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[CCBC-Net] Favourites
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From: Judith Ridge <judithr>
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 21:24:33 +1000
In Australia, as I'm sure Marita knows, "Of a Boy" has been published as Hartnett's first adult novel, although arguably, all her YA fiction to date is borderline adult fiction anyway. I'll confess to not having a great affection for her books, except for "Forest", which I suspect I liked because it is a lot warmer and ironically has a greater humanity than her previous books (it's about cats!). The true life crime case "Of a Boy" draws on is one of Australia's most resonant crimes of all time - the three young Beaumont children disappeared in the 60s and to this day news reports pick up the story. We will probably never know their fate...
I would also like to mention that Judith Clarke's "Wolf on the Fold" won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year: Older Readers award two (I think) years ago.
Best wishes for a new year full of favourites!
Judith Ridge Sydney, Australia
From: "Thomson" Reply-To: "Thomson" Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 21:50:19 +1100 To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu (Subscribers of ccbc-net) Subject: [CCBC-Net] Favourites
A recent favourite to look out for is WHAT THE BIRDS SEE, by Sonya Hartnett, due out in the US in Feb and UK in Jan. In Australia it is called OF A BOY. It is the story of a lonely 9 year old, living with his grandmother, having difficulties at school, and befriending new neighbours whose mother is dying. The baCkdrop is a recent dissappearance of 3 siblings, on their way to the shops near the boy's house. (This incident is based on a true story from the seventies - the children were never found).
I heard Hartnett talking about this book last weekend. She said she really tried hard to remember what it was like to be 9 - then had to correct herself: she didn't have to try hard as she vividly remembers being nine and lonely.
It's a shame so few Hartnett books are available outside Australia. I heard a bookseller introduce THURSDAY'S CHILD as "dark, but not as dark as her other books". I think her books are developing more light, along with the shade. FOREST (2001) is my favourite so far, a tale of domestic cats dumped in the forest and determined to regain their territory. In her hands, great stuff.
Marita Thomson athomson at acay.com.au
Received on Fri 20 Dec 2002 05:24:33 AM CST
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2002 21:24:33 +1000
In Australia, as I'm sure Marita knows, "Of a Boy" has been published as Hartnett's first adult novel, although arguably, all her YA fiction to date is borderline adult fiction anyway. I'll confess to not having a great affection for her books, except for "Forest", which I suspect I liked because it is a lot warmer and ironically has a greater humanity than her previous books (it's about cats!). The true life crime case "Of a Boy" draws on is one of Australia's most resonant crimes of all time - the three young Beaumont children disappeared in the 60s and to this day news reports pick up the story. We will probably never know their fate...
I would also like to mention that Judith Clarke's "Wolf on the Fold" won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year: Older Readers award two (I think) years ago.
Best wishes for a new year full of favourites!
Judith Ridge Sydney, Australia
From: "Thomson" Reply-To: "Thomson" Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 21:50:19 +1100 To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu (Subscribers of ccbc-net) Subject: [CCBC-Net] Favourites
A recent favourite to look out for is WHAT THE BIRDS SEE, by Sonya Hartnett, due out in the US in Feb and UK in Jan. In Australia it is called OF A BOY. It is the story of a lonely 9 year old, living with his grandmother, having difficulties at school, and befriending new neighbours whose mother is dying. The baCkdrop is a recent dissappearance of 3 siblings, on their way to the shops near the boy's house. (This incident is based on a true story from the seventies - the children were never found).
I heard Hartnett talking about this book last weekend. She said she really tried hard to remember what it was like to be 9 - then had to correct herself: she didn't have to try hard as she vividly remembers being nine and lonely.
It's a shame so few Hartnett books are available outside Australia. I heard a bookseller introduce THURSDAY'S CHILD as "dark, but not as dark as her other books". I think her books are developing more light, along with the shade. FOREST (2001) is my favourite so far, a tale of domestic cats dumped in the forest and determined to regain their territory. In her hands, great stuff.
Marita Thomson athomson at acay.com.au
Received on Fri 20 Dec 2002 05:24:33 AM CST
