Alien Onion

Selkies in the storm-tossed seas

2012-02-01T11:07:00.000+11:00

Friends, readers, book lovers - lend us your eyes.

We like announcements. And some time ago we made an announcement about Margo Lanagan. So, delighted we were to see that Adelaide Writer's Week has made an announcement about Margo too:

It is a great honour to dedicate Adelaide Writers’ Week 2012 to Margo Lanagan, a writer of extraordinary intellect and imagination.

Hurrah!

And look! Look how clever and articulate and utterly winning Margo is as she talks about her brilliant new novel Sea Hearts.

This has been the Alien Onions .... with, let's face it, a bit of a crush now, actually.

Wednesday Stuff and Items

2012-01-25T11:41:00.003+11:00

It has come to our attention that we are woefully behind on the cake front.

So here are some we prepared earlier, accompanied by interpretive links to stuff and items of interest.

1) Hedgehog slice disguised as a CHRISTMAS PUDDING!*

Much as Kate Winslet is going to be disguised as the main character in the upcoming film version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to be directed by Kenneth Branagh. THIS IS VERY EXCITING.

2) A cheesecake for our Fearless Leader

Before and after:

In the interests of transparency, we confess that some persons in the House, and some persons allied with some persons in the House, have actually follwed the instructions in this book and felted their cat's hair. We don't know whether to be impressed or alarmed.

3) Walnut & Cinnamon Bundt cake

Observe that exquisite form, and that delicate distribution of icing sugar. Look at that pretty plate. The only thing on the internet that is hipper than this cake is this photo essay, which matches women's fashion photos by The Sartoralist with Haruki Murakami covers.

4) Vanilla Panacotta with berries

Mostly... Maybe often...? Okay more like sometimes, operations around here are as smooth as this creamy dessert. Edits slide off to the author; covers slip through the approval process; books soft-shoe out the door to the printer. At other times, operations around here more closely resemble this...

* SB made this beautiful thing for our staff Christmas party. Super clever.

A Confusion of Printzes*

2012-01-24T09:39:00.001+11:00

The American Library Association has announced the winners and honor** books for their 2012 Literary Awards - oh only the most prestigious youth literature awards in all the US of A.

Huge huge congratulations to and deafening cheers for...

Michael L Printz Honor Book

Bloodflower by Christine Hinwood

(published as The Returning in the US)

Michael L Printz Honor Book

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

The Printz is awarded for excellence in literature written for young adults.

and

Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans

Childrens & Young Adult Literature Award

Honor Book:

Pink by Lili Wilkinson!

The Stonewall is awarded annually to English-language children's and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.

Very very well done, Lili, Craig and Christine!

Stamps, hollers, woops!

*See what we did there? Genius, I tell you. Geeenius.
** Those American Librarians. We love them. We do. But boy, we wish they spelled honour the same way we spell it.

Attention Aspiring Authors

2012-01-19T15:54:00.000+11:00

We may have mentioned before that we like making books. A LOT. Working with clever publishers, authors and illustrators is our FAVOURITE. THING. IN. THE. WORLD. And if you are a writer of books for children - you too can enjoy our FAVOURITE. THING. IN. THE. WORLD. Hurrah!

The Faber Academy at Allen & Unwin is offering not one, but two - YES! TWO! - Writing for Children courses in Melbourne.

One-day course
Getting Published as a Writer for Children
Rosalind Price
Saturday 31 March 2012
For many years, Rosalind Price was our fearless leader in the House of Onion. Every day, it was a tremendous privilege to learn from her, to discover her way of seeing the world, to have her assured guidance, to hear her considered and insightful observations and her joyful, passionate and irreverent approach to publishing.

We cannot recommend her highly enough.
We cannot even get close.

This one-day course offers new writers for children an amazing opportunity. You too can learn from Rosalind. And Rosalind knows all about this SECRET PUBLISHING BUSINESS. She knows it! And if you do this course - she will SHARE THOSE SECRETS WITH YOU!
Book here.

Three-month course
Writing for Children
Sally Rippin and guests Andy Griffiths & Martine Murray
Course begins on 7 February 2012

People! Do you need any more encouragement? Sally Rippin. Andy Griffiths. Martine Murray.
FOR THREE MONTHS!

Sally Rippin is the incredibly lovely and wonderfully talented author and illustrator of these brilliant books for children.
AND she can help you craft a compelling story, write memorable characters, develop authentic dialogue and create an evocative setting. AND she'll help you with themes and language suited to various age groups. AND, like Rosalind, Sally will tell you secrets - YES! SECRETS! - about what publishers are looking for and how to convince them that your books are worth publishing.

The course will include these very important items:
Beginnings!
Middles!
Ends!
Brainstorming!
Characters!
Martine Murray!
Voice!
Sense of Place!
Genre!
Andy Griffiths!
Series!
Short stories!
Drafting and re-drafting. (We'll use our inside voices for this one, just in case we scare anyone off with the idea of drafting and re-drafting and re-drafting and re-draft... oops, we got carried away.)
Secret Publishing Business!

FOURTEEN SESSIONS!
Book Here.
Quick! Sticks!

We got a little shouty there. Forgive us. You might not be paying proper attention and we wanted to make sure you heard us. We don't want you to miss out. DON'T MISS OUT!

BETTER YET - GO HAVE DRINKS!
At Moat, below the Wheeler Centre.
6-9pm. Feb 8

Talk to the people! Ask questions! Imbibe the atmposhere (and the drinks)!

Ask a Silly Question - 2012 edition

2012-01-13T12:47:00.000+11:00

It's the time of year when we sit down to examine the service we provide here at Alien Onion. We ask ourselves important questions. We give ourselves a Performance Review, if you will...

What are our Business Objectives?
To talk about cake and to talk about books.

Are we meeting our Key Performance Indicators?
Have we talked about cake? TICK. Have we talked about books? TICK. Okay, we're good.

Have we birthdayed any new initiatives or sunsetted any poorly performing ones?
Okay, we have no idea what this means. But for birthdays we usually have cake, so we're calling this a pass.

Are our clients getting what they expect from our service?
Well, here we may have fallen down. Because, once again, people have come to Alien Onion searching for something we didn't provide. We'd like to take this opportunity to make that right.

What is the address for YA?
We know it's not 1313 Mockingbird Lane.
It's not 221B Baker Street, London.
Nor is it 221 The Esplanade, St Kilda.
It's probably not Number 1, One End Street.
And we don't think it's The Hundred Aker wood, under the name of Sanders,
or Green Gables, Avonlea, P.E.I., Canada.

It might be somewhere in Forks, Washington.
Or c/- The Hopewell Hotel, New York, NY.

Any mail to District 12, Panem would probably be intercepted, so I wouldn't bother with that.

Did you try 4 Privet Drive, Little Wingeing, Surrey or 12 Grimmauld Place, London?

Or maybe the White Pages?

What is an onion covering called?
A hat? A blanket?

What is the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2011 for?
It is for Shaun Tan, y'all. It is for Shaun Tan!

What type of guinea pig is the nicest?
We like this one:

He's from Beatrix Potter's Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes.

