, The Ghost Bride (Hot Key Books)

So there are 76 books here, blimey!  I've already read 32 of them, not quite half, so that's my tbr pile out of the window :-)

I haven't read any that I really didn't like, but my top 8 (with the CKG criteria in mind) so far are:

Brooks, Kevin, The Bunker Diary (Puffin Books)

Cross, Gillian, After Tomorrow (Oxford University Press)

Diamand, Emil, Ways to See a Ghost (Templar)

Dowswell, Paul, Eleven Eleven (Bloomsbury)

Shearer, Alex, The Cloud Hunters (Hot Key Books)
Stead, Rebecca, Liar and Spy (Andersen Press)
Sutcliffe, William, The Wall (Bloomsbury)
Torday, Piers, The Last Wild (Quercus)

My favourite to win so far is:

addendum: confusingly, this year for the first time they've announced all the nominations but will make a longlist from them in February from which the shortlist will be chosen...why publish the nominations then?  Who knows...now I can't decide whether to bother reading them all or not

Image and Imagination at the YLG National Conference

Friday and Saturday of last week were the most intense days of my year!  Starting on Friday with a 4.30am alarm it was non-stop until 5.45pm on Saturday (apart from a small gap of about 7hours sleep).

Play by the Book has written a lovely blog post about all the fantastic authors, with some great pictures, so I just thought I'd write a little bit about the library-ish bits which were also fascinating, engaging and enthusing.

At the joint YLG/SLG/SLA conference in June last year I was a bit disappointed by the workshops that I went to, but I'm pleased to say this definitely wasn't the case this year.  I started with a session about ideas for shadowing the CKG awards, beyond reviewing on the shadowing site, during which I picked up some great ideas for planning really fun activities for reading groups that have (possibly a mildly tenuous) link to one of the books, an example from last year was making the kind of sandwiches the Bear in "A Boy and a Bear in a Boat" might have enjoyed.  My second was about graphic novels in the library.  There were no amazing revelations but the Peters book reviews, with notes of any potentially contentious content, were new to me so I look forward to checking them out.  Finally, I attended a session run by the lovely Emily Diamand (I only just realised it isn't 'Diamond'!) about running creative writing groups in libraries which left me really inspired to try something with pupils back at school.

The plenaries were all really interesting although I do sometimes feel that it is a case of "preaching to the converted" and that we really need to find a way to "get out of the echo chamber", but on the other hand it was these sessions that reminded me why I'm passionate about being a school librarian and getting pupils reading for pleasure, and we can use a lot of it as ammunition to defend our cause.  On Friday, Professor Teresa Cremin talked about the study she carried out on behalf of the Carnegie Trust into the CKG awards shadowing process, and gave us the executive summary, and the people behind the The Phoenix Comic gave an impassioned talk about the importance of comics in engaging and developing readers.  Saturday included Ian Dodds teaching us some visual literacy techniques (building on the fascinating history of the art of visual story telling that Professors Martin Salisbury and Morag Styles gave us on Friday) and the managing director of Barrington Stoke talking about reaching dyslexic and reluctant readers.

The more conferences I attend, and the more I veer towards the challenge of encouraging "reading for pleasure" in school, the more I enjoy the exhibition.  Reps from a variety of children's publishers are there, a number of whom I've now met on numerous occasions and who thrust books into my hands, eagerly telling me why I will love them.  A large suitcase is definitely required!

This year, as usual, I was on a book buying ban but was tempted too strongly by Marcus Sedgwick's new book "She is not Invisible" because of the fantastic detail of the number 354...

I spent the night with a friend who lives in Birmingham and then went to have a look at the new Library of Birmingham on Sunday.  It is amazing, a beautiful building and thousands of books, but for me it was an incredible disappointment because of the missed opportunity to engage teenagers.  Their books are right in the middle of the children's library, signposted simply as "fiction" with toddlers colouring at tables right next to them (I imagine it won't be long before a mother complains about her 5yr old picking up one of the "teen graphic novels").  Apparently there is a seating area for them near the music section, but there are no books there and nothing indicating that it is a teen space.

But, all in all a great weekend!

CILIP Carnegie and Greenaway Shortlists announced!

Some surprises for me!

