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:

http://bit.ly/SCBA_15.

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

Juliette Forrest

Lindsay McKrell

Scots Fiction and Poetry

Philip Murnin (fiction)

Ann MacKinnon (poetry)

Callan Gordon Award for New Writers

Jonathan Durie

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.

Free books for P1s to mark Book Week Scotland

Today marks the start of Book Week Scotland 2014, the national celebration of reading, and to mark the occasion Scottish Book Trust is to gift three free picture books to every Primary 1 child in Scotland.

The books, all by Scottish authors or illustrators, will be gifted in the Bookbug Primary 1 Family Pack and comprise the Bookbug shortlist for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2015.

The titles include: Robot Rumpus by Sean Taylor and Ross Collins, Princess Penelope and the Runaway Kitten by Alison Murray and Lost for Words by Natalie Russell.

Also included in the Bookbug bag will be a Scottish Children’s Book Awards pack full of games and activities, along with a voting slip to enable children to declare which of the three picture books is their favourite. The pack will also contain Ziggy and Maggie Start School, a children’s book about road safety created in partnership with Road Safety Scotland.

Marc Lambert, Director of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The beginning of school is the point at which books start to become associated with learning in a child’s mind. This pack has been designed to help teachers, librarians and parents show children how pleasurable books can be, at a crucial point in their learning journey.

“This association of books with enjoyment will in turn lead to a more positive educational experience for the child, helping them to get more out of school and hopefully inspiring them to seek out and devour more and more books.”

For more information about Book Week Scotland 2014 visit

www.bookweekscotland.com

where you can find information about all the events taking place in your local area, vote for your favourite character from a Scottish book, make a Reading Pledge and discover a whole host of resources and ideas to help you celebrate and share whatever it is you love to read.

Follow @Bookweekscot on Twitter, check out#bookweekscot or like the Book Week Scotland Facebook page.

Initiated by the Scottish Government and supported, along with a Readers in Residence programme in libraries, by £250,000 from Creative Scotland, Book Week Scotland will be delivered by Scottish Book Trust, the lead agency for the promotion of literature, reading and writing in Scotland. For more information on Scottish Book Trust go to www.scottishbooktrust.com.

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. For further information about Creative Scotland visit

www.creativescotland.com

Follow @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland

Book Week Scotland in libraries is funded by The Scottish Library and Information Council.

Homing in: Edinburgh writers shine in new anthology

Five Edinburgh residents who wrote short stories about what ‘home’ means to them for a national writing competition have had their submissions chosen to be published in a book.

They beat off competition from over 500 other entries to win a place in a special book entitled Scotland’s Stories of Home. Their submissions will feature alongside entries from 33 other winners and author contributors such as Alan Warner, Vic Galloway, Kirsty Logan and Beatrice Colin.

The winners include:

Seonaid Cook, writing as Shona Cook, who submitted ‘Home Run’, a story that recounts a train journey from Edinburgh to London in which she ponders her feelings about the Scottish Referendum.

Commenting on the publication of her story, Seonaid said: “The project was timely; helping me confront complex feelings about where I belong after changes in family and career and discussions around the independence referendum. I’m excited, if a little nervous, to see my work in print for the first time since I set out to be a writer.”

Sine Kay Harris, a student at the University of Glasgow, submitted ‘Shell’, a story about finding ‘home’ in amongst the bookshelves of Edinburgh’s public libraries.

Sine said: “I think the Scotland’s Stories of Home project is a really wonderful opportunity to give the people of Scotland a chance to speak for themselves about what this country we all call home means to them.”

Laura Clay, an editor for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, submitted ‘A Story of Homecoming’. Her story explores her experience of getting to know Edinburgh again after eight years of living down south.

Laura said: “The Stories of Home project has meant a great deal to me; having moved back to Edinburgh after eight years away, it’s been a good way of reconnecting with the city I love. I feel very lucky to be included in the book. It’s the first time my writing has been published, and I’m hoping my other work will be similarly successful in future!”

