In this issue:
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Welcome
Many schools and libraries are gearing up for Book Week, keeping Speaker's Ink staff hopping! Speaker bookings have been vigorous, so if you are planning a special event for Book Week, Science Week, Environment Day or any other occasion, please be sure to contact our office via a website enquiry, email or phone call (all contact details are on our website).
Many of our speakers have new books launching soon, check out the details below.
Voices on the Move
Chris Collin will be available in South East Queensland from August 8 to 13. Chris is happy to announce that digital versions (eBook and animation) of all 4 of his books are to be published in China this year!
Staff and students thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.
Students loved his enthusiasm and animation he conveyed through the use of puppetry.
Dalby State School - July 2018
Brian Falkner will be touring around the Casino area in Northern NSW the week commencing Monday, 3rd June and would love to come to inspire young readers and writers at your school or library. If you would like to consider a booking with Brian, please make contact with our office.
Brian is a master of his craft and is able to transfer that knowledge to the
young writers in an engaging and highly productive way.
Rainworth State School - June 2018
Of course, we have a number of inspiring speakers visiting to Brisbane and elsewhere over the coming months - check out all the up-to-date details on our Touring Speakers page.
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 The Spotlight is on Sheryl Gwyther
Sheryl Gwyther’s mango-gorging, tree-climbing, pirate ship-building and book-reading adventures as a child in far north Queensland inevitably led to her becoming an author.
Published work includes Sweet Adversity, an historical adventure novel set in the Great Depression. Secrets of Eromanga, a junior adventure novel set on an outback dinosaur fossil dig. While writing this story Sheryl worked on an outback Queensland fossil dig … helping to excavate Elliot, one of the biggest dinosaurs found in Australia. Pestering palaeontologists on site with questions ensured her novel rings with authenticity.
Sheryl's workshops and talks are based around her books, but can be adapted to your needs. All workshops follow the Australian National Curriculum’s three interrelated strands for English, Language, Literature and Literacy.
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Sheryl will be travelling up to Cairns for Book Week in August and is available for school or library visits on Monday 19 Aug, Wednesday 21 Aug and Thursday 22 Aug. Don't miss out, book soon.
She will also be travelling in the Hunter Valley for a mini book tour of the public libraries and schools. She is available between May 17 and 24.
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Our students enjoyed Sheryl's Author-in-Residence with us. She did a great job appealing to such a range of ages and I appreciate the preparation she put in ahead of time.
Her sessions also inspired the older grades who have not yet read Secrets of Eromanga to continue and use the text in their lessons. The students have even done some follow up research about the Elliot dinosaur.
- Cindy Grimes, Chinchilla State School
Thank you for helping us be better writers. Apart from that we enjoyed just spending time with you! I hope this card gives you some inspiration for another book!
- Kate, aged 10, Ashgrove State School 2015
New Books
Pippa by Dimity Powell
Pippa is a plucky little pigeon with big blue-sky ambitions: to fly solo and explore the world beyond her nest.
Her parents are less than thrilled with their risk-taking feathered fledging and smother her with well-meant yet suffocating warnings until one day she ignores them all, and takes the leap into the unknown…alone. Will she survive her newfound independence and still make it home in time for tea? Find out this July when Pippa officially takes flight.
Dimity Powell had a loft-full of homing pigeons when she was a kid. She often stayed with them well after dark, not to avoid her parents. She just liked watching them sleep. If she had wings, she’d fly, but she doesn’t so is a full-time children’s author, semi-professional chook wrangler and occasional adventurer, instead. Dimity will be launching Pippa in Melbourne, Sunday 11 August 2019 with Ford Street Publishing, Pippa’s illustrator, Andrew Plant and special guest, George Ivanoff, and is available for book signings and appearances from Thursday 8 – 10 August 2019.
The Brisbane book launch of Pippa takes place Saturday 3 August with special guest, Samantha Wheeler at Riverbend Books, Bulimba.
My Real Friend, by David Hunt, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo
Rupert isn't real, but he has a real friend, William. They both love sport, painting and music and have amazing adventures together in William's imagination. But why can't they have the adventures that Rupert wants? And what will happen if William no longer wants an imaginary friend?
A heartwarming story of friendship, identity and the power of imagination from bestselling author David Hunt and award-winning illustrator Lucia Masciullo.
100 Ways to Fly, by Michelle Taylor
A clever and entertaining collection of poems for younger readers. Release date is 6 August, University of Queensland Press
Congratulations
New Boy by Nick Earls
Nick's novel was the focus of an ABC Brisbane radio interview about migration. The interview starts at 2:12 at https://www.abc.net.au/radio/brisbane/programs/focus/mornings/11045380
Leave Taking by Lorraine Marwood was the joint winner with Dingo by Claire Saxby and Tannya Harricks, of the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature, a category within the NSW Premier's Literary Prize.
Maya and Cat by Caroline Magerl was shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature.
      
The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee by Deborah Abela; Everything I've Never Said by Samantha Wheeler, Alice Miranda in Scotland by Jacqueline Harvey; Mr Bambuckles Remarkables by Tim Harris and James Hart; 52 Mondays by Anna Ciddor ; A Song Only I Can Hear by Barry Jonsberg and The Girl from Snowy River by Jackie French have all been included in the shortlists of the Young Australians Best Books Awards (YABBA), voted by young people as their favourites. A ringing endorsement.
 Dates for your Diary
The Last Word
Planning holiday fun? Brian Falkner has some great suggestions:
‘Write Like an Author’ and ‘Draw Like an Illustrator’ are holiday camps for creative young people, at The Southport School and Forest Lake State High School during the July school holidays. ‘Write Like an Author’, run by award winning author Brian Falkner, is for young people who have a dream of becoming a published author or anyone who wants to improve their writing skills. ‘Draw Like an Illustrator’ offers the same opportunity to young artists under the guidance of award winning illustrator Lucia Masciullo. Go to www.writelikeanauthor.com and www.drawlikeanillustrator.com for more details.
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Yours in promoting literacy from all at the Speakers Ink team,
Sandie, Margie, Jan, Lia, Rob and James
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