24-year-old début author wins Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize

Début author Sally Nicholls has scooped one of the most valuable and prestigious children’s books awards in the country at the age of just 24. Sally, a graduate of the Writing For Young People MA at Bath Spa University, was just 23 when she wrote Ways To Live Forever, a powerful, inspiring and courageous story told in the voice of 11-year-old Sam, who is terminally ill with leukaemia. Ways To Live Forever was announced as the winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2008 by Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen in an evening ceremony at Waterstone’s Piccadilly on 13th February. As well as a £5,000 cash prize, Sally receives the promise of ongoing commitment from Waterstone’s 325 nationwide branches.

Beating off stiff competition from a nine-strong shortlist, Ways to Live Forever is set to be the début of the year -- foreign rights have already been sold in seventeen countries and rave reviews have been flooding in.

Waterstone’s Children’s Buyer Sarah Clarke said: “It’s a hugely mature work for such a young writer. Writing about a child with a terminal illness must surely be a challenge for any writer, let alone a début novelist, but Sally has written a book that is not only affecting, affirming and entertaining, but also important. Sam McQueen is a brilliant creation, and I can’t well describe the feeling of loss mingled with joy that I got reading this book. This book deserves to become a children’s classic - its themes and messages will inspire generations.”

Yoo Hoo! Hello Budding Gardeners How are you are all? It’s Lynne, your wonderful Welsh gardener here – very excited because spring is very nearly here too. Lots and lots of things happen outdoors in springtime as the garden wakes up from its big sleepy winter rest - snore, snore...zzz

Bare branches will soon have lots of lovely green leaves covering them and lots of flowers will be showing off their Beautiful Blooms. If you are lucky, you may even have some flowers in the garden now – or even be able to see them in the hedgerows or woodlands. Aren’t they brave, having their little flowers out in this weather ...brbbbrrrrrrrrrrr
What I’d love you to do this month is to get a scrap book ready so we can record all the wonderful things that happen in the garden this year. We can write down what flower comes out and describe it. We can write down when the flower comes out and then what happens? Does it have lots of lovely shiny seeds? Or even more flowers? Or do the leaves disappear back into the ground? (Some do!) We can even collect different leaves and stick them in the book. It’ll be great fun. So to start with, find a nice book you can use and draw a nice ‘gardeney’ picture on the front and then I’ll be back next month and we’ll get going and fill up our books! Can’t wait – till then, have a great time – see you soon ... you big baboon! (Ha Ha Ha) Byyyyeeee
www.lynneallbutt.co.uk

THE SEARCH IS ON FOR THE OBSERVER AND ECOVER ETHICAL KID OF THE YEAR!

Are you one of the UK’s most inspirational ethical young thinkers and campaigners? If so, these people want to hear about it! The Observer and Ecover have just launched this year’s Ethical Awards and are searching for the right individual or team to crown the worthy winner of the Ecover Ethical Kids Award.

The Ecover Ethical Kids Award aims to recognise an individual or group (aged under 16) that deserve to have their environmental project or campaign awarded by some of the most well-respected ecological brains in the UK. Applications are invited from schools, youth groups or individuals, and Ecover will be providing the lucky winner with £2,000 a year, for 3 years, to go towards their project

FOR MORE INFO:
http://www.primarytimes.net/teacher_times_competitions_ecover_ethical_kids_awards.php

This nationwide Poetry Competition, now in its 2nd year, is run by the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf, a poetry book club for young people run by the Poetry Book Society. To link with National Poetry Day on Thursday 4 October, children aged 7-11 were invited to submit poems on the theme of ‘Dreams’. Nearly 5,000 entries were received from schools and individual children all over the country. The judges were thrilled with the overall quality of the poems and Michael Rosen described the winning entries as ‘a clutch of terrific poems’.

The photo shows prize-giving on Friday 7th December at the Unicorn Theatre in London, hosted by the new Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.

