This year’s SCBWI Sydney Conference Roving Reporter team are part of a collection of exceedingly gifted and talented volunteers. You have already met one of them, Maria Gill. Now, read all about her latest accolade, taking out the prestigious Margaret Mahy Book of the Year prize in the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Hearty congratulations, Maria, Arww! You do us proud.
Maria Gill photo attributed to the NZ Herald
Here’s what the NZ Herald had to say about the win:
'A non-fiction book commemorating Anzac heroes from both world wars has taken out the top prize at today's New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Maria Gill's Anzac Heroes was crowned Margaret Mahy Book of the Year at a ceremony at Wellington's Circa Theatre tonight.
It also won the Elsie Locke award for the best non-fiction book. Together the prizes are worth $15,000.
The competition's judges described the book as "simply stunning, with gold-standard production values".
Teacher-librarian Fiona Mackie, who convened the judging panel, said it "was impossible to put down".
Featuring life-like illustration by Marco Ivancic, maps, fact boxes and a medal room, Anzac Heroes "brings to life the people who risked everything, left everything and lost everything" including nurses, pilots, soldiers and spies.
The annual awards celebrate Kiwi authors' and illustrators' contributions to building national identity and cultural heritage, and are run in conjunction with the Hell Pizza Children's Choice Awards.
Hell Pizza's general manager Ben Cumming said the Kiwi-owned company was "really encouraged" by kids' responses to this year's awards.'
Read full article here: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11689629
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