The other Edinburgh winners were Julie Morrice, a music teacher living in Newington, with her poem ‘Travelling Home’ and Lorna Malone, a copywriter for an investment company, with her short story ‘A Potful of Home.’

The competition was held by Scottish Book Trust, the leading agency for the promotion of literature, reading and writing in Scotland, and encouraged members of the public to express in writing what ‘home’ as a place or a concept means to them. Contributions included poems as well as prose that tell tales of childhood, communities, family life, travel and food.

To celebrate the third year of Book Week Scotland (24 – 30 November 2014) more than 150,000 free copies of Scotland’s Stories of Home will be gifted to people throughout the week. The books will be distributed in local bookshops, public libraries, prisons, hospitals, visitor information centres, ferry terminals and train stations. All the stories entered for the competition are available to read at www.bookweekscotland.com.

Scotland’s Stories of Home also features original commissioned contributions from some of the best-loved names in Scottish arts andliterature, including Alan Warner, Des Dillon and a special contribution in Gaelic from Catriona Lexy Chaimbeul.

Sophie Moxon, Acting Director of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scotland’s Stories of Home has given people of all ages living in Scotland a chance to express in writing what ‘home’ means to them. We received hundreds of submissions from members of the public, sharing beautifully unique stories of home as a place and a concept and are delighted to be able to give away 150,000 free copies of this wonderful book for Book Week Scotland 2014.”

All the entries to the Scotland’s Stories of Home campaign can be read here: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home

The Edinburgh winner’s stories are available at the following links:

Shona Cook’s ‘Home Run’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/home-run

Sine Kay Harris’ ‘Shell’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/shell

Laura Clay’s ‘A Story of Homecoming’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/a-story-of-homecoming

Julie Morrice’s ‘Travelling Home’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/travelling-home

Lorna Malone’s ‘A Potful of Home’: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading/stories-of-home/story/a-potful-of-home

Dear Stockbridge Library, how would you like an artwork to celebrate Book Week?

Stockbridge Library has been selected as one of five Scottish libraries to benefit from a new permanent artwork as part of Book Week Scotland 2014.

The purpose of the installation, which will be unveiled on the first day of Book Week Scotland on 24 November, is to make libraries more visible in their own communities and to raise awareness of them as important assets for local people to enjoy.

The artwork will be created by Glasgow-based artist Rachel Barron and will be inspired by Dear Library, a poem written by best-selling Scottish author and playwright Jackie Kay as part of Book Week Scotland’s Love Your Library! campaign. Dear Library highlights the important role that libraries can play at every stage of an individual’s life, from childhood to old age.

Rachel has been given one verse of the poem to inspire her, which is written from the perspective of an expectant mother, and it is hoped that the resulting artwork will encourage the local Stockbridge community to visit their library to begin or continue their reading journey.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Convener for Culture and Sport, said: “I am delighted that Stockbridge Library has been selected for this project in support of Book Week Scotland 2014. Naturally, Edinburgh’s public libraries champion reading all year long with a host of activities to help people develop a love of books – but we are also proud to welcome a number of cultural and community events through the doors of Edinburgh’s libraries. We hope this event will entice people to visit their local library in Stockbridge to view Rachel’s art, and let people realise how much more there is to their local library.”

Sophie Moxon, Deputy CEO of Scottish Book Trust, the organisation delivering Book Week Scotland, added: “Following the success of our Reading Murals project in 2013, we are delighted to be unveiling five original artworks by young artists in libraries across the country for Book Week Scotland 2014. Jackie Kay’s ‘Dear Library’ beautifully illustrates the knowledge, inspiration and comfort that libraries can provide for people of all ages and we hope the artworks will too.”

Commenting on the commission, artist Rachel Barron said: “I am delighted to be part of the Artwork for Libraries project, as this is my first opportunity to create a permanent artwork within a public space. I am really looking forward to meeting and engaging with the local community in a series of creative workshops inspired by my current practice and vision for the permanent artwork.”