First Prize Poem:

Winner of the 9-11 age group:

The Stranger In My Nightmares
At the four crossroads
on Salisbury Plain
a dark figure stands,
alone in the rain.
His brown overcoat
whips around in the gale.
His black top hat
covers his face, pale.
Two glinting red eyes
and a sinister grin.
The foul reek of death,
the cold stare of sin.
In his black gloved hand
he is holding a knife.
It is sharp as a sword
and has claimed many a life.
This creature’s not human,
or any other being.
This thing is not dead,
but nor is it living.
A mist then surrounds
and a lamp flickers on
and when the mist passes,
the figure is gone.

By Haydn Robinson, aged 10
The Marist Catholic Primary School,
West Byfleet, Surrey

Winner of the 7-8 age group:

Dreams
The night army of the dreaming ones –
Vague films of sweeping birds and trampling ogres
At night, with a shield of love,
A knight who can fight
Any darkness away
Under the duvet
I let
The army of light
Fight monsters with nightmare clubs.
I let the swooping birds sweep away worries
With their bright orange tail feathers
The last thing I have ever known
That did not belong to the night army
Was darkness
It’s a paradise
When I am asleep

By Frank Amundsen, aged 7
Balgowan School, Beckenham, London

GARDENING NEWS FROM LYNNE ALBUTT December 2007

		LYNNE Allbutt is here to talk about great gardening! Hiya Boys and Girls, It’s Lynne Allbutt here again, your cheery gardener! Even though it’s a bit chilly outside these days, (brr), I’ve got an idea for you to do this month. How about making an outdoor Christmas tree for the birds ... and even other wildlife, if they want to visit. Just cut a big twiggy branch from a tree or hedge in the garden – if you haven’t got one near you then don’t worry, just ask permission from a neighbour or friend – and remember if you think it’s a bit dangerous then get a grown up to help you – phew, that’s the hard part over with anyway.

Once you’ve got your twiggy branch, put it in a bucket of soil or stones so it’s nice and safe and won’t topple over. The best place to put it is outside a window, I’ll tell you later why ........... Once it’s nice and safe , here is the fun part, you can start decorating it with food for the birds. Thread nuts and dried fruit onto bits of cotton and even berries, if you can find them but do be careful not to eat any – they taste goods to birds but not us! Then put these all over your twiggy branch. You can hang bread on there too and even little bits of cheese, which birds love. And if you put some little food presents on the floor next to the tree, you might even get other types of wildlife coming to the party. Hooray!

I bet you’ve guessed why it’s best to put it outside a window now? Of course, so you can watch your visitors from indoors in the warm. Have a lovely time then, and I’ll be back next year with lots more exciting things to do in the garden. Byyyyyyeeeeee for now xxxxx

The Fourth International Children's Art Exhibition
Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China

2007-09-26
The objective is to discover the artistic talents, to foster the artistic development and to promote the friendship of the children over the world.

We are launching a series of activities under the theme of "A World in Harmony, Passing on Love ? Marching towards 2008", in response to the appeal of Chairman Hu Jintao: "Hand in hand, we shall build a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

Reality Check Called For, People

A friend sent me this:
This is insane - i didn't even know these sites existed. buying virtual effects with real money.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7094764.stm

It is without doubt the weirdest thing i have read this year.

Habbo Hotel users create a character and can buy furniture. A Dutch teenager has been arrested for allegedly stealing virtual furniture from "rooms" in Habbo Hotel, a 3D social networking website. The 17-year-old is accused of stealing 4,000 euros (£2,840) worth of virtual furniture, bought with real money.

Five 15-year-olds have also been questioned by police, who were contacted by the website's owners.

The six teenagers are suspected of moving the stolen furniture into their own Habbo rooms.

A spokesman for Sulake, the company that operates Habbo Hotel, said: "The accused lured victims into handing over their Habbo passwords by creating fake Habbo websites." In Habbo, as in many other virtual worlds, scamming for other people's personal information such as user names has been problematic for quite a while.

It is a theft because the furniture is paid for with real money

Sulake spokesman
"We have had much of this scamming going on in many countries but this is the first case where the police have taken legal action."

