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indicates Australian authors/illustrators
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indicates readership
levels for author's fiction works:
- EC Early Childhood = Kindergarten -
Yr 3
- MC Middle Childhood = Yrs 3 - 7
- EA Early Adolescence = Yrs 7 - 10
- YA Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood
= Yrs 10 - 12
- ADULT
NOTE: No levels are assigned to illustrators.
Illustrations can be appreciated at all levels. |
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American author Louis Sachar
is the author of the multi-award winning Holes
which has also become a popular film.
Sachar was born in East Meadow, New York, moved
to California when he was nine and now lives in
Texas. As a child he did not consider writing as
a career and only developed a love of reading in
high school. He graduated from Law School but after
writing Sideways Stories from Wayside School as
a hobby he decided to become a full-time author.
Most of his books are aimed at middle childhood
readers but Holes can be enjoyed by readers
from middle childhood to adults.
To find out more about this fascinating author,
read the interview in
the CBC (US) Magazine.
 Teaching
and Learning activities for
Holes
(A selection)
- Sideway Stories from
Wayside School, 1978
IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award Booklist
- Sideways
Arithmetic from Wayside School,
1992
- Wayside School
Gets a Little Stranger, 1995
Young Readers Choice Award
- There's a Boy
in the Girls' Bathroom, 1987
Winner of 17 Children's Choice Awards
- The Boy Who
Lost His Face, 1997
- Holes,
1999
Newbery Medal 1999, National Book
Award
The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award,
A New York Times Outstanding
Book
School Library Journal Best
Book of the Year
- Dogs
Don't Tell Jokes, 2002
- Stanley
Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green
Lake, 2003
- Marvin
Redpost series,
2004
- Small
Steps, 2006
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Since his first book The Monster
that ate Canberra, Michael Salmon has been
entertaining children with his
stories and pictures.
A number of his titles have been shortlisted for
various Children's Choice awards and The Monster
who ate Australia won the 1990 YABBA Award in
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Irini Savvides, a new author
for adolescents won critical acclaim for her debut
novel, Willow Tree and Olive,
published in 2001, which Irini wrote as part of
her Master's degree. Irini was born in Sydney and
now lives in the Blue Mountains, NSW. She teaches
English and drama and writes in the evenings when
time allows.
As revealed in the Catholic Weekly
article, Writing
Where Grown-ups Fear to Tread,
Irini does not envisage giving up teaching to write
full-time. She wishes to keep in touch with teenagers
to maintain an authentic voice in her writing and
she values their honest feedback.
The Lateral Learning Speakers' Agency
site above contains brief information about Irini.
This article in The Catholic
Weekly, 9 September, 2001, provides an interesting
insight into Irini and the writing of her first
novel, Willow Tree and Olive.
Discussion questions and activities
for Sky Legs, located
in the Books & Authors pages
of The Courier Mail newspaper site.
Teacher's Notes, developed by
Robyn Ewing for Willow Tree and Olive
can be downloaded from the Hodder Headline
Australia site. |
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Lisa Shanahan is an up-and-coming
author for young children. Her first novel Sweetie
May was a CBCA Notable Book and Bear
and Chook, a picture book illustrated
by Emma Quay, is shortlisted for the CBCA Early
Childhood Book of the Year 2003.
Lisa trained as an actor but decided to become an
author after completing Libby Gleeson's writing
course.
The Lateral Learning Speakers' Agency
site below has brief information about Lisa.
- Sweetie May,
1998
Notable Book: CBCA Book of the Year: Younger
Readers, 1999
- Sweetie May Overboard!,
2001 Illustrated by Kerry
Millard
- My Big Birkett,
2006
CBCA Book of the Year: Older
Readers, 2007 Shortlist
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- What Rot!.
Illustrated by Eric Lobbecke, 1999
Notable book, CBCA Picture Book of the
Year, 2000
- Gordon's Got a
Snookie. Illustrated by Wayne
Harris, 2002
- Bear
and Chook.
Illustrated by Emma Quay, 2002
Shortlisted, CBCA Book of the Year: Early
Childhood, 2003
- My
Mum Tarzan. Illustrated
by Bettina Guthridge, 2003
- Daddy's
Having a Horse.
Illustrated by Emma Quay, 2005
CBCA Early Childhood
Book of the Year, 2006 Shortlist.
- The
Postman's Dog.
Illustrated and designed by Wayne Harris,
2005. 2006 Notable Picture
Book.
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Recipient of the Order of Australia, winner of numerous
Australian and international book awards and published
in more than 20 languages, Ivan Southall is one
of Australia's most renowned writers of fiction
and non-fiction for teenagers and adults.
Ivan was born in Melbourne in 1921 and became interested
in writing as a child. By the age of 20 he had completed
four books, three of which were published after
the war. During WWII Ivan was a pilot in the RAAF.
He lived in London after the war but returned to
Australia in 1947. His first children's book, Meet
Simon Black was published in 1950.
 A
retrospective exhibition Southall A-Z: Ash Road
to Ziggurat was held in the State Library of
Victoria in 1998 and is available online. It contains
a wealth of information including an interview conducted
in 1997 available in text, audio or video (in RealMedia
format); a tribute, biography, bibliography and
exhibition of covers with information about the
books.
