Storyteller Mara Menzies joined Craigroyston Primary P2 children for a storytelling session in North Edinburgh Arts’ beautiful community gardens yesterday. Continue reading Mara and Craigroyston kids share stories in the garden
Tag: Scottish Book Trust
Share your Secrets and Confessions!
Scottish Book Trust launches new writing campaign
Are you ready to ‘fess up? Scottish Book Trust is looking for your secrets and confessions in a brand new writing campaign! Continue reading Share your Secrets and Confessions!
City-based author wins Scottish Children’s Book Award
The Piper tops Scottish Book Awards poll
Danny Weston, the Edinburgh-based author of four novels, was today (2 March) announced as the winner of the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category of the Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2016, which celebrate the most popular children’s and young adult books by Scottish authors or illustrators.
Scotland’s largest book prize for children’s authors and illustrators, with each winning book receiving £3,000, the Scottish Children’s Book Awards are voted for exclusively by children and are run by Scottish Book Trust and supported by Creative Scotland through Regular Funding.
Nearly 30,000 votes were cast in this year’s awards, which are judged in three age categories – Bookbug Readers (3-7), Younger Readers (8-11) and Older Readers (12-16). Children across Scotland were encouraged to read the three shortlisted books in their age category and to vote for their favourite.
Danny (above), who lives in Tollcross, won the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for his book The Piper. Published by Andersen Press, the book follows Peter and his little sister, Daisy, who are evacuated from London to the countryside and find themselves on an isolated farm in the middle of a treacherous marshland. As Daisy gets drawn deeper into the secrets of their new home, Peter starts to realise that something very sinister is going on. What is that music they can hear at night? And who are the children dancing to it?
Danny has published three novels (under the name Philip Caveney) with Edinburgh-based publisher Fledgling Press. These are time travel adventures, all set in Edinburgh at different points in its history. The first book Crow Boy is set in Mary Kings Close, Seventeen Coffins is all about the tiny coffins found on Arthur’s Seat in 1836 and the most recent book, One For Sorrow, is all about Robert Louis Stevenson.
Commenting on his win, Danny said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won this award, especially because it has been voted for, not by critics and industry insiders, but by the people who matter most; the young readers for whom the story was actually written. Thanks to everyone who voted for ‘The Piper’. You have rocked my world!”
Jasmine Fassl, Head of Schools at Scottish Book Trust, said: “It’s a well-worn statistic that a love of books is more important for children’s educational success than their family’s socio-economic status. Initiatives like the Scottish Children’s Book Awards are intended to instill a love of books in children right from the very start, by making the process of reading fun, interactive and collaborative. But it’s the teachers, librarians, parents, and of course the authors and illustrators, who bring this project to life for the pupils – who download the resources, who put on the silly voices, who cuddle and tickle and leap about. Today we’re celebrating all the people who bring the magic of books to children and set them on a path to being booklovers for life.”
Aly Barr, Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing at Creative Scotland, said: “Once again the Children’s Book Awards confirm Walt Disney’s maxim that “there is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island”. If you’re only buying one book for your child this year, buy all three!”
Simon Puttock was announced as the winner of the Bookbug (3-7 yrs) category for his picture book Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School, (illustrated by Ali Pye) and Ross MacKenzie won the Younger Readers (8-11 yrs) category for his book The Nowhere Emporium.
Edinburgh teenagers chosen for national writing project
Two Edinburgh teenagers have been selected by Scottish Book Trust to work on a project aimed at increasing opportunities for young people to access and contribute to literary culture across Scotland. Continue reading Edinburgh teenagers chosen for national writing project
Edinburghers win national writing competition
Special journeys to feature in Book Week Scotland special edition
Three Edinburgh residents who wrote a short story about a special journey for a national writing competition have had their submissions chosen to be published in a book. Continue reading Edinburghers win national writing competition
City authors dominate Children’s Book Awards shortlist
Edinburgh-based authors have dominated the shortlist for the 2016 Scottish Children’s Book Awards, with four out of the nine shortlisted authors hailing from the city.
Emily MacKenzie, Elizabeth Laird, Danny Weston and Joan Lingard are all up for the prestigious awards, which celebrate the most popular children’s and young adult books by Scottish authors or illustrators.
Run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland, they are Scotland’s largest book awards with a total prize fund of £12,000 – the nine shortlisted authors and illustrators receive £500 per book, and the three winning books receive £3,000 each.
Emily MacKenzie, who lives in the New Town and studied Graphic Design at Edinburgh College of Art, has been shortlisted in the Bookbug Readers (3-7 yrs) category for her debut picture book Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar, published by Bloomsbury.
She was recently shortlisted for The Independent Bookshop Week Children’s Picture Book Award and her second book, Stanley The Amazing Knitting Cat will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2016.