Habbo users can create their own characters, decorate their own rooms and play a number of games, paying with Habbo Credits, which they have to buy with real cash.
"It is a theft because the furniture is paid for with real money. But the only way to be a thief in Habbo is to get people's usernames and passwords and then log in and take the furniture.

"We got involved because of an increasing number of sites which are pretending to be Habbo. People might then try and log in and get their details stolen."
Six million people in more than 30 countries play Habbo Hotel each month.
Virtual theft is a growing issue in virtual worlds; in 2005 a Chinese gamer was stabbed to death in a row over a sword in a game.

Shanghai gamer Qiu Chengwei killed player Zhu Caoyuan when he discovered he had sold a "dragon sabre" he had been loaned.

JUDGEMENT DAY HAS ARRIVED FOR THE PHOTO COMPETITION



AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Michael Rosen – (Britain’s 5th Children’s Laureate) talks about one of the entries in the Podcast RC12 which you can download from www.radiochildren.com from Monday 1st October (is it yours?!)

JUDGES SAID:

Stuart Nicol – (Executive Picture Editor of Telegraph Media Group) "I thought the standard was very high, I started taking pictures when I was 11 years old and I would have got nowhere in this competition. I agree with Tom that digital cameras and computer technology have opened up the world of photography. I always tell the young photographers who I come across that the most magical part of photography and something they must never forget, is that we ‘steal a moment in time’ a moment that will never be repeated. There are some fantastic stolen moments in this competition. It was a pleasure to judge."

Tom Stoddart – (Award-winning photo-journalist) "Having been a photographer for 100 years, I hear digital is the 'Death of Photography', but these pictures how me that a whole new generation of talented image-makers is in the process of being created. I tried to choose pictures that I wish I had taken, lots of jumping, kids doing things, there are some really nice landscapes too. There are some very talented budding photographers in this collection."

Ben Ingham – (Award-winning reportage Photographer).
On his choices of winners: "I love this picture, it has a certain poetry to it, and it reminds me of my childhood...this sequence made me laugh ..
.. a clever metaphor, summer holidays are about liberty ... great photographs, enthusiastic, honest and with due thought" ..

The Winners were published in the Saturday Telegraph Newspaper (20th October) and can be seen online:

www.telegraph.co.uk

AWARDS CEREMONY - London 1st November 2007 For invitation email: competition@radiochildren.com

OUTDOOR NEWS October 2007

		LYNNE Allbutt is here to talk about great gardening! We all know that October is the month where all the nice Creepy crawlies like earwigs and ladybirds and other good bugs, need to find somewhere cosy to sleep for the winter. In the wild, they curl up tight and sleep in bits of old wood and under leaves. Therefore, wouldn’t it be a nice thing to do is to make little homes for them? Simply stack little bits of old wood and twigs in a quiet part of the garden and sprinkle some leaves over the top. Try to remember where it is as it’ll be well hidden with all those leaves!

Plunge yourself into the biggest, brightest and best UK children’s literature festival of all time!

		From 21st-30th September 2007 the historic city of Bath will be awash with award-winning, best-selling and up-and-coming children’s writers and illustrators. With over 90 events covering all age ranges from babies to young adults, parents and teachers this festival has something for anyone who loves children’s books.All programme information will be on our website.
The Children’s Bookshow is celebrating its fifth year with a dazzling array of children’s writers and performers from across the globe. Boori Monty Pryor from Australia, Francesco D’Adamo from Italy and Kazumi Yumoto from Japan are amongst the authors taking part, as is Michael Rosen, our favourite UK Children’s Laureate, and friend of Radio Children (see Competition page).. The theme ‘Outside In: Children’s Writers in Translation’ has been chosen to introduce children to the richness of the world’s many literatures through fiction and live performance. During the tour, as well as appearing in performances in theatres, some of the authors will also take part in free writing workshops for local schools to help broaden children’s horizons and provide a fresh outlook on others’ lives and cultures.The Children’s Bookshow is the only annual UK tour of children’s authors and poets and is timed to coincide with Children’s Book Week (1-7 October 2007). See www.thechildrensbookshow.com for full details.