But you might prefer, say, a guinea pig in a dinosaur costume?

Photo via

"Zombie biscuit barrel"
Did you find one? It sounds awesome! Does it say braiiiiinnnns whenever you open the lid?

"Woman's Day articles on Cameron Daddo"
Actually, this is not covered in our Core Business Objectives. So we won't be providing, like, a list of these or anything. But here, this might be worth your while.

What to use instead of cardamom?
You could try cardamon. Many people prefer cardamon.*

The most effective technique Barry Jonsberg has use to engage his audience?
The greatest trick Barry Jonsberg ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. Oh, wait, no, that might have been the Devil.
Perhaps he used the Force? No, wait, that might have been Luke Skywalker.
Was it that he was a shy, clumsy boy who became a handsome young wizard who courageously destroyed the final Horcrux and saved the world? No, perhaps we're thinking of Neville Longbottom.
Okay, so in the spirit of trying to satisfy our clients we concede that the most effective technique Barry Jonsberg has used to engage his audience was ... to write a slew of brilliant books. There. See. We can be helpful.

How to spell marshionnn
You know, you're even colder than the last time you asked.

Does snakes like onion farm?
Lots of open space? Nice rustley onion tops to hide in? Sounds ideal. Why wouldn't snakes like onion farm?

What is the book Singing My Sister Down about?
Okay - so it's about these twin sisters who live in small-town America. Renee and Esme both dream of being pop stars, but when Esme fluffs her audition for SensationMaker USA and only Renee is chosen for the nation-wide singing competition, trouble ensues. Esme vows to do whatever it takes to bring her sister down. When she meets a handsome young warlock, Gerald, who promises to give her the voice of an angel, Esme doesn't hesitate - and soon her debut single is battling with Renee's to be top of the charts. But then Esme discovers the real-life angel, robbed of her voice and languishing in the dungeon of Gerald's semi-detached, and she has to start examining what she has sacrificed for fame. Esme realises she will need her sister's help if she is to restore the angel's voice and bring down the wicked Gerald. Renee is at first resistant - but eventually the sisters realise the most important thing they have is each other. Together they are an unstoppable force for good, and who knows, maybe a duet is just what the market is ready for?

We hope that's all the info you'll need to ace your lit essay on 'Singing My Sister Down'.

----------

So that about wraps up this Alien Onion Performance Review. We will endeavour to meet all your needs in the coming year.**

*Fisticuffs ensue in the House of Onion because of reasons.
** Although keeping this promise is not one of our KPIs.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-11T16:17:00.000+11:00

We have been...

eating ham,
watching the cricket,
marvelling at how there is no one on the tram*,
reading, reading, reading,
hiding from 35-degree heat,
sheltering from massive hailstones**,
and gearing up for a year of very exciting things.

What things, you ask?***
Well, here are just a few key things you can expect more about in 2012.

1) Forget the NBN ****. 2012 is the year of the NGN: a New Garth Nix! Can you believe it? Can you bear to wait until April? Here are some key facts you need to know:

There are ten million princes in the galaxy, but only ONE can become emperor.
Our edition will have a special never-before-published, exclusive-as-all-get-out, awesome-beyond-the-bounds-of-the-known-universe Garth Nix short story.
Yeah you read that right.
The NGN is called A Confusion of Princes.
We will have more to say on This Subject.

2) Lili Wilkinson is bringing it in 2012.
What is she bringing? Well, apart from the home-made tonic water and the honey-and-ginger infused whisky, she is bringing A NEW BOOK IN APRIL. It's called Love-Shy. And here is everything you need to know: girl meets boy meets East Glendale Secondary College Gazette.

3) October will see the third and final volume in the Keepers series by Lian Tanner. Path of Beasts. It is, quite simply, a triumphant conclusion. If the series had to end (and quite frankly I would have been happy reading about Goldie and Toadspit until the crack of doom), then it had to end like this. More on this by-and-by - maybe even a sneak preview of an illustration or two QUITE SOON.

4) Two Words: Margo. Lanagan.
Two more words: Sea. Hearts.
Two further words: Read. It.
Two more further words: No. Really.

And that, friends, is all just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much goodness in the House this year. It's bursting out the doors; it is streaming out the windows; it will flow through this blog at least semi-regularly, because we just can't contain it.

BRING ON 2012!

***SPOILER ALERT***

Also, we will eat cake in 2012.

In fact, the cake eating has already begun. And how!

* Because everyone else is still on holiday. *sob*
** Oh Melbourne, don't ever change.
*** Those of you who aren't at the beach do, anyway.
**** What's that, you already have forgotten it? Sshhhh, we're trying to make a joke.

On the twelfth day of Christmas...

2011-12-21T15:53:00.001+11:00

my true love sent to me...

Fourteen Onions posing,
Twelve steps to penguin,
Ten unsuitable books for teenagers,
One French Hen,
Eight Harry Potters,*
Seven books a-shortlisting,
A bunch of guys a-hugging,
One golden man,
Four posts of funny,
Three months to go!
Two Children's Laureates,
And Santa hats on a brownie!**

* Yes, we KNOW there are only seven books. But there are eight films, and we chose the moment of the eighth film to say our farewells - so eight Harry Potters it is.
** We confess that (sadly) we didn't get to eat the gorgeous Santa-hat brownies as they were made by J-WI in the Mothership, who borrowed the idea from daisy's world who adapted the recipe from Erica's Sweet Tooth.

A Very Onion Christmas - Teen & YA

2011-12-15T11:49:00.001+11:00

O come, all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

O come ye,

O come ye to another Onion Christmas list...

Behold - books that are sure to tempt the teenager in your life...

The Wilful Eye (Tales from the Tower Volume One) & The Wicked Wood (Tales from the Tower Volume Two) Edited by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab

First of all, we'll just give you a moment to be bowled over by the covers of this wondrous pair of tall volumes with their beautiful be-winged women... You won't even have to wrap them - they look almost exactly like Christmas presents already in their red and green finery. Now, on to the stories themselves - how to encapsulate the breathtaking result of combining the forces of a dozen formidable storytellers? Each story is a treat to savour, an escape to a different reality: dark, passionate, bewitching tales of obsession and mystery, and loaded with the remorseless resolution of fairytales. They're kick-arse stories, there's no denying it. Kick. Arse.

Who for? Well, not for the fainthearted! Any fan of fabulous fairytale retelling, aged 16 to 96, will luxuriate in this enchanted collection.

Drink, Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Pearl is your average teenage girl. Partial to car theft and high-speed driving. Confident unicorns DO. NOT. EXIST. And highly flammable in direct sunlight. Which is perfectly normal. For a vampire. Well, that is until a were-unicorn stabs her in the heart with his sparkly horn and her whole vampire world is turned upside-down. Tolerance to sunlight. Sympathy for her victims. Family conflict. High school politics. In other words: T-R-O-U-B-L-E. Twists - tick! Turns - tick! Clever - tick! Entertaining - tick! Funny - tick! Well-played, Ms Durst. Very well-played indeed.

Who for? 12-16 year old girls who are looking to escape into somebody else's life over the Christmas break.