CILIP Carnegie Medal 2013 - Nominees

Sarah Crossan, The Weight of Water Roddy Doyle, A Greyhound of a Girl Sally Gardner, Maggot Moon Nick Lake, In Darkness R.J. Palacio, Wonder Marcus Sedgwick, Midwinterblood Dave Shelton, A Boy and a Bear in a Boat Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity

I nominatd Boy and a Bear in a Boat so it is a nice surprise to see it up there, I thought it might be a little bit too simple.  For the same reason I'm surprised to see A Greyhound of a Girl: although I really enjoyed it it didn't seem quite enough.

The Weight of Water and Midwinterblood were both good reads but I there were other things on the list that I thought far more worthy.

The book I thought might win isn't even on the list!  I'm now torn between Maggot Moon and Code Name Verity.

But my short list was half right!  Which is your favourite?

My Personal #CKG2013 Short List!

Ah, the announcement you've all been waiting for, which of the nearly 70 books do I think are Carnegie worthy?  It was a difficult choice, there wasn't anything that I actually disliked, although only maybe 20 of them that I thought were great.  Have a look at my previous posts for brief reviews.

Without further ado, my shortlist of 8 (never know whether it will be 6 or 8 on the real one...) is:

VIII by H.M. Castor

 

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

 

After by Morris Gleitzman

 

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

 

In Darkness by Nick Lake

 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

 

Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley

 

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

 

Special mention for: Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess and Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers

 

I can't wait to find out if I match the judges choices although I have a feeling I might be completely out of line with them!  I try to look at the criteria but mainly go with gut instinct as to how 'good' a book is.  I'm not 100% certain of what will win.  Last year I knew it would be A Monster Calls because it was a league above everything else, this year nothing's jumping out at me (not to say they're not as good of course) but I have a feeling it may be...

 

 Keep your eyes peeled for the official shortlist announcement on Tuesday!

Carnegie Longlist - final update!

At last, I've finished!  See this post for my previous update.

The official shortlist is announced on Tuesday so I shall be sharing my personal shortlist at some point this weekend...but here are my feelings about the Carnegie books I've read since the end of January.  This year there hasn't been a single story that didn't have something going for it, although I think I might have been less critical this year than last year!  orange means it was alright, red means I love it:

Soldier Dog by Sam Angus - a great tale, I really felt for Stanley, but it reminded me too much of War Horse

The Traitors by Tom Becker - a rough diamond of an idea but not very well polished...
The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne - cute but irritating - if he'd just held on sometimes instead of relying on people grabbing him then it would make his life much easier!
Scramasax by Kevin Crossley-Holland - I really struggle to enjoy his stories, even though some very excitng things happen his style dulls it down for me.

Call Down Thunder by Daniel Finn - brilliant scene setting, I can see it as a film, but didn't grab me as much as Two Good Thieves
To Be A Cat by Matt Haig - a lovely Dahl-esque tale, with evil characters getting comeuppance, best friends and comedy moments!
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - well written fantasy, great idea but mostly predictable
The Girl in the Mask by Marie-Louise Jensen - exciting story but too contrived, the plot relied a lot on coincidence or luck.
Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy - I love the Skulduggery books, the humour is perfect, but I don't think it could end up on the short list.
At Yellow Lake by Jane McLoughlin - the three voices worked well but occasionally I forgot who was 'speaking' as they weren't quite different enough.
The Apothecary by Maile Meloy - exciting adventure but a little too far fetched in places
The Treasure House by Linda Newbery - I couldn't believe the premise of the disappeared Mum (the resolution was very unsatisfying) but it was nicely told.
Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver - I thought this was great, I was worried that it would just be Wolf Brother but with a dolphin but the story was engaging and there were some moments of real suspense.
Burn Mark by Laura Powell - great idea but nothing unexpected happened and the resolution came too easily
The Flask by Nicky Singer - didn't think I'd enjoy it at all but I was actually gripped by the story, really well told!A Waste of Good Paper by Sean Taylor - pretty good but I was disappointed by the 'happy ending' because up to a point it was a quite realistic story.  Life isn't like that!

This is likely to replace something I'd thought of for my shortlist:

After by Morris Gleitzman

So beautifully written. I thought it might be less emotional than Once and Then (I didn't really like Now much), because it was about fighting back in the Resistance, but it was heart wrenching.