Rachel lives and works in Glasgow and Gothenburg, Sweden. She graduated with a First Class BA (Hons) from Edinburgh College of Art’s Painting Department in 2011, and since then she has exhibited across Scotland. Her work encompasses print, sculpture and installation through exhibitions and participatory projects that engage directly with the public. Recent projects have transformed gallery spaces into live print workshops, which invite the public to participate by contributing their own artwork to the exhibition display. She aims to encourage artistic expression within people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities; providing the opportunity and environment to uncover the creative potential in everyone.

The other four artworks to be unveiled will be in Musselburgh, Saltcoats, Lennoxtown and Shetland.

And the poem …

Dear Library

1.
See when ah wiz wee
ma faverit day wis
Wednisday, library day,

when Ma an me wid go tae ma library
an I wid get to pik ma book
an get it stampd oot

efter the ither yin had been stampd in
and I hid ma very ain card
which wiz a wee magic envlope

that took me tae anither world
awthegither fu o’ caracters an creatures, auntie lopes,
big broon bears, loins and tigrs, new wurds

an anythin an aw’thin I wants tae ken aboot
the moon, stars, sea, the hale galaxy, the wide wurld
wiz at the tip o my fingers in ma locall library.
2.
Always a new book to wolf down in the dead of night,
a borrowed book to read by torchlight…
In the morning, last night’s saved page turns
to who last had this book out
and the date returned, 9 June, this year.

This same book in a stranger’s hands, half-known.
Those readers, kindred spirits, almost friends.
You are in transition; you are on the threshold.
The library is the place that gets you. Pure gold.

You are Holden, you’re Lyra, you’re White Fang,
you’re Kidnapped, you’re Skellig, you’re Refugee Boy.
You’re Callum, a nought, you’re Catch 22.
You’re Chris Guthrie. You’re Hyde. You’re Boo Radley.
It’s not Accidental. You are those books. Those books are You.

Inside your mind you’re strong. Safe.
Toss a coin: heads, reader; tails, writer.
The library is the young writer’s first home.
You read pertinent sayings, make your own.
The cool teenager is a member of the library.
3.
I go to my library to find out about the baby
growing like a story inside me: 37 weeks!

My baby is likely to be sucking his thumb, her thumb.
My tight tummy is a drum, a drum.

The child who I will one day – hopefully –
bring back to this library, ah wee one, is turning.

I’ll get her a first library card, bless,
and sit where I’m sat now, reading, to test

the books I’ll soon read to him, fingers crossed.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

The Runaway Bunny, Goodnight Moon
37 weeks: my tummy – boom, boom, beating time!

Come soon wee baby; wee baby come soon.
Come dream in your basket under the shy moon,

My hungry caterpillar, my goodnight gorilla.
My dear wee daughter, my good little fella.
4.
A book borrowed, kindly given.
A book swapped, loved, exchanged.
A book you will always hand back.
A book is a coat for your mind.

You’ve reached the age, 50 something, when you look back
on borrowed books as if they were old friends –
with nostalgia, with affection, intimately known.

The time when you read The Raj Quartet, or Han Suyin
Toni Morrison or Memo for Spring,
Things Fall Apart or Fire on the Mountain.
Poor Madame Bovary. Poor Anna Karenina.

Your life: many characters, bleak houses, long day’s journeys.
Your life of mixed fates, give and takes;
What you borrowed last month, you return today.
5.
Dear Library, you want to say, Dear Library, you have served me
well all my life. You are magnificence, munificence.
You are a book festival every day. There is no way, me an OAP,
could ever value what you’ve given me by money.

There is no measure for the enriching of the mind, friend.
Faithful and trusty, Dear Library, you are a heart stopper, a kind giver.
I treasure your lively silence; your very pleasant librarians.
They represent what a public service is truly, libertarian.

Impossible, did I say that already, to put a price on that. Again,
stop me if I am repeating myself, your staff will tell
me of a Saramago Street in a nearby town.
Browse, borrow, request, renew – lovely words to me.
A library card in your hand is your democracy.