The Daily Telegraph Bath Festival of Children’s Literature
Immerse yourself in the best children’s
literature this autumn

		Plunge yourself into the biggest, brightest and best UK children’s literature festival of all time! From 21st-30th September 2007 the historic city of Bath will be awash with award-winning, best-selling and up-and-coming children’s writers and illustrators. With over 90 events covering all age ranges from babies to young adults, parents and teachers this festival has something for anyone who loves children’s books. All programme information will be on our website. www.bathkidslitfest.co.uk

Nice Green Van

		If you are in London or going to Festivals around the country, look out for the NICE GREEN VAN (pictured below), the brainchild of Helen Tindale, eco-warrier and super-chef, campaigning to deliver delicious organic, healthy food to you wherever you are. Ice-creams and hot home-cooked food to go.. they arrange school cookery clubs, food for film shoots and cater proper food for parties.

Kids food matters NICE GREEN VAN -
Helen 07779 026 052 • Office 020 7586 0463

A Brief History of Family

		Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy talk about working on their new book for children. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ arts_and_entertainment/books/article2378445.ece See RC11 VODCAST for Radio Children interview with author.

GREAT things to do ...

		Free Workshop for 13-19 years old across the country by the BBC.www.bbc.co.uk/blast/ontour/about/ Tour dates: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/ontour/diary.shtml

BOOK REVIEWS July 2007

		Stink and the World's Worst Super Stinky Sneakers by Megan MacDonald I thought this book was incredibly interesting.  I also thought the way the author put in facts in between chapters was a good idea.  It felt as if I was Stink himself.  It was like I was in a world of my own, a chance t use my imagination in school.  I recommend this book so much that if someone sees it they should run up to it and grab it before everyone else. (Says Corey - year 5)

		The Third Elephant by Penny Dolan It is a very good book. It's not super exciting but if you like reading you won't think it's boring. It is about a girl called Sara.  When one day she's walking along and catches an elephant. Sara's sister is going on a bike ride to India and is worried so Sara gives the lucky elephant to her sister. At first when the lucky elephant is left in the haunted house he sees a white parcel and always dreams of what the white palace is like .... (Says Jack - year 5)

		Apache by Tanya Landman   (Interviews on Radio Children coming soon!) Siki is an orphan of the Black Mountain Apache. Her mother was killed by Mexicans three years ago and her father lost in an ambush the winter before that. When Siki witnesses the brutal murder of her little brother Tazhi, she vows to become an Apache warrior and avenge her brother's death.

		City of Bones by Cassandra Clare Sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is an ordinary teenager, who likes hanging out in Brooklyn with her friends. But everything changes the night she witnesses a murder, committed by a group of teens armed with medieval weaponry. The murderous group are Shadowhunters, secret warriors dedicated to driving demons out of this dimension and back into their own. Clary slowly begins to learn the truth about her family - and the battle for the fate of the world.

		Fearless by Tim Lott   (Interviews on Radio Children coming soon!)  The smartly painted exterior of the City Community Faith School hides a disturbing secret. Behind its walls, one thousand girls are forced to labour in the city's laundry, separated from their families and deprived of their freedom. One of these girls is Little Fearless, a courageous and indomitable spirit who never gives up hope that one day they will be rescued. Unafraid of the punishment she will face, Little Fearless escapes the Institute to tell her story to the world. But why does nobody believe she is telling the truth? Fearless is a modern fairy tale, a dark fable for our times.

		The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles Alone and lost, a young cat called Mati struggles to be accepted by the hostile community of street cats at Cressida Lock. Mati is unaware that he is actually no ordinary cat but Mithos, the mysterious assassin on his trail, knows it! To defeat his enemies, Mati must learn to harness an ancient feline power a power so deadly that it threatens to destroy not only his new-found friends, but every cat on earth...

Have you written something, yourself? Go to Book Publisher page on this site for further information on sending us poems, essays and ideas.

We would love to know Your TOP 10 BOOKS (of all time!) – email us a list!  
And any books you have reviewed and would like to recommend to Radio Children?

Happy reading!

Email:  books@radiochildren.com