 

 

Keep your eyes peeled for my shortlist.  What's on your's?

Carnegie Longlist Update

Just a brief note to update you on my progress on the CKG Carnegie longlist for 2013.  Since my last post I have read another bunch of generally good but not amazing books:

The True Tale of the Monster Billy Dean by David Almond - a review I read reckoned this is 'David Almond's first book for adults', although it is published on a children's list in order to be eligible for Carnegie.  It is an odd book, clever story but the style (as if it is written by someone illiterate) was too offputting for me

Naked by Kevin Brooks - didn't think it was for children at all - was an adult reminiscing about teen angst rather than a teenager going through it.

Sektion 20 by Paul Dowswell - a bit too matter of fact - I sometimes felt that the historical accuracy, although very interesting, rather overshadowed the story.

Buzzing! by Anneliese Emmans Dean - a collection of nice poems about insects but not special enough for Carnegie
Trouble in Toadpool by Anne Fine - just too ridiculous overall, although some parts were quite funny.
The Seeing by Diana Hendry - unsettling short story, perhaps a little too short though, I think she could have extended the suspense more.

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson - could have been written in the 1940s, the sexist attitudes certainly belong there, but a nice 'innocent' tale that is about as ridiculous as Trouble in Toadpool!

Black Arts: The Books of Pandemonium by Andrew Prentice and Jonathan Weil - quite exciting with some good plotting and suspense-building, but overly long.

Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid - some aspects were really well written but it was wholly predictable and tied up too neatly and happily at the end (sorry for the spoiler, but there is a happy ending!)
Pendragon Legacy: Sword of Light by Katherine Roberts - a bit of prior knowledge of the tales of Arthur really enhances this book, a good old fashioned adventure fantasy!

A Skull in Shadows Lane by Robert Swindells - another one that could have been written in the 1940s. I couldn't get over the name 'Jinty' and found it really dull.

These three could well have been in my initial shortlist if I'd read them earlier...

Spy For The Queen of Scots by Theresa Breslin - pretty exciting historical novel with fact and fiction well interwoven
The Broken Road by B.R. Collins - found it difficult to get into but the story and style was so honest and brutal in places, a very good book!
Unrest by Michelle Harrison - a clever story with an excellent twist, but not perfect - I thought some bits could have been bulked out while others could have been trimmed down.

but this one will actually kick something else off my personal shortlist...

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

took me a few pages to get into it but when I did, blimey, it is an amazing book!  Brilliant histiry, clever storytelling, totally believable characters and events.

Less than 2 months to go until the shortlist is announced and I have 17 left to read, I've been taking far too long to get through them, it is going to be a tight thing!

Carnegie Longlist, one month in.

The long list was announced on the 5th November, see my post for the whole list as well as which I had already read.  As I did last year, I'd like to read all of them before the shortlist is announced, so here's an update on my progress...I've not only been reading Carnegie books but I only mention those listed here (check my mini-reviews on Twitter or find me on Goodreads to see what else I've read).  They've all been good but not amazing:

The No.1 Car Spotter and the Firebird by Atinuke - really nice but not enough for Carnegie

Jasmine Skies by Sita Brahmachari - found the story dull but enjoyed the descriptions of India

Dead Time by Anne Cassidy - pretty good but tried to fit too much in

A Greyhound of a Girl by Roddy Doyle - lovely tale but not quite Carnegie worthy

The Things We Did For Love by Natasha Farrant - very moving story of life in occupied France, again just not quite literary enough
Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes - can see this being made into a film, a really good book that could well end up on the official short list...it just won't be on mine!
Hitler's Angel by William Osborne - too predictable but with some excellent moments
Goblins by Philip Reeve - very funny
The Sleeping Army by Francesca Simon - didn't grip me but isn't terrible

Except for one that that is so brilliant that it has to replace one of my initial personal shortlist:

VIII by H.M. Castor

I'm not sure it is a winner though, and I won't tell you which it replaced - you'll have to wait until March for my final list!

 

Is it just the ones I happen to have picked up so far, or are there are heck of a lot of war books on the list?  I really need to read something to cheer me up but have nothing with a happy blurb on my TBR pile!