Both titles by Caroline England now have new covers, and for a short period the collection of short stories is at a very special price:
Puffin Party 2013
Use this link to view the whole set:
flickr.com/gp/achuka/Up8t91/
It was a really good party. Apart from taking photos I enjoyed having substantial chats with the comic writer and novelist, Dan Abnett, and with James Burns from the Bright Group – the latter by way of meeting Charlotte Guillain (@cguillain) editor of a short book I wrote for Heinemann’s High Impact series when it was overseen by the 2Steves (http://the2steves.net).
I was quite keen to chat with Anthony McGowan about cricket and video monologues but, as well documented in the photogallery, he was in fairly constant demand.
Puffin Party 2013
I was in mid-conversation with the comic-book writer and novelist, Dan Abnett, when Francesca Dow began her speech at this year’s Puffin summer party, held on the second floor of the OXO building on the South Bank on a beautiful summer-in-the-city evening. Consequently, as can be seen, I had to take my place at the back.
I have some better images from the rest of the evening though and will be posting a selection as a slideshow towards the end of the day.
How the Internet Killed Photojournalism
The Chicago Sun-Times laid off its entire photography staff today (including Pulitzer Prize Winner John White) as a part of what is being described as a shift in consumption towards video content. I suppose there could be a kernel of truth in this statement, but it doesn’t really speak to the whole truth about how photojournalism has suffered because of the Internet.
via How the Internet Killed Photojournalism.
A good piece by Allen Murabayashi, who also has this to say:
This is the golden age of photography. More people are taking and consuming images than ever before, and it is truly a cause of celebration. But journalism (be it written or photos) has suffered immeasurably by the serialization of moments brought to you courtesy of “the crawl,” Twitter, Instagram and the like. The benefits of instant communication has led to a glut of information where photos go viral and grumpy cats get agents, while “hard” news has been relegated to and become synonymous with “disaster,” rather than a discourse of often complex issues that affect the public.
We should bemoan the day that important stories are no longer funded by news organizations, and instead are shouldered by individuals and their own prerogative. I’m confident that great work will always be produced, but the burden of funding important storytelling isn’t the responsibility of the storyteller. It’s an obligation of a democratic society to itself.
Shortlist – Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize | Royal Society
The shortlist for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize in 2013
Publishers across the UK submitted their best recent books that communicate science to young people. An adult shortlisting panel has narrowed down the choice to a shortlist of six books.
The winning book will be selected entirely by groups of young people from schools and youth groups around the UK. These groups together form a judging panel that looks at all the shortlisted books and chooses a winner.
The six books shortlisted by the shortlisting panel for 2013 are:
Build the human body
by Richard Walker (Templar)
The judges said: “A hands on, fun kit to help learn about the human body, accompanied by a well-illustrated, concise, clear book.”
Buzzing!
by Anneliese Emmans Dean (Brambleby Books Ltd)
The judges said: “This book is buzzing with interesting science facts and wonderful poetry. Each page features a different British minibeast that you might find in your back garden, with a funny poem about them.”
Discover more: The elements
by by Dan Green (Scholastic Children’s Books)
The judges said: “A good starting point for learning about the topic and full of rocking chemistry! Starting with what elements are and where they come from, the book goes through each element in turn with facts about their discovery and the science about how they impact our everyday lives.”
Don’t Flush: Lifting the Lid on the Science of Poo and Wee
by Richard Platt, Mary Platt, John Kelly (Kingfisher – An imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books)
The judges said: “A light-hearted but informative look at the science behind the use of poo and wee throughout history to build houses, wash and dye our clothes, fertilize crops, treat illnesses, solve crimes, control pollution and create fuel, energy and explosives. A perfectly disgusting book: Kids will love it!”
Human Body Factory
by Dan Green (Kingfisher – An imprint of Macmillan Children’s Books)
The judges said: “This book is intricately illustrated with tiny factory workers who explain how each part of the body works. It is the ‘Where’s Wally?’ of the human body; you keep noticing comic little details such as the workers in dinghies mixing gastric juices in the stomach with a giant whisk! As well as being fun, we were also impressed by the level of accurate scientific detail.
Look inside space
by Rob Lloyd Jones (Usborne Publishing)
The judges said: “A fantastically interactive book for younger children. Full of flaps to lift (and flaps under flaps) that reveal amazing facts about space!”
The shortlisting panel are:
Professor John Goodby FRS – Chemist at the University of York researching liquid crystals
Dr Jenny Read – University Research Fellow at the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University researching visual perception
Grrlscientist – an evolutionary biologist, science writer and blogger
Shazia Lydon – Assistant Headteacher at Challney High School For Boys, Luton
Simon Watt – Science communicator and presenter of Inside Nature’s Giants on Channel 4
via Shortlist – Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize | Royal Society.
The winner will not be announced till 11th November 2013.
Nolan to mix agent/editor roles | The Bookseller
Greenhouse appoint a replacement for Julia Churchill:
The Greenhouse Literary Agency has appointed Polly Nolan, currently associate publishing director for fiction at Macmillan Children’s Books, as its agent in London.
However Nolan will continue to work for MCB two days a week in the newly created role of editor-at-large.
Nolan will join Greenhouse part time on 3rd June, reporting to agency founder Sarah Davies. Nolan’s role will be to further the representation of children¹s and YA writers from the UK and Commonwealth, while Davies continues to build her own US client list alongside recent Greenhouse addition John Cusick.
Melvin Burgess: a life in writing | Culture | The Guardian
A substantial Guardian profile of Melvin Burgess includes mention of his new novel:
His latest novel, The Hit, is a dystopian thriller set in the future, which imagines a new pill known as Death. The chemistry is hazy but the concept is clear: this drug will give you the time of your life, an unbelievable high lasting a week, and then you will die. Burgess’s teenage hero Adam takes the drug. The novel is about what happens next.
Unusually, the idea for the book was offered to Burgess by someone else. Brandon Robshaw and Joe Chislett are philosophy teachers who came up with the idea of a week‑to-live drug with a group of students. They wrote a manuscript and sent it to Barry Cunningham, founder of Chicken House publishing, who bought the first Harry Potter novel for Bloomsbury before quitting to set up on his own.
Cunningham liked the idea but not the draft, so he offered Robshaw and Chislett a fee and set up a meeting with Burgess. The men got on well; Burgess made the story work on his second attempt, using many of the original elements and introducing new ones – including a beefed-up role for Adam’s girlfriend Lizzie. The book is dedicated to his two "co-conspirators".
via Melvin Burgess: a life in writing | Culture | The Guardian.