Only Ever Always by Penni Russon

Sometimes a gift is unwrapped, briefly regarded, then cast unceremoniously onto the I-will-never-care-for-that-item pile (otherwise known as ebay). But there are other times when a gift is so loved that you feel you may never be able to part from it - even if it's something you should have grown out of by now. Particularly if it was given to you by someone truly special.

In Only Ever Always, Clare has a music box given to her by her adored Uncle Charlie, and she's not sure she's ready to let it go - even though the intended recipient is Charlie's imminent new baby. Clare wants to cling to the music box, to childhood, for just a little longer. But then Charlie is in a terrible accident - and his life hangs in the balance. In her grief, Clare retreats into dreams and the music box transports her to another place, a broken place, where there is another girl, Clara, who is almost exactly like Clare, who is trying to survive in a broken world. Clare. And Clara. The dreamer and the dreamed.This book will stay with you long after you close the last page.

Who for? Any curious, thoughtful or philosophical reader in your life, especially those aged 12-16, and even more especially if you can sneak it off their Christmas pile - while they are distracted by post-gift-giving activities - and slip away somewhere quiet and curl up to enjoy this beautifully crafted little book.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Warning! If this is the first book you open on Christmas day, you may be in danger of missing Christmas lunch. It is intensely addictive! Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. Set in a crumbling dystopian world, it is the story of 17-year-old Juliette, who possesses inexplicable powers. Electrifying romance. Heart-stopping adventure. IN-CRED-IB-LY high stakes... Now. Anxiously. Awaiting. Sequel!

Who for? 14-18 year old girls who once upon a time may have loved Twilight,* but have moved on to romance in any genre they can find it. Okay, and girls in their 20s. And we *ahem* definitely know girls in their 30s and 40s who would love it...

The Coming of the Whirlpool: Ship Kings 1 by Andrew McGahan

If you're reading this book on a boiling hot Christmas day, you will still shiver as the cold wind the whips down the sand dunes.
If you're surrounded by annoying siblings and too many cousins, you will still feel Dow's solitude in your bones.
If you're reading this in the heart of a continent, you will still smell salt on the breeze and hear the treacherous roar of the ocean in turmoil.
Because Andrew McGahan's writing is so good it will transport you from the Land of Too-much-potato salad to the mysterious world of the Ship Kings. This is a brilliant sea-faring tale - there's blood on the decks and death in the wind. There's a mysterious girl. There's treachery and destiny and following your heart even when it seems impossible. And Dow's adventures are just beginning, so get on board, people.

Who for? 15-18-year-olds, mariners - ancient or otherwise, and Andrew McGahan fans of all ages everywhere.

Taken Away by Celine Kiernan

On Christmas day, when everyone else is snoozing after eating too much,somtimes all you want to do is to escape. So be transported to Ireland. 1974. 15-year-old twin brothers Pat and Dom are living in their seaside holiday house after their demented nan burned down their actual house. It's not the same without all the cousins and aunts and uncles crammed in, and things soon take a turn for the CREEPY.

'It was a boy. Maybe ten years of age. White face. Dark, dark eyes, underscored with deep lines, surrounded with purple shadows...It took a moment for him to register my presence. Then his eyes jumped to mine. I flinched, terrified by the certainty that we'd done this before: me looking up at him; him looking down on me - a solemn-eyed boy of ten, untouched by the wind and rain...'

Who for? 13-16 year-olds and anyone who loves un-put-downable ghost stories, historical mysteries, fabulous characters you can love to pieces, or all of the above.

Sensitive Creatures by Mandy Ord

If you have not yet had the heart-lifting-ly wonderful experience of meeting Mandy Ord's One-Eyed Girl, get thee to a book shop immediately. Read snippets in the store, then buy it and have it expertly wrapped and ready for your favourite someone to enjoy on Christmas day. Mandy is truly special - one of Australia's most exciting young comic artists, and this collection of stories offers an intimate portrait of her attempts to make sense of the world. Herewith rave reviews over at The Book Show, in The Age, twice.

It's about dogs and girlfriends and bums and hoodies and bogans and bearded men and one of our all-time favourites: mean people on trains.

Who for? Comics and graphic novel enthusiasts, Melbourne-reflected-on-the-page enthusiasts, wonder-of-life enthusiasts... and anyone who is inspired by vivid visual storytelling.

Always-and-ever favourites

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson

The Shattering by Karen Healey

Being Here by Barry Jonsberg

The Golden Day By Ursula Dubosarsky

* Yes, dear reader. Contrary to what the interwebs may have you believe, there are, like, eleventy bazillion readers out there who LOVED Twilight - regardless of what they may have said about it in public...

A Very Onion Christmas - younger readers

2011-12-13T14:34:00.002+11:00

We continue our Christmas gift extravaganza with books for younger readers, or, as we like to call them, People Born After Bear Grylls Became the Youngest British Climber to Scale Mount Everest But Before Kanye West Released His First Album.

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!

City of Lies - The Keepers 2 by Lian Tanner

Do not give this book to your young person if you want to see them at all in the days immediately after Christmas. Because once they've begun, finding out what happens to Goldie and Toadspit and Bonnie will wait for no Boxing Day Test; it will wait for no Sydney to Hobart start; it will wait for no visit to Great Auntie Beryl's; it will wait for nothing. The second in the wonderful Keepers series, City of Lies is full of suspense, and invention and new characters - plus the old favourites in a whole new scrape.

Who for? 8-12 year-olds who love to have adventures of their own. And you, if you can prise it out of their hands.

Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees by Odo Hirsch

Everyone loves a bee - and everyone loves a spot of bee dancing. But the bees on the Bell estate are not dancing. They are dying! And we all know what that means... No more honey! No more glorious summer fruits! No more freshly harvested vegetables for Mrs Simpson to make into mouth-watering pies! Darius Bell is determined to get to the bottom of this impending disaster, and he and his friends do so in a completely captivating fashion. Clever co-operation, delightful determination, and stellar storytelling. Delicious from start to finish - just like Christmas dinner.

Buzzwords: bee-rilliant, bee-eautiful, bee-guiling

Who for? 8-12-year-olds, especially those who loved Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool.

Crow Country by Kate Constable

This book. Oh, this book. It's a beautiful thing, inside and out. You want to hold it in your hands; you want to carry it in your heart. Sadie's story is about righting old wrongs, learning new things, getting to know new people and becoming a new person yourself. It's also a roaring good tale with a strong mystery and an amazing sense of place and time. We love it into a million pieces, and hope that lots of kids are lucky enough to find it in their stockings.

Who for? 9-13-year-olds. If you'd give them Playing Beattie Bow, you could give them this.

You Can Draw Anything by Kim Gamble

You may know Kim Gamble from such beautifully illustrated books as the Tashi series. He's a superb artist, and a teacher who can help anyone see the lines and shapes that things are made of, things like tigers. How cool would it be to learn to draw a tiger!

Who for? The member of your family who is always clutching a pencil.

K-Zone Crazy Sports Facts - Extreme Edition by Tony Davis

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle while being attacked by a monkey? Or pedalled a BMX bike off a cliff before popping your parachute? No? Well have you ever had a child read to you from the Guinness Book of World Records while you're trying to cook dinner? That child will want this book.

