The annual award, sponsored by the Western Australian Government, goes to a work of literary fiction written by an author primarily resident in the region, or to a book set in the region.

Winner of the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature is Judy Blundell for What I Saw and How I Lied.

But he is not one of the four authors shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Awards:

• Keith Gray - Ostrich Boys
• Saci Lloyd - The Carbon Diaries
• Michelle Magorian - Just Henry
• Jenny Valentine - Broken Soup

The winner will be announced on 6 January.

And here is the Sydney Morning Herald obituary for the multi-award winning writer.

The sixth Laureate’s term will run from 2009-2011, and children (and adults) around Britain are now being asked to submit their nominations. Young people can make a strong case for their choice in 100 words in order to win a place at the announcement ceremony on 9 June. Who might it be? Will the BGBGB pattern of previous Laureates continue?

And, just dreaming, if we were to have an Australian Laureate, what names might emerge?

With the intriguing title The Art of Corrupting Youth - Beethoven, Zusak and Ottley, the lecture from the CBCA Picture Book of the Year winner promises to be provocative and, as always with Matt, highly entertaining. The controversy of his win is still raw, so Matt will have plenty to say about ‘corruption’.

Beethoven? Well, Matt’s musical credentials are well established and will be part of the evening’s presentation, as will his artwork. Apparently Eroica was decribed as ‘musical anarchy’ when first performed. Zusak? That other CBCA winner (2003 Book of the Year), The Messenger, has been called ‘immoral’. So Requiem for a Beast is in good company. The evening is dedicated to the significance of quality and challenging youth literature.

The Leslie Rees Lecture series honours a Western Australian author who won the first CBCA Award in 1946 for The Story of Karrawingi the Emu.

2008 Fremantle Leslie Rees Lecture

Where: Fremantle Children’s Literature Centre, Old Prison Hospital, corner Knutsford Street and Hampton Road, Fremantle

When: Wednesday December 3. Drinks at 7pm; lecture 7.30pm

Cost: Free

RSVP (essential) by November 28. Telephone 08 9430 6869 or email: freoclc@iinet.net.au

We’re guessing that the jury who read SKIM saw it as an illustrated novel.  It’s not;  it’s a graphic novel.  In illustrated novels, the words carry the burden of telling the story, and the illustrations serve as a form of visual reinforcement. But in graphic novels, the words and pictures BOTH tell the story, and there are often sequences (sometimes whole graphic novels) where the images alone convey the narrative.  The text of a graphic novel cannot be separated from its illustrations because the words and the pictures together ARE the text.  Try to imagine evaluating SKIM if you couldn’t see the drawings.  Jillian’s contribution to the book goes beyond mere illustration:  she was as responsible for telling the story as Mariko was.

Tough call for Jillian, and a bittersweet success for Mariko should she win the Children’s Literature category when the awards are announced on Tuesday.

It is an eclectic selection with authors ranging from Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee who is now resident in Australia (some other Aussies make the list, too) to populist writer Ken Follett. Delighted to see a personal 2008 favourite, What was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn up there too. (Jane Smiley’s review should convince you to try it).

Pat Pledger is compiling a summer reading list for the OZTLNet listerv, based on titles enjoyed by members this year. We’ll alert you when it is ready.

He was the only Australian writer to be honoured with the Carnegie Medal, which he received for Josh in 1971.

His passing is the second loss in short space of time for Australian children’s literature as it follows the death of Eleanor Spence in early October.

GOLDEN INKY

Town, James Roy

SILVER INKY

Before I Die, Jenny Downham

CREATIVE READING PRIZE

Jessica Yu

Readers are invited to discuss the winners