Commenting on her nomination, Emily said: “I was absolutely over the moon when I found out that Ralfy had been shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards!
“The book has had such a warm response from teachers, librarians and the children I’ve read it to so far which has been really lovely, but the idea that a further 64,000 P1 children starting school in Scotland this year will receive a copy of it to enjoy and hopefully help them on to a path of loving reading and books as much as I do, blows my mind. It’s a dream come true and Ralfy and I want to say a big thank you to Scottish Book Trust for all their support!”
A free copy of Emily’s book will be gifted to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland, in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag, along with copies of the two other shortlisted books in the Bookbug category.
This bag was produced by Scottish Book Trust in conjunction with Education Scotland and the Scottish Government as part of Read, Write, Count – a new literacy and numeracy campaign aimed at children in Primary 1 to 3.
Elizabeth Laird, based in the Old Town, has been shortlisted in the Younger Readers (8-11 yrs) category for her book The Fastest Boy in the World, published by Macmillan.
Elizabeth, who has previously appeared on the 2008 and 2010 Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlists, is an award-winning author of children’s fiction and travel. She has written over 30 books for children and has been shortlisted five times for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, including for The Fastest Boy in the World this year. She has been nominated by UK IBBY for the international Hans Christian Anderson Award, and her new novel, Dindy and the Elephant, was published in June. Elizabeth now lives with her husband, splitting their time between London and Edinburgh.
Elizabeth said: “It’s a thrill and an honour to be shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Award. ‘The Fastest Boy in the World’ is an Ethiopian lad called Solomon, who dreams of joining the ranks of the great African running champions. Now, thanks to this lovely award, he’ll be running all the way round Scotland. Go Solomon!”
Danny Weston, who lives in Tollcross, has been shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for his book The Piper, published by Andersen.
He has published three novels (under the name Philip Caveney) with Edinburgh-based publisher Fledgling Press. These are time travel adventures, all set in Edinburgh at different points in its history. The first book Crow Boy is set in Mary Kings Close, Seventeen Coffins is all about the tiny coffins found on Arthur’s Seat in 1836 and the most recent book,One For Sorrow, is all about Robert Louis Stevenson.
In the New Year, Fledgling will be bringing out The Calling – a novel featuring all the statues in Edinburgh. The Piper was also recently shortlisted for the North East Book Award.
Commenting on his nomination, Danny said: “I was surprised and delighted to hear that I had been shortlisted for this prestigious prize. At a time when the importance of literacy seems to be increasingly challenged, prizes like this mean more than ever to authors like me.”
Joan Lingard, who lives in Edinburgh’s New Town, has been shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for her novel Trouble on Cable Street, published by Catnip.
Joan has been a published writer for young people and adults for over 40 years and is best known for the Kevin and Sadie books, set in Northern Ireland at the time of the troubles there.
Her popular Elfie and Joe trilogy began when she discovered that her grandfather had run a pub in Stoke Newington in London and she started to research that area around the turn of the 19th Century when he and his wife lived there.
Following a conversation with a friend about the period between the first and second world wars, Joan began to research the impact of the Fascist movement in London in the 1930s, and the parallel conflict in Spain.
Joan said: “I’m delighted that Trouble on Cable Street has been shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. I have been writing for young people for over 40 years and I am always pleased to know that readers are enjoying my books.
“I enjoyed writing this book very much. It is set in a fascinating, unsettled time in Britain’s history – and European history – and the more I read about what happened in the 1930s the more I found parallels with some of the problems we’re facing today, eight decades later.
“In 1936 the communities of the East End of London rallied to stop a march by Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. They clashed with the police in Cable Street and the march was eventually stopped, but many people were injured in the fighting.
“I always enjoy writing strong characters, and once I’d settled on Isabella and her two brothers their story fell into place against the backdrop of London in those difficult times.”
THE FULL SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS 2016 SHORTLIST:
Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)
- Never Tickle a Tiger by Pamela Butchart and Marc Boutavant (Bloomsbury)
- Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie (Bloomsbury)
- Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock and Ali Pye (Nosy Crow).
Younger Readers (8-11 years)
- The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie (Floris)
- The Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island: The Lost Children by Gillian Philip (Orchard)
- The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan)
Older Readers (12-16 years)
- Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein (Egmont)
- The Piper by Danny Weston (the pseudonym of Philip Caveney) (Andersen)
- Trouble on Cable Street by Joan Lingard (Catnip)
Over the next five months, children the length and breadth of Scotland will be reading the three shortlisted books in their age category and voting for their favourite.
The voting deadline is 5 February 2016. The three winning books will be announced at a special award ceremony on 4 March 2016.