Who for? Everyone has someone that would eat this up as a post-Christmas-lunch snack before rushing outside for a bracing game of backyard cricket, or an afternoon spent building a jump for their new skateboard. It's also perfect holiday-house reading.

A Very Onion Christmas - picture books

2011-12-07T12:14:00.001+11:00

It's summer here,
so bring on the Christmas cheer!

In the meadow we can build a snowman...
But only if it's made out of something other than, you know, snow.

Baby, it's cold outside...
If by cold, you mean 28 degrees Celsius then, sure, put on a jumper.

The holly and the ivy, when they are in full bloom ...
We don't know when that might be, but it ain't around the summer solstice; I've got some jasmine if that helps.

Here we know that Christmas will be green and bright...
This is getting warmer...

How'd you like to spend Christmas on Christmas island...
Actually not even a little bit. Not even at all. But at least it's geographically in the ballpark.

All I want for Christmas.... is you!
If by "you", you mean "books" we got you covered - right here, right here! Oh this has turned out marvellously.

We begin with a selection for the youngest people.

Bom! Went the Bear by Nicki Greenberg

He's just a small orange bear, carrying a big bass drum, wanting just to play it.
Uh, oh. Giraffes are hitting high notes! Turtles are singing low!
Frogs! On the xylophone! A brass band of black sheep! Tap-dancing pink elephants!
Good grief. It's beginning to look a lot like a school nativity musical around here...
But our little orange drummer bear is at his happiest marching to the beat of his own drum. BOM! BOM! BOM! BOM! BOM!

Who for?* Small people aged 0-4, particularly those who like to sing and dance and make as much music as they can (or not).

Parrot Carrot by Jol and Kate Temple and Jon Foye

This is a book that looks like... ~~a chook, a shepherd's crook, a crochet hook~~, like it's totally hilarious. Because IT IS. It's also supercool and lots of fun to read aloud. And as if that wasn't enough there is an app. AN APP, PEOPLE! LOOK AT HOW AWESOME THIS IS!!

Parrot Carrot Safari from Parrot Carrot on Vimeo.

Who for? The 2-5-year-old hipster in your life.

Lazy Daisy, Busy Lizzie by Mary Ellen Jordan and Andrew Weldon

Come on, how can you resist that big cow on the front cover? That's Daisy, she should eat grass, but she's too lazy. Instead she eats jelly, spoon after spoon, all through the morning to late afternoon. Lucky Daisy! And lucky small person who recieves this brilliant picture book on Christmas morning. (PS It has a puffy cover!)

Who for? Any 2-5-year-old misbehaver you know and love.

Ten Blue Wrens by Elizabeth Honey

This is simply the most beautiful counting book. The pictures are stunning. And only Liz Honey would have you count potoroos, pavlovas and bower-bird treasures.

Who for? Any 4-6 year-old, especially if they live overseas and would love a little bit of Australia - but also extra-especially if they live in Australia and would love to see their own world on the page.

The Little Refugee by Anh Do, Suzanne Do

and Bruce Whatley

It's quite likely that you got or gave a copy of Anh Do's The Happiest Refugee for Christmas last year. The funny, moving, inspirational story of Anh and his family's escape to Australia from war-torn Vietnam has been so loved. This is a beautiful picture-book version. We can't really say it better than Sinead, age 7: 'Awesome. I liked how it was sad in the beginning but it was happy in the end.'

Who for? 4-8-year-olds everywhere.

All the Way to W.A. by Roland Harvey

Uncle Kev is at it again. He went looking for the rare Bearded Night Parrot, but now he's lost and someone has to find him. Roland Harvey is always welcome in a stocking.**

Who for? 6-10-year-olds whose hobbies include: being silly, finding Wally, holidaying with family.

* Well the dedication says it's for Poppy and the baby - who we now know to be the delightful Coco - but they are nicely brought up little girls and I'm sure they are more than willing to share with all small people everywhere.
** He's also a man who appreciates a double entendre. So we thought we'd give him one. (Oh, mercy.)

Friday stuff and items to be thankful for

2011-12-02T12:39:00.001+11:00

People in other parts of the world have been celebrating Thanksgiving.

Here we come, late to the party, but willing to stay late and drink the champagne.

Thank you to all our hardworking designers and typesetters and printers. Without you - the ugly and the unreadable.

Thank you to all the booksellers, especially in a tough market. Without you - the unsold and the unhappy.

Thank you to the teachers and librarians. Without you - the lonely books without their one true reader, the lonely readers without their one true book.*

Thank you to all of the Onions, the ones in the House, in the Mothership, in the UK, in NZ, and on the road. Without you - no cake, no expertise, no support, no shop-talk, no one to complain to, no one to laugh with... no us.

And the hugest of all thanks to our wonderful authors and illustrators. Without you - nothing. Nothing at all. Blank pages. Empty minds. Echoing hearts.

Thank you all!

And while we're in the mood for the thanking.

Thanks to MP at Hardie Grant for drawing our attention to Marcel the Shell with Shoes on.

Thanks to whoever compiled the Christmas Dogs of Flickr.

And thanks to PD James for being the magic combination of brilliant crime writer and passionate Jane Austen scholar.

The Darcys and their guests are preparing to retire for the night when a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley's wild woodland, and as it pulls up, Lydia Wickham, an uninvited guest, tumbles out, screaming that her husband has been murdered.

Who could resist Death Comes To Pemberley after that?

*NB We are in no way suggesting that it's cheating to have many One True Books, even *ahem* at the same time. Racy.

The Gauntlet

2011-11-24T12:41:00.001+11:00

Not content with the harbour, the bridge, the A&U terrace and occasionally dining at Quay, The Mothership now wants a piece of the cake pie*.

And, to be honest, they are doing it right.

SC took it to the next level with a salted caramel cheesecake and caramel sauce. And KB kept it there with a nectarine cake with almond meal.

Ladies and gentleman, I think this just got real...

(pic via juliamarchese flotsam and jetsom)

*Mmmm, cake pie

Tuesday Stuff and Items

2011-11-22T12:44:00.001+11:00

The weather is getting warmer.
There are Christmas decorations on the streets and in the shops.
Social calendars are filling up.
It must be time to get down to some serious planning...

It's not just Father Christmas who makes lists at this time of year. It is our feeling that you can't expect to get the most out of your summer if you don't carefully itemise what you intend to do.

Herewith the beginnings of a list...

1) Watch THIS MOVIE*

Charlize Theron plays a writer of young adult fiction? SOLD!

Also, did you know Diablo Cody is deep in development of a Sweet Valley High movie?? *squeals*
Will they cast real twins to play Jessica and Elizabeth? Or will they pull the s tarring-Hayley-Mills-and-Hayley-Mills routine, also known as the Winklevoss Ploy.

2) Go to TJUKURRTJANU - Origins of Western Desert Art at the Ian Potter.

3) Read ALL THE BOOKS.
A nice, gentle, easily achievable goal this one.

4) Swim.

5) Swim.

