David Maybury | Blog

I’ve dusted down the week old pages, unfolded the creases and bandaged up my paper cuts – it’s time for the Paper Review.

There was little in the way of children’s lit in the Irish press last week – the best I could find was the story of a traveling gnome, soon to be a book series. Unfortunately the Irish Times and the Irish Examiner both have the same story, word for word… My guess is the PA had a slow news day.

Earlier in the week Bill Echikson appeared in the Irish Times with an opinion piece on the Google Book Settlement while the Irish Independent was pimping the Books 09 lineup. (More about the festival later)

“The children’s events are really strong this year and I’m delighted to be included in the line-up. I’m particularly looking forward to hearing Roddy Doyle and John Connolly talking about their new children’s books. And Derek Landy never fails to make me laugh.” – Sarah Webb, about Books 09.

The UK media has had a week of name calling…

Anne Fine was misquoted in the Times UK and the Guardian. (Fine appears online here about it, in the comments) Nicolette Jones blogs it on BookBrunch and Alison Flood picks up the baton for the Guardian.

Elsewhere at the Edinburgh festival James Kelman was making waves – the Guardian and Sunday Herald both cover it.

In reviews – Philip Ardagh reviews Judy Blundell’s What I Saw and How I Lied in the Guardian. In the Times UK Amanda Craig looks at Meg Rossoff’s The Bride’s Farewell and Mary Hoffman’s Troubadour.

And Meg Rosoff appears again – this time in the Independent UK:

“I think the bravest thing to write about is nothing, just to write a book in which nothing happens,” she says. She is almost doubled up as she speaks, an intense knot. “Writers stuff books full of plot – escapes, twists, turns, explosions – because they are scared to deal just with emotional truths.” – Meg Rosoff

The Telegraph has a piece on an Owl Sanctuary opened to cater for unwanted ‘Hedwig’ pets. Xan Brooks reports that Dakota Fanning could be donning the ruby slippers to take on the remake of The Wizard of Oz.

And finally – Ian Rankin appears in the Independent UK and in the Guardian Anthony Browne celebrates Booktrust.

There’s plenty happening this weekend but in between the rest of life – I’ll be reading Bob Burke’s The Third Pig Detective Agency, R Gordon and B William’s Freefall and finishing off GP Jones’ The Thornwaith Inheritance…

Update: The Thornthwaite Inheritance is a great who-dunnit with more twists than spaghetti in an egg cup – and has been hitting the bestsellers lists in bookshops everywhere.

The Third Pig Detective Agency has a great look and the story is funny, well told – and with quips faster than the gingerbread man. (Get it at waterstones now for only .78p!)

I’m just tucking into Freefall this afternoon – I really enjoyed Tunnels and Deeper so I’m looking forward to reading what befalls (gettit?) Will next!

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Frank Cotrell Boyce will be our hitting screens at 8.30pm Monday (31 August) with a BBC adaptation of Framed. Book the telly time, set your digi-box or slap a blank disc in the recorder – whatever it is you have to do.

This is a certified and recommended must-be-watched.

UPDATE:

The show isn’t going out until Monday 31 August on BBC1 at 8.30pm, not Sunday as previously mentioned. (via achokablog>

Those young enough to be going back to school are donning uniforms, pulling on shoes and strapping up bags and it looks like a few publishers are pulling up their socks too. Specifically, Children’s Books Ireland, David Fickling Books and Barry Cunningham’s Chicken House are all mid-makeover.

DFB is first out – with a stylish and very easily navigated site. There’s plenty of new content – including chapters 1 – 5 of Mark Haddon’s new tome Boom! And if that wasn’t incentive enough – the nice marketing people at Random House are giving away 500 copies of Philip Pullman’s Once Upon a Time in the North.

CBI launched their cb info resource – a massive addition to the site with articles from reviewers, publishers, authors, agents, teachers, librarians, funding organisations and pretty much every other facet of Irish children’s books. Have a read of Robert Dunbar’s Reviewing of Children’s Books – ye won’t be sorry!

And if all that wasn’t enough to keep ye going, Chicken House are poised to follow suit – their new site goes live on 1 September…Keep your fingers on the refresh button folks!

A few winners have to be congratulated…

In the not so distant past (April) I mentioned the Write Up My Street Competition – in aid of Barnardos. The competition winner logged on to say hello – congratulations Aoife!! Londis are publishing a book of the winning entries and it will be on sale from September – keep ‘yer eyes peeled.

I won that competition! I love your site by the way. – Aoife (Write Up My Street Winner)

Elsewhere – the Mercier Press Illustrators Competition (also mentioned in the not so distant past) has a winner. This time it’s Sara Baker! (pictured) Sara gets to illustrate Patricia Lynch’s Illustrated Tales of Irish Enchantment – due out later next year. Congratulations Sara!!

Hopefully I’ve managed to whet the competitive appetite… so here are some new trials looking for entries:

You could try your hand at The Great Golden Sponge-Stick Comp ‘09 or over on the Achokablog Michael has a signed copy of Michelle Paver’s Ghost Hunter to give away. Go on – it could be you!