If you were to shut, Dear Library, it would break my heart.
A library user all my life, I’d be lost without my library.
A closed library could only welcome a closed mind.
Is there a kinder place that you can find than your local library?

I want to say, and I do. I pick up my pen and write to you.

Read all about it: Edinburgh trio shortlisted for children’s book awards

Scottish Book Trust is delighted to announce today that Edinburgh-based authors Alexander McCall Smith, Gill Arbuthnot and William Sutcliffe have been shortlisted for this year’s Scottish Children’s Book Awards, celebrating the most popular children’s and young adult books by Scottish authors or illustrators.

Run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland, these are Scotland’s largest book awards, split into three age categories, with a total prize fund of £12,000.

Shortlisted authors and illustrators receive £500 per book, and the three winning books receive £3,000 each. Over the next five months, children across Scotland will be reading the three shortlisted books in their age category and voting for their favourite. The three winning books will be announced at a special award ceremony on 4 March 2015.

Internationally renowned best-selling novelist Alexander McCall Smith (pictured above) is shortlisted in the Younger Readers (8-11 yrs) category for Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion. Published by Birlinn, this is a delightful tale exploring how the young Precious Ramotswe became the loveable private investigator of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

McCall Smith, one of the world’s most popular authors, lives in the Merchiston area of Edinburgh. After the success of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency he wrote four more series including 44 Scotland Street novels and his most recent Corduroy Mansions series.

In total he has published 74 stories as well as a number of academic texts. Over 40 million copies of his books have been sold and he continues to produce an average of 4 – 5 books every year. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the British Book Awards Author of the Year Award in 2004 and CBE for services to literature in 2007.

Commenting on his nomination, Alexander McCall Smith said: “I am delighted that this book has been shortlisted for this award. I very much admire what Scottish Book Trust does to promote reading among children – that is where a lifetime’s involvement with books can start.”

Gill Arbuthnot (above) is shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for her novel Dark Spell. Published by Kelpies and set in St Andrews, the book follows the adventures of teen witch Callie as she tries to come to terms with her powers and battles an unknown force.

Edinburgh born and bred, Gill Arbuthnot attended James Gillespie’s High School before leaving the city for St Andrews University. Here she studied Zoology and then completed teacher training. Despite having a career in science Arbuthnott never gave up her intention of writing, and when she witnessed the millennium clock in the museum of Scotland she was inspired to write The Chaos Clock for children. Now with a large back catalogue of published work including, Beneath, The Keepers Daughter and most recently Winterbringers, she lives in Edinburgh again, working as a writer and teacher.

Commenting on her nomination, Gill said: “I am thrilled to be shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. It’s a particular pleasure to be in the running for an award which is going to be decided by the children and young people at whom the books are aimed, and a great honour to have made it onto the shortlist, especially looking at the range of tremendous books which have won in previous years.”

William Sutcliffe is shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) for his novel The Wall. Published by Bloomsbury, it powerfully depicts the realities of life on the West Bank through the emotive coming-of-age story of thirteen-year-old Joshua.

London-born William Sutcliffe attended private boy’s school Haberdashers’ Aske’s in Hertfordshire. After leaving school he went on to study at Emmanuel College, Cambridge where he met his wife, novelist Maggie O’Farrell. He currently lives in Edinburgh.

William has published five novels prior to The Wall, including Are You Experienced?, New Boy, The Love Hexagon, Bad Influence and Whatever Makes You Happy. The Wall is his first children’s novel and has already received high acclaim, being longlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. William’s work has been translated into 20 different languages.

Commenting on his nomination, William said: “I am delighted to be shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. It is an exciting prospect to know that my book will be read widely in schools across Scotland, and discussed, and voted on. It is vital that children read, and talk to each other about what they read. It’s fantastic to have your work embraced into that process.”

