UK Literacy Association Children’s Book Awards Winners 2011

12-16 Award: Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace, published by Andersen Press

A powerful, devastating read for older teens: “It captures the moment perfectly, the characterisation is brilliant”. One judge’s comment summed up many opinions: “Whoever reads it will be transformed in some way. One inevitably knows more about the world and about yourself as a result of reading it.”

3-11 Award: Birdsong by Ellie Sandall, published by Egmont

The panel felt it is a book young readers will return to again and again.  They particularly loved the tongue twisting bird noises and the way the picture book strikes a perfect balance between words and pictures.

The Borrowers: Bath preview of new Japanese animated children's movie

There will be a special children's preview of the new Japanese animation adventure, ARRIETTY at the Little Cinema in Bath on Saturday afternoon, 23 July - the first day of its UK release. 

Little Cinema, Bath

Set in present-day suburban Tokyo, the blurb says: "The scurry of tiny footsteps echoes underneath the floorboards of a sprawling mansion.  Fourteen-year-old Arrietty has lived in the recesses of this grand manor all her life, totally unbeknown to the two old ladies who occupy it.  Arrietty and her diminutive family survive by 'borrowing' everyday items from their inadvertent landlords.  When 12-year-old Sho moves into the mansion while awaiting medical treatment at a clinic in the city, Arrietty starts to see humans in a different light.  Disregarding her parents' advice, she announces herself to Sho and a friendship sparks into life."

Described as "a magical riff on British writer Mary Norton's cherished novel The Borrowers" this could be worth finding a child to take to!

July 2011: Eve Garnett's "The Family from One End Street" and our next book

We had our second meeting yesterday morning: it was lively and interesting - and we also welcomed a new member!  There was much enthusiasm about our June book, The Family from One End Street (1937) by Eve Garnett, and much to discuss and to learn about its social origins, philanthropic intent, plot lines, characters and style versus other books of the time. Some childhood memories were sparked, and we learned more about the author and her work. 

If anyone wants to take a look at the mural in the Children's House at Bow which was painted by Eve Garnett, here are the weblinks:

The Children's House, Bow, London

Mural by Eve Garnett in The Children's House at Bow

Our 11-year old "shadow" reader sent in her own One End Street book review which she has said can be published here.

“Well, I enjoyed it and I liked the pictures in it.  I liked how they put underneath what the pictures were, so on page 147 it says, “crammed full of old tins and bits of paper”, which is a line in the book and it makes you understand which bit of the story the picture refers to.

"My favourite chapter was The Adventure of the Parked Car.  It was nice because the title just says 'The Adventure of the Parked Car' and so you just think 'oh, it's a parked car' but then people get in it and they drive away and as soon as they drive away it makes you feel like something exciting is going to happen.  I also liked it because it had a wide range of characters like the 'stuck up boy' at the birthday party, 'playful Joe' and 'the kind parents'.

"It was a little bit strange reading such an old fashioned book at the beginning but once you kind of got used to it, it felt like that was the normal way to write books, so it didn't feel strange anymore.

"My favourite character was John because he was always getting into some kind of mischief and he loves cars, and in the parked car one it was funny when he got into it.  And I also liked Kate, I liked how she was so different from most girls and that she was very, very adventurous and a complete contrast to her sister, Lily Rose."

Our book for our August meeting is Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, published in 2000 - the first in his very popular series about the boy spy, Alex Rider.  This was also made into a movie in 2006 - but it's definitely one case where the book is better than the film!