Irish writers, readers, publicists, booksellers, companies and other who-be-whats-its are joining twitter – and I’ve come across truck loads more in past two weeks considering the idea. (And then the questions start…  How does it work and why would anyone want to know what I had for breakfast?)

It isn’t about what you had for breakfast. Nobody really wants to know about soggy cornflakes with no sugar (no, sugar?! euch)

It is about communication, with a lot of people, sharing information, ideas, articles and anything else they come across. Have you found a book that you couldn’t put down? Or a press-release that you can’t wait to share? Send it out in 140 characters or less (just like a text message) to people who are interested.

For writers it is a gateway to people (especially anyone facing deadlines and can’t leave the keyboard). For booksellers it is a goldmine – have a look at how Chapters, Easons and Ravenbooks are using it. Publishers and marketing gurus are everywhere – offering advance copies, spreading the word on new titles and building excitement about upcoming authors.

Then there are the gazillions of readers who debate books, suggest titles, ask questions about writers/publishers/booksellers. And if you’re not there – you can’t answer those questions or tell that terrible joke you heard at lunch last week.

I can think of at least a dozen Irish YA and children’s writers who should be online – and I’d love the chance to ask ‘em questions.

Log on, say hello and get talking.

(Have a click here for a list of 100 interesting book tweople – just to get ye started or click below for some of the Irish contingent online)

(more…)

Fancy hearing Malorie Blackman reading Double Cross live in your living room??

Now you can – over at the Guardian Books Podcast. Have a listen…

Graphic Novels have gone mainstream. So says The Bookseller – and the retail figures don’t lie… It hasn’t escaped the attention of the meeja either. To name and shame just two: The Guardian featured two pieces on the genre last week while the Times UK has John Higgins and Charlie Adlard splashed across their books pages online.

So I thought I’d treat ye to a few quick links of interest… at least I thought so.

Tor.com has launched a new comic series by Kurt Huggins and Zelda Devon – the powerhouse that brought you The Dreaded Question.

The Book Smugglers have an incredible review of Shannon, Dean and Nathan Hale’s Rapunzel’s Revenge:

This is a book I will give to my ten year old sister to read because of its imagination, it’s beautiful illustrations, writing, and above all because of its model, empowering heroine. Absolutely recommended… ….I had a LOT of fun reading this, for all the right reasons: writing, illustrations, plot and characters. MORE, please.

Elsewhere – John Maberry has an interview on Marvel.com about his upcoming series featuring a zombie Wolverine.

And if you haven’t picked them up yet – the new Walker Books Graphic Novels and manga titles are great! Go now!

I’m back with plenty of embarrassing stories to tell -  but for now… jumping right into the deep end.

From home first – irishtimes.com notes the 80th anniversary of Tin-Tin and the Irish Independent dedicates a note to teachers past, the Mr Chips of the world: ”that teacher who leaves a mark on his or her school lives.’

In the Sunday Tribune Jane Birkin lets slip that Graham Greene’s The Heart of the Matter changed her life. (She has been reading and rereading it since she was 12.)

The bastion of honest and dependable journalism, The Mail on Sunday, has a column on John Boyne and the ‘hatemail’ he has received surrounding inaccuracies in the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas…

The Guardian has John Mullan talking Roddy Doyle and Patrick Ness reads Tim Etchills’ Broken World.

Lucy Mangan continues to build her classic book collection – this time with Dorothy Edwards’ My Naughty Little Sister.

Roger Sabin looks at the current batch of graphic novels – and reckons that the genre has gone mainstream. (Also worth a look – Malorie Blackman’s top 10 graphic novels for teenagers).

Meg Rosoff reveals her hidden fantasy to stop writing books and become a stable girl… (on the topic of Ms Rosoff, is anyone else looking forward to her new title on 3 September??)

While in the Independent UK Anthony Browne reveals he wanted to be a cartoonist, a journalist, and a boxer, like dad.

And finally – in the Times UK – Amanda Craig review Michelle Paver’s Ghost Hunter.

To have maintained a consistent quality of writing, storytelling and suspense over six books without missing a beat is extraordinary, though children will want only to race to the end. Those who have followed Torak and Renn’s relationship out of childhood and through puberty will hope, and dread, the development of more romantic feelings between them. It would be unfair to reveal anything more; it’s worth reading to find out for yourself.

We’re back in Dublin! The last few months have been incredible, many thanks to everyone we met who made it so great. Now that I’m strutting on Irish soil again all that’s left is to settle back in, catch up on some sleep – and a small matter of some copy edits due in a few weeks.

Regular news updates and what-nots will resume some time soon but until then these might keep you busy…

All round superstar and Moorehawke author Celine Kiernan is running a competition to win advanced signed copies of The Crowded Shadows. The closing date is looming so get yer entries in quick!

Long time YA writer (and superstar, it goes without saying) Claire Hennessy has started on a new venture – Claire’s joined the Big Smoke Writing Factory. A full list of courses, events and other who-be-whats-its are on the site.

And finally… because I can’t keep my nose offline – in the Guardian – David Barnett debates book covers (on the back of this I think) while Malorie Blackman chooses her top 10 Graphic Novels.