The Places You Will Go

Make Space on Your Shelves

But it's not the end

Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld novels, has announced that he has a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's.

You're Out!

Dumbledore is gay, so J. K. Rowling says, now. I guess it's obvious why she never made it clear in the books, but I'm all for giving kids some positive gay role models. His intense friendship with Grindelwald, in book seven, does hint at the old wizbang's sexuality though. Can you imagine what sort of fanfiction is going to get written now? It's already quite stomach-turning. OK, it turns my stomach. I read one about Harry and Draco and my eyes fell into my lap!

PS I interviewed someone yesterday who said that, reading my column, he'd always had the impression of me being school-marmish! Golly!

God Speaks

I keep meaning to but forgetting to post about The Horn Book's podcasts. Yes! Now not only can you read Roger Sutton's essays and reviews online, you can also listen to him talk about children's books. Featured authors in the podcasts so far include Jon Scieszka [The Stinky Cheese Man] and M. T. Anderson [whose The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing won last year's National Book Award for young people's literature].

KL Writers Circle

It was my first time attending and I really enjoyed myself. The topic was Writing Good Children's Books. Sharon Bakar [left] chaired the meeting and gave me a warm and totally undeserved introduction.

I will write about what was discussed in next week's Tots to Teens. And will touch on some aspects of the topic in tomorrow's column.

Five Get Together Again

Julian, Dick and Anne, George and a descendant of Timmy the Dog are all set to reunite in a new telly series about the Famous Five, set several decades after the original stories.

Read the report in The Times.

A Room of Their Own

It's been a while since I discussed the children's library my friend and I are building, but that's not because the project's been shelved ...

Jolly Cigarette Sticks

Jinx Slater is delighted to have reached the giddy heights of the lower sixth at Stagmount, England's most exclusive school for girls. Her ground-floor window affords her an excellent view of Brighton's bright lights, and Jinx is a girl with escape on her mind and a miniature screw driver kit in her tuckbox. Liberty Latiffe, Jinx's best friend and all round perfect partner-in-crime, is not at all worried about being caught out by her very strict Muslim father. Nor are the rest of the girls. Until, that is, Stella Fox - Stagmount's newest new girl - arrives, determined to make her mark.

So goes the blurb for High Jinx (Faber Children's Books) by Sara Lawrence (who attended Roedean School, obviously the school Stagmount is based on).

Mallory Towers (also, I've been told, based on Rodean) for the 21st century? Ummm ... not quite, but I guess it's more accurate to write about girls who booze and bonk than describe first formers planning midnight feasts and skiving off prep. Do they still do that?

By the way, Julie Burchill's comment about heroine Jinx Slater linking "the wholesome Tom Boys of the past with the girl-power pop tarts of the present" is a load of bollocks. There's no link. Just a huge jump into utter tackiness. The book'll probably be a huge hit.

Carnegie and Greenaway All Time Favourites

THIS year is the 70th anniversary of the Carnegie Medal, awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) for an outstanding book for children and young people. It is also the 50th anniversary of the Kate Greenaway Medal, which is awarded to outstanding illustrated books.

In April, the official Carnegie-Greenaway website published two Top 10 lists of past medal winners and invited the public to choose their all-time favourites from the lists. Among the titles on the Carnegie list are A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly (2003), The Family From One End Street by Eve Garnett (1937) and The Owl Service by Alan Garner (1967).

Greenaway faves included Borka: The Adventure of a Goose with No Feathers, illustrated by John Burningham (1963); Each Peach Pear Plum, illustrated by Janet Ahlberg (1978); and Gorilla, illustrated by Anthony Browne (1983).

On Thursday, the public’s decision was announced at an anniversary party at the British Museum, and Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass) by Philip Pullman and Dogger by Shirley Hughes were pronounced all-time readers’ favourites.

Spreading the Joy

Following my blog entry about the new Children's Laureate, I decided to write about the post (and a similar American one) in my column, out today.