Jasmine Fassl, Head of Schools at Scottish Book Trust, said: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards are a perfect way to celebrate Scotland’s talented authors and illustrators, while also helping participating children to develop an independent love of books and reading.
“Hundreds of schools and libraries from literally every corner of Scotland involve tens of thousands of children in reading and reviewing the shortlisted books every year, proof of both the eagerness of Scottish young people to make their voice heard and of the quality of the shortlisted books.”
Leonie Bell, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, added: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards is a hugely successfully programme that celebrates children’s and young adult literature while also encouraging reading in children across Scotland.
“The fact that the winners are selected exclusively by children makes this an extra special award to win. By taking an active role in choosing the vote they are taking steps in their journeys as independent readers.
“This is a fantastic shortlist and we encourage young people across Scotland to get involved. We look forward to finding out who they choose as this year’s winners.”
The Scottish Children’s Book Awards also encourage budding authors or journalists to put pen to paper: the popular Book Review Competition offers pupils the chance to win book tokens, sponsored by Waterstones, and an author visit for their school.
Aspiring film makers can enter the book trailer competition to showcase their digital talents and win book tokens for their school. Scottish Book Trust provides extensive learning resources for teachers on how to create book trailers.
CALL Scotland has again worked with Scottish Book Trust and the publishers to create accessible digital versions of the nine shortlisted books for children and young people with physical, visual and reading or dyslexic difficulties, who can’t read the paper books. The accessible digital versions of the shortlisted books are available free of charge from CALL Scotland.
You can request books by going to http://www.callscotland.org.uk/Home/.
Pictures: Rob McDougall
Learning? Together it’s fun
Early learning initiative will focus on P1 – P3s
Parents and families have a key role to play in helping their children to read, write and count well. That’s the message from Read, Write, Count, a new Government-led campaign aimed at children in Primaries 1 to 3.
The campaign, which was launched yesterday, will build on the Scottish Government’s PlayTalkRead early years campaign by encouraging parents and families to include reading, writing and counting in their everyday activities, such as walking around the supermarket or travelling home from school.
The campaign, which will be delivered in partnership with Education Scotland and Scottish Book Trust, builds on existing Scottish Government efforts to tackle educational inequalities and raise attainment in early years and beyond.
As part of the campaign, all P1-3 children will receive a gift of books and literacy and numeracy learning materials through their school. Outreach will be provided in some communities to support parents, families and communities to make the most of these resources. Resources will be available for children in both English and Gaelic medium education.
Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “Ensuring children read, write and count well early is key to their success at school and in life. There’s lots of really good work already underway across Scotland and Read, Write, Count will bring some exciting new and fun ideas into the mix.
“Crucially, it will encourage parents and families to play a key role in helping their children – something all the evidence suggests can have a big impact on how well children do at school.
“I was proud to launch PlayTalkRead nationally in 2011, which encouraged parents to play, talk and read more often with their children. Read, Write, Count takes the idea of learning further.
“It’s understandable that any parent or carer could feel daunted about playing a part in their child’s education. That’s why our campaign offers support on bringing fun and learning in to everyday activities with their child to make life happier and easier.
“Whether it’s in the supermarket, on the way to school, at bedtime or sitting down for a meal, learning isn’t just for classrooms or homework. Read, Write, Count offers some great ideas on how adults and children can have fun learning and sharing together. I would urge parents, carers and the primary pupils themselves to check out the website for ideas on how to get involved.”
Sophie Moxon, Deputy Director of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Scottish Book Trust is delighted to be working together with the Scottish Government and Education Scotland to deliver Read, Write Count. The campaign builds on the success of our existing Bookbug programme to deliver a new, exciting campaign for P1-3.
“Gifting a pack of high quality books and literacy and numeracy resources directly into the hands of every pupil in P1–3, coupled with strong community outreach, will make a fundamental contribution to the lives and prospects of all children in Scotland, especially those in our most disadvantaged communities.”
For more information and resources on Read, Write, Count, visit www.readwritecount.scot.
Edinburgh writers awarded RLS Fellowship
well, one’s a Leither!
Edinburgh-based writer Lynsey May (32) and poet and playwright Michael Pedersen (30) have been named by Scottish Book Trust as two of four recipients of a 2015 Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship, involving a month-long writing residency in France (above).
Lynsey, a previous Scottish Book Trust New Writer Awardee, lives in Leith and will attend the residency in June. She has placed fiction in a variety of journals and publications and has read at a number of literary festivals across the country. During the residency she will work on a new novel set in Leith. Lynsey has lived in and around Edinburgh her whole life, attending university and starting a career in the city.
Lynsey said: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the wonderful gift of time, space and inspiration the RLS Fellowship offers -and plan to make the most of every minute! I’m particularly looking forward to briefly disengaging with all of the stresses and distractions of everyday life and completely immersing myself in the novel I’m working on.”