THE SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS SHORTLIST:

Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)

Princess Penelope and the Runaway Kitten by Alison Murray (Nosy Crow)
Robot Rumpus by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Ross Collins (Andersen Press)
Lost for Words by Natalie Russell (Macmillan)

Younger Readers (8-11 years)

Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion by Alexander McCall Smith (Birlinn)
Attack of the Giant Robot Chickens by Alex McCall (Kelpies)
Pyrate’s Boy by E.B. Colin (Kelpies)

Older Readers (12-16 years)

Dark Spell by Gill Arbuthnott (Kelpies)
The Wall by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury)
Mosi’s War by Cathy MacPhail (Bloomsbury)

Jasmine Fassl, Head of Schools at Scottish Book Trust said: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards are much more than a celebration of Scottish literature – they are about expanding children’s horizons far beyond their physical boundaries and barriers.

“By simply reading just one of the shortlisted novels in their category, a 5 year old can imagine what it’s like to have rampaging robots as babysitters, a 10 year old can hop aboard a pirate ship, and a 15 year old can be transported into the mind of a teenager in a war zone.

“We hope that children, teachers, parents and librarians across Scotland will take this journey with us and get lost in these nine wonderful stories.”

Jenny Niven, Portfolio Manager for Literature at Creative Scotland, commented: “Literacy, and access to books for Scotland’s children and families is absolutely critical for our capacity to learn, to develop and to imagine. The work of Scottish Book Trust is fundamental in this.

“The next step beyond access is to provide the means for children and young people to develop an independent love of books and reading, and the Scottish Children’s Book Awards play an enormous role in making this possible.

“By voting for their own reading choices they are taking steps in their journeys as independent readers – steps which will have an impact on their education, their wellbeing and their imaginations far into the future. Creative Scotland is delighted to support this work, and is encouraged to see such a strong shortlist of Scottish books for our voters to choose from.”

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 for themselves and an author visit for their school.

Budding film makers can enter the book trailer competition to entice their peers to read the books too and win book tokens for their school. Scottish Book Trust provides extensive learning resources for teachers on how to create book trailers.

The Bookbug Primary 1 Family Pack is part of Bookbug, Scotland’s national book gifting programme, funded by the Scottish Government and run by Scottish Book Trust.

CALL Scotland has again worked with Scottish Book Trust and the authors and 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

Circle’s storytellers ‘writely’ pleased with new book!

‘No-one really knew what it was. People walking past stopped and stared …’

Children and parents from Circle’s Haven project created their own book, ‘The Sandpit Volcano’, during Haven’s Storytelling Week project, which ran from 28 July – 2 August.

The Sandpit Volcano tells the tale of brave kangaroos, crabbit crustaceans and creepy castles with flags made from used underpants – delightful! Children who were involved in the creation of the story read it in public for the first time on Friday and it really is a fantastic tale!

The Haven Project group was assisted by Edinburgh-based author Mike Nicholson (pictured below with ten-month old ‘helper’ Caleb!), who writes children’s fiction. He has two novels published; mystery adventures packed with past secrets, colourful characters and fiendish plots! Based on his writing experience, Mike runs events for all ages in schools and at book festivals, often based on encouraging children to create their own story ideas. Mike worked with the Circle project on a similar project last year – a swashbuckling tale of pirates on the seven seas – and he was delighted to return for what it’s hoped may become an annual event.

It was an intensive week for all involved – from a day of ideas and discussions following a trip to Cramond, working with Mike to develop story ideas and then producing artwork and storyboards – but it was both interesting and fun for all involved.

One mum said: “It really was good fun and we’re all looking forward to seeing the book when it’s printed – oh, and the bairns enjoyed it all too!”

North Edinburgh Arts Angela Austin worked on the artwork with the group. “This was a great group to work with – everyone was really enthusiastic and there was lots of energy and ideas”, she said. “Lots of people are really good at art and being creative without realizing the talent they have, and I think this project has shown that”.

The artwork is now off to the printers and it’s hoped the Circle storytellers will see the The Sandpit Volcano in book form within the next 2-3 weeks.