6) Eat.**

7) Watch trailers for the Hunger Games movie as they are released. Comment loudly to anyone who will listen about what we think are the likely pros and cons (based on 2.36 mins of footage and some magazine articles).***

8) Devise (and consume) literature-inspired cocktails.

The Anne
2 parts Marilla's best current wine
1 part vodka
lemonade
Garnish with carrot tops.
If you're going to set your friends drunk, you might as well do it in style.

The Margo Lanagan
1 part champagne
1 part Gosling's Black Seal Rum
ice
Slice of lime or scattering of fresh sea wrack.
If you drink enough of them, you too will be seeing selkies.

The Fantasy shaker
1 flagon of mead (butterbeer will do in a pinch)
2 shots whisky
A dash of ichor
Serve with Lembas or whole suckling pig.

The Justine Larbalestier
Assemble a basic Manhattan.
Serve in a Vegemite glass in front of the cricket.****

The Renesmee
Pour tomato juice over ice cubes.
As you drink, crunch the ice between your teeth to simulate Bella's cracking ribs.
Make sure you put the empty glass in the dishwasher before your best friend can imprint on it. Cos that would be awkward.

What's on your list of things to do over summer?

* NB Australian release dates may make this *ahem* seemingly impossible. But we're with the US Army Corp of Engineers on this.
** At least an hour after swimming.
*** Pros: Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, the look of the thing, the vibe of the thing, Prim, Rue, Effie, Katniss, Peter. Cons: Gale
**** Good work, Pat Cummins!

The Onions Go To Sydney

2011-11-21T14:08:00.001+11:00

Do you get disconcerted when characters you know in one setting move away from their familiar spheres?

Like when Kate Ruggles, who usually resides at Number 1, One End Street, spends a whole book on holiday at the Dew Drop Inn.

Or instead of returning to the Lake District, the Swallows and Amazons relocate to Hamford Water.

Or when the characters in Friends appear somewhere other than their apartments or Central Perk.

Well, hang on to your hats, because in this episode of Alien Onion, we leave The House behind and take a trip to Sydney...

Last week we attended our annual Editorial Conference where we recharge our editorial batteries, are apprised of new and exciting publishing industry items, and spend time with the wonderful Onions who inhabit the Mothership.

Garth Nix gave a fabulous talk about telling stories and writing fantasy. (And he also gave us chocolates, so he's invited back any time.)

We participated in excellent discussions on copyediting and structural editing with Nan McNab.

Nicola O'Shea shared very useful thoughts on editing onscreen.

We talked ebooks, and discount department stores, and pathways to becoming a publisher.

And then, ladies and gentleman, we ate delicious food in front of this view:

Thank you, AH, for organising such a terrific day of listening and learning and talking... and eating, lots of lovely eating.

And thank you, Sydney - the jacarandas were blooming, the air was soft, the views were spectacular and the people friendly. We can't wait to come again!

But for now you'll find us happily back at the House - our One End Street, our Wildcat Island, our Central Perk.
Where, of course, there is cake.

Every good weep-fest deserves cake

2011-11-14T11:44:00.001+11:00

It's not every cake that features a drop shadow...

Happy birthday, FL!

And excellent cake-makery, SB!

'All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story.' - Karen Blixen

2011-11-10T15:09:00.000+11:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged that sometimes we all crave a little bit of comfort crying. Holly Hunter as Jane Craig in Broadcast News certainly knew it.

And every avid reader knows it too. We have touched on this topic before, but this time we decided to poll the Onions about which books made them weep, or sob, or at least caused a single tear to slide down their cheek. And we were well-rewarded!

Be prepared people. Sad stuff happens - which is our way of saying
*spoiler alert*.

You have been warned.

Herewith our list of fifteen titles to weep by:

1) The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

There are many teary moments in the HIS DARK MATERIALS books. Lyra leaving Pan behind. Poor little Roger. The sad/sweet ending. But it was the death of Lee Scoresby and Hester that made me weep and weep. I'm weeping now just thinking about it. 'She pressed her little proud broken self against his face, as close as she could get, and then they died.' *SOB*. One of the very comforting things about having a Daemon would be the knowledge that you would not have to face your death alone. (And then, and this is not a sentence one writes every day, I felt a lot better once Iorek Byrnison has eaten Lee's dead body.)

2) Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Those in the House will know that I have always found it difficult to enthuse over books where the romantic protagonists are more than a few years apart in age. So who knew that a book about a girl falling in love with a man old enough to be her grandfather could touch me so deeply and make me weep copious buckets of tears over Louise's oh-so-unfair life. And weep again at her ultimate acceptance of her life and, if not happiness then contentment with it. Sob.

3 & 4) The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier & The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy

It's strange, because I know I cried over books, but the only two I can really remember (and that's probably because I returned to the weepy parts again and again, when I needed to weep) were when the children in THE SILVER SWORD had to leave their faithful dog on the German shore of Lake Geneva when they escaped to Switzerland and when the horse Midnight was found and an acorn planted at the end of THE CHESTRY OAK. I would say animals definitely jerked my tears more than people.

When I was a teacher I found an old class set of THE SILVER SWORD. I gave it to a group of naughty low-literacy Year 9 boys to read, thinking they would enjoy the war theme. Unfortunately, I had completely forgotten that all through the book, Jan's precious rooster is referred to as 'Jan's cock.'

5) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

6) Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren

I will never, ever forget reading the story of Pippi Longstocking's father. I'd opened my book the second I hopped into my mum's car for the ride home that afternoon, and when we arrived, I was too engrossed to move; the doors slammed shut around me and I sat there in the car-warmth reading and reading.

And by the time I got to That Bit, it was almost too dark to see, and I didn't just cry - I WAILED aloud in bereft solidarity through the entire scene... That peculiar sensation of genuinely devastating yet still somehow half-enjoyed tragedy has never left me.

7) Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

A friend's daughter was not just distraught but profoundly shocked when Ginger died of neglect and mistreatment in BLACK BEAUTY. There was the grief at the death of BB's friend, but also the shock of something BAD happening to a good character: this was probably the first time she had encountered this. I remember that: it does feel like a betrayal, to be led through hundreds of pages of delight, and then felled by a cruel plot twist.

8) Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

One of my fondest memories of my littlest sister was finding her completely distraught one day, over a book I had never heard of.

"What's wrong, Kathy?"

"It's the BOOOOOOK!"

"Oh dear. What happened?"

"Charlotte DIED!"

"Oh no. That's very sad. Who was Charlotte?"

"A-a-a-a S-S-SPI-I-I-DER!!!!"

(Somewhat taken aback and at a loss for words) "A spider! Is the whole book about a spider?!"

"Yes, and Wilbur. Charlotte SAVED Wilbur!!"

(OK - thinking we might get to the human story now) "And who was Wilbur?"

"A-a-a-a P-P-P-PIG!!!!"

Kathy then collapsed completely, well beyond the reach of my meagre comforting skills.

9)Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

When I began working at a publishing house, I was introduced to TUCK EVERLASTING. Even though I am now a grown up, I can and, when necessary, do reduce myself to gasping sobs any time of the night or day by reading the last chapter. It's probably a good thing I didn't encounter this book as a child.

10) Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner

No sooner is Judy all recovered from her adventures and reunited with her huge family than she is killed by a falling tree in a stunning early lesson about the randomness and unfairness of the universe. That is all.

[I didn't cry, but it made me shocked and angry and upset because it seemed so wrong. Why couldn't it be some minor character we hadn't got to know much? Why couldn't the General just die and allow for a spell of decent mourning as a plot element? But I love the book anyway.]

11) A Patch of Blue by Elizabeth Kata

For Year 10 English, I read A PATCH OF BLUE and I wept and wept - so much so that I was recently surprised to find my dog-eared copy is not at all tear-stained, just yellowed with age and a little brittle in the bindings, but holding together nicely courtesy of its clear plastic covering and liberally applied sticky tape.

There was a film as well, and our whole year level was to be shown it as a special treat - but some of the Year 10 boys made inappropriate remarks in the opening ten minutes and the viewing was cancelled. And I wept again.

12) The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

13) Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery

War books. It's always the war books - and war films - that move me to tears and beyond. I think it's the sheer WASTE of young men. It's the UNFAIRNESS. This is especially poignant in books written in the interwar period, where the hope that all those boys gave their lives for everlasting peace - that it was the war to end all wars - has not yet been proved a lie.

RILLA OF INGLESIDE was one of the first books I read that brought this home to me. The death of Walter - the most Anne-like of all Anne's children - in action at Courcelette had me prostrate on the couch for hours. As soon as I read the title of the chapter - 'Little Dog Monday Knows' - I knew too. And I almost couldn't read on. LM Montgomery had known for ages. She had been preparing us for this moment since she introduced us to Walter as a young boy in ANNE OF INGLESIDE.*

Walter was smiling in his sleep as someone who knew a charming secret. The moon was shining on his pillow through the bars of the leaded window ... casting the shadow of a clearly defined cross on the wall above his head. In long after years Anne was to remember that and wonder if it were an omen of Courcelette ... of a cross-marked grave 'somewhere in France'.

But I was young. I didn't KNOW what that meant. I'd never HEARD of Courcelette. I didn't think she could mean THIS.

I WASN'T PREPARED.

And then, of course, I bawled again when Jem comes home, and old and arthritic Dog Monday becomes, ' a young pup, gone clean mad with rejuvenating joy.' Brave, uncomplicated Jem. Faithful, loving Dog Monday. AND NO WALTER.

14) A Necklace of Raindrops by Joan Aiken

A student at the Faber Academy event on the weekend mentioned A NECKLACE OF RAINDROPS, and I screamed aloud, because I was obsessed with it as a child and used to go to the primary school library at least once a week and read it cover to cover. One time I got in trouble at school and was sent to the library as punishment and I took this book to the corner and read it while I cried... Did you read it, too?

15) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

One word: Manchee.

------------------------------

Deep breath. And another. That sound you hear, dear reader; that sound is stifled sniffling. After such a list, it is most tempting to give in to the call of the comfort reads and curl up on the couches downstairs and weep our way though the afternoon. But alas, we cannot. We have WORK to do. Sigh. But if you have time to curl up away from the world, do let us know so we can at least indulge in a little vicarious comfort weeping.

*UPDATED TO ADD*
I have just discovered that Anne of Ingleside was published 18 years after Rilla of Ingleside. It didn't occur to me that they weren't written in chronological order. It must have been so bittersweet for LM to be writing that golden childhood after having written the war, the pain, the death.

The editor's cut

2011-11-03T14:48:00.000+11:00

This one time, there was jelly slice in a manuscript.

But the manuscript was set in Queensland, where the jelly wouldn't.

Set that is.

Or maybe the whole thing would melt. Anyway it would be a disaster.

And so a difficult decision was made:

NO JELLY SLICE.

But the Cake-maker Virtuoso just couldn't let it go. She had jelly slice on her mind.

Figuratively.

What follows is an exclusive cut scene, an outtake, a special-features reel.

Isn't it beautiful, the way it wobbles...

the way it refracts the light...

So beautiful, so wobbly, so refracty. And just a little bit illicit.

Bootleg jelly slice - the best kind.

Fictions on the Field IV

2011-10-31T10:22:00.001+11:00

Greetings from the skeleton crew staffing the House of Onion today. Sensible people took a long weekend, but here we are - pottering around, sending books to the printer, amusing ourselves.

Horses you would bet on in the 2011 Melbourne Cup if it were...

A Georgette Heyer novel:

Fox Hunt
Precedence
Lost in the Moment

A Hornblower novel:

Drunken Sailor

A novelisation of Casablanca:

Americain

A Roddy Doyle novel:

Shamrocker

A French farce:

Moyenne Corniche
Red Cadeaux
Glass Harmonium
At First Sight

A picture book:

Illo

An epic fantasy:

Older Than Time
Hawk Island
Niwot
Manighar

A PD James novel:

Unusual Suspect

A letter from Maria Shriver to her ex-husband:

Verminator

A pamphlet on what to expect if you are a passenger grounded by Qantas:

Tullamore

So, here's to the race that stops a nation. BOM reports that it's likely to be one for the Rain Lovers, so Think Big in terms of wet weather wear, may your champagne be sourced from a Vintage Crop, may your fluttering be Efficient, not Shocking and your day be entirely Tawrrific.

The Festival of Lies

2011-10-26T09:55:00.000+11:00

Deception is everywhere.
Trust no one...

This trailer is totally boring. It won't set your heart racing at all. We highly recommend you don't watch it.

Also, avoid this game like the plague.

It doesn't feature any of Sebastian's beautiful illustrations,

and is not at all fun; so why would you bother?

And don't these two books look rubbish side by side?

Soo whatever you do, don't go and buy City of Lies.

It contains no adventure to speak of. Goldie just sits around doing nothing, and Toadspit and Bonnie are never in any danger at all. Broo goes on vacation, and Morg spends the whole book feathering her nest.

What's that? Oh no - there's certainly no Slommerkin stalking the corridors of the Museum.

I don't know where you heard that.

*yawn*

Isn't it terribly tedious that City of Lies is in your local bookshop right now?

Oh, also...

2011-10-20T13:52:00.001+11:00

We ate this:

Those are candied rose petals, y'all. CANDIED ROSE PETALS.

Because it was A Very Special Someone's Very Special Birthday.

Happy birthday, VSS!

-------------------------------------

And also, also, this is funny:

Where we've been

2011-10-18T17:43:00.000+11:00

We have been...

Doing this:

(so has Karen Healey)

Savouring this:

Eating these:

Admiring these:

Waiting for this:

Knitting this:

Laughing at this:

But mostly doing a lot of this:

We will be back to regularly scheduled programming soon!

So it's Grand Final eve...

2011-09-30T10:40:00.000+10:00

No one here but us cats.

Now THIS, this is how a biscuit barrel ought to look

2011-09-26T10:35:00.000+10:00

I'm Still Awake, Still - still!

2011-09-23T13:09:00.000+10:00

A story can be told a million ways.

You can sing it.

You can write it

You can read it aloud.

You can paint it.