Michael, who will attend the residency in November, has published two celebrated chapbooks, and a debut collection Play with Me with Polygon. He is a Canongate Future 40, a 2010 Callum McDonald Memorial Award finalist, the John Mather’s Charitable Trust Rising Star of Literature 2014; as well as a budding playwright and lyricist, and co-founder of the Neu! Reekie! collective. During the residency he’ll work towards a second collection of poetry and on sculpting a feature film script – a collaboration with Scottish Director Robert McKillop.
Michael said: “I’ve had my lasers set on the RLS Fellowship for a couple of years now but 2015 (for a veritable swarm of reasons) is the paragoning point for it – there’s something more tectonic at play.
“As well as my poetry taking on fresh shapes and forms, I’m exploring a new medium in script writing. Sequel collections and inaugural scripts are both formidable endeavours and what more inspiring a place to tackle such literary behemoths than Grez-sur-Loing. Not only to tackle but to have an arsenal of anointments behind you – those being the RLS Fellowship and its history of lustrous literary and artistic visitants – steam to the engine and then some.
“I was elated to receive the call. There may have been a jump and some sort of rhythmical shimmy that resembled a cumbersome dance-move from decades beyond.”
The Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship was initiated in 1994 by Franki Fewkes, a Scottish RLS enthusiast, and is supported by Creative Scotland. Intended to give writers a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives to devote time to their writing, it provides residencies for four writers at the Hôtel Chevillon International Arts Centre at Grez-sur-Loing. Travel and accommodation are paid for, and there is a grant of £300 per week to cover living expenses.
Grez-sur-Loing is situated at the edge of the Forest of Fontainebleau (top), and was chosen because of its connections with Robert Louis Stevenson who first visited in 1875. It was there, at the Hôtel Chevillon, that he met his future wife Fanny Osbourne. Stevenson found both the place, and its community of writers and artists, highly attractive and he returned to Grez-sur-Loing for three successive summers.
Caitrin Armstrong, Head of Writer Development at Scottish Book Trust, said: “We’re delighted to offer this fantastic opportunity to such talented, engaging writers. These residencies are a great opportunity for writers to spend time on their work without the distractions of everyday life. I look forward to reading the work Lynsey and Michael produce in such inspirational surroundings.”
The two other successful 2015 Fellows are writer, director and translator Alan McKendrick and debut author Malachy Tallack.
Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlist announced
The Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2015 are on 4 March in Edinburgh. Check out who made this year’s shortlist:
The shortlisting panel also wanted to recommend the following titles as Highly Commended. When you’ve read the shortlist why not take a look at these too?
Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)
Lollipop and Grandpa’s Dinosaur Hunt by Penelope Harper, illustrated by Cate James
Share by Sally Anne Garland
Younger Readers (8-11 years)
The Day the World Went Loki by Robert J Harris
Winter’s Tales by Lari Don
Circus of Thieves and the Raffle of Doom by William Sutcliffe
Older Readers (12-16 years)
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
Mind Blind by Lari Don
Book your place to see Scotland’s top new writing talent
The hottest new writing talent in Scotland will perform their work, live, next week as Scottish Book Trust celebrates the work of the New Writer Award 2014 recipients.
These awards identify the authors of some of the most affecting, exciting and engaging new writing in Scotland. The 2014 awardees were selected last January from hundreds of entries by a panel of writers including Liz Lochhead, Doug Johnstone and Jenni Fagan, and received a £2,000 cash award alongside a tailored package over the past year including mentoring from writers and industry professionals and training in public relations, social media and performance.
Those interested in Scotland’s literary scene are invited to book their tickets now to join host Cora Bissett at The Jam House in Edinburgh on Thursday 29 January at 7pm for a winter’s feast of words. Tickets cost £2 and can be booked on The Jam House website.
The New Writers Awards are managed by Scottish Book Trust in association with Creative Scotland and each year they provide unpublished writers with financial support to enable them to concentrate on developing their work, as well as professional guidance to help them move towards publication.
The 2014 New Writer Awardees are:
Fiction & Narrative Non Fiction
Malachy Tallack (narrative non-fiction)
Poetry
Children’s and Young Adult Fiction
Scots Fiction and Poetry
Philip Murnin (fiction)
Ann MacKinnon (poetry)
Callan Gordon Award for New Writers
Caitrin Armstrong, Writer Development Manager at Scottish Book Trust said: “The New Writers from 2014 are a very talented and dedicated group of people and we are very much looking forward to watching how their writing develops over the coming years.”
Many New Writer Award recipients go on to secure publishing deals and Scottish Book Trust New Writers can also be found in the programmes of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Aye Write, Stanza, Margins Book and Music Festival, the Dundee Literary Festival and the Wigtown Book Festival amongst others.