SA Mid Year Dinner

In a packed-to-capacity function room at the British Hotel at the end of May, SCBWI SA members met for our mid-year dinner. We were also fortunate our dinner date conicided with Kathryn Apel's (aka Kat) Adelaide visit as a May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust fellow. 

Kat may have felt out of place in our little big city but quickly found her comfort zone while sharing her love of all things poetry. And as she spoke, the entire crowd fell silent and remained in awe of Kat's ability to write in verse and her calm composure throughout a number of microphone malfunctions.

Kat talked about her personal experiencces and the inspiration behind Bully on the Bus and how she brought her latest verse novel to life after a conversation with a mother whose daughter had possibly too many friends.

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She impressed with examples of shape poems and how to lose yourself while composing zentangles.

You can find out more about Kat and her writing on her website or here on twitter with her one wonky whisker.

Thanks again for joining us Kat. 

Kelly Hibbert

Angie's Reviews - Missing

Missing
By Sue Whiting
$17.99, paperback, Walker Books

Missing persons is a difficult subject matter in more ways than one. Not only is it heavy and heart-
breaking, but from a narrative point of view, it can be difficult to stop the story from getting bogged down and for the plot to stall. There are no such issues however in this early-YA novel by Sue Whiting, in which the mother of seventh grader Mackenzie da Luca fails to return from a working trip to Panama. Chapters alternate between a Sydney setting, from around the time Mackenzie’s mum goes missing, to present time when Mackenzie and her father fly to search in Panama. The sense of possibility in the Panama chapters provides balance for the more passive Sydney chapters and the hopelessness felt as Mackenzie tries to continue on with school and life in general, all the while internally speculating about what’s happened to her mother. There’s interaction between the sections too, with one providing insight into where Mackenzie and her father end up, emotionally and in their thinking. The picture Whiting paints of Panama is convincing, too (although note, I like her, have never been there!). A compelling read.
 

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Angie Schiavone has a Master of Arts in Children's Literature and is the former children's book reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald. She has been a judge for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, a restaurant reviewer and editor for the Good Food Guide, and a cookbook editor. She's also a mum to two book and food-loving kids.   

If you are a SCBWI member and have a new book coming out soon make sure you CLICK HERE to submit your book to Angie’s Reviews.

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Another picture book for Sophie Masson

Congrats to the amazing Sophie Masson on the publication of

See Monkey

Illustrated by Kathy Creamer

Published by Little Pink Dog Books, in hardback

For ages 3 - 7.

From morning till night, Monkey loves to have fun. And even if his antics go wrong, he's always endearing! A warm, funny story about the busy day of a toddler and his favourite toy.

Clearly a barrel of laughs - congrats once again Sophie!