(A selection)
- Meet Simon Black,
1950
- Hill's End, 1962
- Ash Road, 1965
Winner, CBCA Book of the Year, 1966
New York Times USA Book Week Best
Books, 1996
German Children's Book Prize 1968
- To the Wild Sky,
1967
Winner, CBCA Book of the Year, 1968
- Let the Balloon Go,
1968
Commended, CBCA Book of the Year, 1969
IBBY Honour Diploma
Library of Congress Book of the Year
- Bread and Honey,
1970
Carnegie Medal nomination
- Josh, 1971
Winner Carnegie Medal 1971
IBBY Honour Diploma
Library of Congress Book of the Year
- Matt and Jo, 1973
- What About Tomorrow,
1977
- The Long Night Watch
Carnegie Medal nomination, 1986
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- Sly Old Wardrobe,
illustrated by Ted Greenwood
Winner, CBCA Picture Book of the Year,
1969
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Ivan Southall wins the
2003 Dromkeen Medal (4 Feb 2004)
Brief biography, last updated
in 1999
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Additional References
- Collins, Paul. Meet
Australia's Authors and Illustrators.
Macmillan Education Australia, 2002. Vol
6. p. 29-30 (Book People)
ISBN 0 7329 6754 6
- McVitty, Walter, Authors
& Illustrators of Australian Children's
Books Hodder & Stoughton,
1989, p. 207-210
- Watson, Victor. Children's
Books in English. Cambridge University
Press, 2001. p. 664.
ISBN 0 521 55064 5
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Anne Spudvilas has been passionate
about drawing since childhood and now is a renowned
illustrator of picture books and covers for young
adult books. Anne launched into illustrating children's
books when asked to design a cover for Isobelle
Carmody's novel, The Gathering. Since this
beginning, she has produced over thirty covers as
well as a number of award-winning picture books
and illustrated novels.
Anne grew up in Camperdown, Victoria and currently
lives in Geelong with her family, which includes
two cats. She has worked for a newspaper and an
advertising agency and began illustrating children's
books in the early 1990s.
The BookedOut Arts and Literature Agency
site, above, contains a brief profile of Anne.
The following text is also a useful reference:
- The Dromkeen Book
of Australian Children's Illustrators.
Sydney: Scholastic, 1997. p 138.
ISBN 1 86388 695 8
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- The Race, written
by Christobel Mattingley, 1995
Honour Book, CBCA Picture Book of the
Year, 1996
- Big Cat Dreaming,
written by Margaret Wild, 1996
Notable Book, CBCA Picture Book of the
Year, 1997
- Bright Star,
written by Gary Crew
Notable Book, CBCA Picture Book of the
Year, 1997
- Jenny Angel,
written by Margaret Wild, 1999
Winner, CBCA Picture Book of the Year,
2000
- In My Backyard,
written by Nette Hilton, 2001
Shortlisted, CBCA Picture Book of the
Year, 2002
- Woolvs
in the Sitee, written
by Margaret Wild, 2006. Honour Book
CBCA Picture Book of the Year, 2007
- The
Peasant Prince, written by Li Cunxin,
2007
Shortlisted, CBCA Picture Book of the
Year, 2008
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- The Secret, written
by Sophie Masson, 1996
Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger
Readers, 1997
- The
Girl who Fell into a Book,
written by Julia Lawrinson, 2006
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Paul Stafford is the author
of thirteen books of teenage fiction and is a literacy
consultant working in schools throughout Australia.
His latest series is Horror
High, four titles of comedy horror. He specialises
in enthusing and enabling reluctant boys in writing
and reading, and contributed a chapter on boys
and writing to the PETA publication Writing
(Better) Stories.
See also Paul's Writing Labs site:
- Basically bollocks (Pants on
fire series) ,
1998
- Blatantly bogus (Pants on fire),
1998
- Fully faked (Pants
on fire),1998
- Ludicrous lies(Pants
on fire),1998
- Ned Kelly's Helmet, 1998
- Chronic crapola (Pants
on fire),1999
- Heinous
humbuggery (Pants
on fire),1999
- Hoopy hoaxes (Pants
on fire),1999
- Totally
toasted (Pants on fire),1999
- 101 Damnations (Horror
High series) , 2005
- Interghouls
Cricket Cup (Horror High ),
2005
- The
feral peril (Horror High ), 2006
- The
great brain robbery (Horror High ), 2006
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Ruth Starke's website is
bright and appealing to young readers. It contains
an interesting article about writing NIPS X1,
which was first published in Viewpoint; brief
biographical information, a list of her books and
other writing, answers to frequently asked questions,
photographs, reviews and a guestbook in which readers
can make comments about Ruth or her books.
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- The Great Violin Fiddle,
1995
- The Psychic Dog,
1995
- Stalker,
1995 (Age 14+)
- The Twist in
the Tail, illustrated by Tom
Jellett (After Dark series)
Winner, 1997 Aurealis Award for
Science Fiction
- NIPS X1,
2000
Shortlisted, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger
Readers, 2000
- NIPS Go National,
2003
- Orphans
of the Queen, 2004
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Michael Stephens is a highly
acclaimed writer of books for both adults and children.
He lives in Sydney and has two sons. Brief biographical
information is available on the HarperCollins
and Lateral Learning websites above.
- Titans!
Shortlisted, CBCA Book of the Year 1993:
Younger Readers
- A Flock of Blats
- Blat Magic
Winner, Queensland
Premier's Award: Best Children's Book
2002
Shortlisted, Aurealis Awards 2001
Notable Book, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger
Readers, 2002
- Moxiana
- Mudlark
Shortlisted, CBCA Book of the Year: Younger
Readers, 2003
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