You can play it.

You can use puppets and pianos and actors and musicians.

Here is Elizabeth Honey telling the story of taking I'm Still Awake, Still! from song, to page to stage, in gorgeous pictures...

Still Awake, Still!

Fairfax Studio, The Arts Centre

28 September - 2 October

Take the kids.

Take the grandparents.

Take the neighbours.

Take the neighbours' kids and grandparents.

Take everyone!*

* Probably not the dog though. Leave the dog at home, lest it get overexcited by all the joyous rumbustification.

I'm Still Awake, Still

2011-09-21T12:20:00.001+10:00

In a cream-coloured house

with an upstairs

and a downstairs

lived Rosalind the Publisher

and her bunch of Onions.

Rosalind was tall and busy and thoughtful.

When she heard an editor singing

in the kitchen one day, she said,

'Time for a choir now, don't you think, Onions?'

'Good idea,' said Sue the Editor.

Sue the Singer thought so too.

'But I need some lyrics,' she said.

'Who'll write me some words for drifting and dreaming?'

So Elizabeth, the Artist and Author

dreamed up something wonderous

and sang about it in her head.

And Rosalind and Elizabeth and Sue-times-two

danced the songs

and the words and the pictures

around and around

until they become a beautiful book and CD.

'I'm still inspired, still,' called the creators to each other.

So they scooped up their ideas

and waltzed them all the way

to the Melbourne Arts Centre.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Jump Leads

presents

the absolutely gorgeous

totally unmissable

world premiere performance of

Still Awake, Still!

Just in time for the school holidays!

Where: Fairfax Studio, the Arts Centre

When: 28 September to 2 October,
11am & 1.30 pm each day

You can book here: www.theartscentre.com.au/kids

Stay tuned tomorrow for some of the behind-the-scenes story*

of how this idea was developed from song, to page, to stage.

* Told with some never-before-seen Liz Honey artwork - aww yeah, that's right, we give you the good stuff!

Touching the Void

2011-09-20T12:01:00.001+10:00

We have been without the internet for seven working days. Seven whole days!

It has been HARD. We were almost BROKEN. But we are back now. And we are stronger for it - and we can look back on that time and see it for what it was, and what it did to us.

In the netherworld of internetlessness, we became disconnected, isolated; the walls of the House were closing in on us. It was as though we had been transported back to the early nineties.*

We lost sight of who we were, and what we were here for.

Through this time of extreme deprivation we turned for comfort to the tradition of oral storytelling. We lit a fire in an old washing machine tub that someone dragged in from the street. We stoked it with whatever we had to hand.**

We sat around and told stories about what it was like in the old days - BI. Before Internet...

----------------------------------------------------

Smoke curls up to the high ceiling. Flickering light reflects off the grizzled faces of FOUR EDITORS gathered around the burning brazier.

EDITOR ONE sharpens a pencil straight into the flames.

EDITOR TWO wears fingerless gloves and cradles a cup of tea in both hands.

EDITOR THREE: When I were a student, there weren't no access to the university library from home. You had to stir your stumps and trudge in to campus to check source or citation. We learned right quick to keep careful notes for bibilography. IF we knew what were good for us.

EDITOR TWO: Right you are, Three. I remember when I were just a wee editor. Only dictionary was hardcopy. By my life, but that thing was 'eavy. And no searchable text, if you please. Lord alone knows how we got anything done.

EDITOR ONE: Sharpening pencil down to the nub. Mumbles softly to herself. No Wikipedia. No Macquarie online.*** No Google maps. No Google. No Google. No Google. Nowt. Nowt. Nowt. Nowt.

EDITOR THREE: Hands EDITOR ONE a slice of cake.

EDITOR ONE: Stuffs cake in her mouth - cutting off her stream of words.

EDITOR FOUR: I heard tell of summat called a CD ROM. Can anyone tell me what manner of thing that might be?

EDITOR TWO: Wisht! We don't speak of the Fell Beast Encarta in these parts. You'll hold your tongue if you know what's good for you.

EDITOR FOUR: Well I know for sure and certain, tweren't no way to watch a bulldog ride a skateboard from the comfort of your own 'umble desk, now was there? Not with all the goodwill in the world.

ALL EDITORS: Mumbled agreement.

EDITOR THREE: Say if I wanted to check how long it would take to walk from Central Park to Bleecker Street, but I were on tother side of world. What would I have done then? I'll tell you what. I would have got on a plane and flown all th' way to New York and walked it myself, that's what. We knew what it meant to edit in those days.

EDITOR ONE: Mumbling again. No Google. No Google. No Google. No Google.

EDITOR THREE: Speaking over EDITOR ONE's mumbling. And what would I do if I needed to check how an author was getting along with revising her manuscript? Well I wouldn't visit her blog, anyhow. And no more would I read her Twitter stream or her Facebook page. No, I would have rung her on the telephone, as God intended. So I would.

EDITOR TWO: I've got a poser for you. Does anyone know how I might have gone about checking the copyright status of a short poem by a little-known Chilean poet? Riddle me that.

ALL EDITORS remain silent. EDITOR FOUR throws another book on the fire. The silence deepens.

EDITOR ONE: Whispers very quietly. No Google. No Google. No Google. No Google.

The smoke from the fire thickens and obscures the faces of the EDITORS.

Fade to black.

----------------------------------------------------

Dear Internet,

Never leave again.

Much much much love,

Onions

* The horror! The horror!
** Don't worry _insert name here_, we certainly didn't burn any copies of YOUR book.
*** Oh www.macquariedictionary.com.au, we missed you especially. *smooches* *smooches again*

Everybody in the House...

2011-09-08T10:35:00.000+10:00

... come on and let me hear you say OH HO!

OH HO!

Barry Jonsberg's Being Here won the Queensland Premier's Young Adult Book Award!

From the judges report: This is an intriguing psychological drama about a girl whose childhood is blighted... there is a gripping contemporary framing narrative where the girl, now an elderly resident of a nursing home, is visited by 16 year old Carly. These sections are beautifully crafted, Mrs Cartwright's acerbic comments to Carly are often very humorous, and the relationship which develops between them is warm and moving. This is a most impressive novel which stays with, and haunts the reader long after it concludes.

Everybody in the House,

come on and let me hear you say HO HO

HO HO!

Kirsty Murray's India Dark won the NSW Premier's Young People's History Award!

From the judges report: Through its two narrators, 15-year-old Tilly Sweetrick and 13-year-old Poesy Swift, this excellent historical novel for teenagers, tells the extraordinary story of a troupe of child performers aged seven to 18 years, touring with Percival's Lilliputian Opera Company through South East Asia and India in the first decade after Federation.

Everybody in the House,

come on and let me hear you say OH HO

OH HO

Kate De Goldi's The 10pm Question won the Corine International Book Prize, Young Readers Award!

From the judges report: A book to give people new heart - a book to prove that you are only alone with your problems if you don't talk about them.

Everybody in the House,

come on and let me hear you say HO HO HO

HO HO HO

I'm a take this groove and slam

flip it how we want it flipped

from da back to the front when I drops me the manuscript

cuz I got da moves and I'm always done ma flow

wid da crazy crazy grooves

so tell mecan ya feel da mad skills comin'

wid da fever, fever, FEVER!

Fabulous work, Barry, Kirsty and Kate!!!

Voices in the vibrating air...

2011-09-01T17:00:00.000+10:00

history // (say 'histree), // (say 'histuhree)
1. the branch of knowledge dealing with past events.
2. the record of past events, especially in connection with humankind.
3. a continuous, systematic written narrative, in order of time, of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc.
4. the aggregate of past events.
5. a past worthy of record or out of the ordinary:

Definition courtesy of our ever-helpful friends at Macquarie Online.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ah, History at high school, I remember you. I remember struggling from Mesopotamia, through the Vikings to early Australia and world wars and sinking ships. I remember making timelines and drawing maps, trying valiantly to find interest in the social, economical and political aspects of long dead lives, learning facts that oddly lodged forever in my memory - of King John signing the Magna Carta in a meadow in 1215, and the importance of the angles when the arrows were aimed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

But, History, do not be fooled. We were not friends in high school. And the first chance I had, I dumped you unceremoniously to pursue other more alluring interests. Never again, said I. Which I concede, in hindsight, may have been a little hasty.*

I wish I had stumbled onto a love of history a little earlier. I wish I had been able to to see it not as dry and dull facts and figures and timelines punctuated by an occasionally exciting angle of arrows, but, as Ruby Murray so eloquently writes, as: 'stories, the sound of the voices already dead but caught in the vibrating air..'

Ruby's wonderful post was inspired by her reading of India Dark by Kirsty Murray.**

Ruby says:

It's set in turn of the century India, and follows the lives of a group of child performers as they make their way across the dusty continent, dancing and singing over the clapped out stages of a crumbling colonial world. It's a brave book, with no sugar coating. But it's also a book that reminded me of the importance of writing history where it happens, outside of the normal tread and grind and cliche of historical record.

Hear! Hear! We concur. This is indeed something to celebrate. And celebrations for India Dark are exactly what's in order. Delighted we are that it is a finalist in the NSW Premier's History Award Finalist for the Young People's History Prize.

Congratulations, Kirsty. Here's to history in all its liveliness. Here's to wishing I had your books to read when I was in high school. Here's to bringing to life those voices already dead but caught in the vibrating air.

* Ahem. Hello, Bachelor of Arts in History &English.
** A hugely talented family all round, the Murrays!

Friday Stuff and Items

2011-08-26T11:07:00.003+10:00

1) Everyone likes to make a good first impression, don't they? Of course they do! And we all know not to judge a book by its cover, don't we? Except, of course, when it comes to, you know, actually judging books. So in the spirit of satisfying all your cover judging needs, we are delighted to introduce you to First Impressions - a tumblr to tickle the fancy of cover-coveters across the land.

Be sure to check out the interview with the wonderful Zoe Sadokierski who is once again making us look good with her cover designs for The Wilful Eye and The Wicked Wood.

2) Everyone likes a writer's festival, don't they? The MWF successfully launched itself into a literary love-fest last night with a keynote by Jonathan Franzen and continues until 4 September. So get thee to an event to hear all those clever and charming authors saying all those interesting, enlightening, inspiring things, all those moments for mingling, all those wonderful books to be bought and signed by your favourite author, all those opportunities to call for an end to that silly talk about the death of the book...

3) Everyone loves Shaun Tan. No really, everyone in the universe seems to love Shaun Tan. Clever everyone. The Hugo Awards are the latest people to appreciate his talents. They gave him the Best Professional Artist award!

You can share the Shaun-love at the 'amazing live "sonic-scape"' of the Arrival. That's tonight, people. Tonight! And there are still some tickets available. Quick sticks!

4) And everyone loves a shortlisting. Yes, yes, they do. We particularly love the shortlisting of The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky and Being Here by Barry Jonsberg in the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards. Most excellent news. Hurrahs for Ursula and Barry!

5) And everyone loves warm sunny days in Melbourne in August.*

via http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/weather_page.htm

* Well, perhaps not quite everyone, but we suspect that even those strange people who adore the wintry Melbourne weather have found a way to feel the weather-love this week, but never fear, winter-o-philes, the grey skies are back just in time for the weekend. Sigh.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...

2011-08-23T17:25:00.005+10:00

... to bring you a special tribute.

Today, Cameron Mooney announced that he will be retiring from the Geelong Football Cl ub at the end of this season.

We knew it was coming - but hearing him say it is different matter. There were sniffles in the House of Onion.*

Mooooooooney

Moondog

Moo

The Big Hairy Cat

He goes by a lot of names. He was suspended for a lot of matches.

He grew a lot of hair and kicked a lot of goals.

He brought energy and passion and toughness to the club.

And he brought the love; Mooney always brought the love.

Here he is sharing the love with Gary.

Here he is sharing the love with Steve.

Here he is sharing the love with Matthew.

Here he is sharing the love with Wojo, Jimmy and a Big Hairy Seal.

Here he is sharing the love with Alan Didak.

Here he is sharing the love with Brenton after Geelong lost That Horrible 2005 Semi-final when Horrible Nick Davis kicked all those Horrible Goals.**

And here he is sharing the love with his son after winning the 2009 Grand Final.

Oh Mooney - we'll miss you! Thank you for everything.

* To be strictly honest, most denizens of the House were sniffle free. Most Onions don't even know who Cameron Mooney is - but the two who do care enough for everyone. (And if denizens of the House don't like it we'll jumper-punch you a few times, then hug you after the game.)

** It's okay Moons - only two years until you win a flag. We are Geelong.

O, speak of that; that do I long to hear

2011-08-19T12:58:00.008+10:00

All the way back in April we were holding our breath and hoping in the lead up to the announcement of the CBCA announcements for 2011. And we were delighted to see a whole host of Onion books on the shortlists and the notables lists.

And today, what ho! we have a winner!

We are thrilled that Nicki Greenberg's Hamlet has been announced joint winner, along with Jeannie Baker's Mirror, as the Picture Books of the Year. Yes, thrilled we are!

Hooray for Hamlet!

From the Judges report:

Nicki Greenberg has created an extraordinary and colourful graphic novel as the reader becomes a participant in a sumptuous interpretation of Shakespeare's enigmatic play 'staged on the page'.

But wait, there's more.

Honour book: Early Childhood Book of the Year 2011

The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies by Tom Niland Champion, Kilmeny Niland & Deborah Niland

From the judges report:

A delightful mix of silliness and cleverness characterises this charming and amusing picture book, which is both a counting book and absurd fantasy. Exuberant, yet deceptively simple illustrations are full of colour & verve.

Honour Book: Early Childhood Book of the Year 2011

Look See, Look at Me! by Leonie Norrington & Dee Huxley

From the judges report:

Fluid, assured illustrations, reflecting the vastness and beauty of the Outback, enhance and complement Norrington's affectionate text. The brisk pace of the rhythmic text is matched by the energy and glowing colour of the illustrations.

Honour Book: Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

Drawn from the Heart by Ron Brooks

From the judges report:

Ron Brooks, one of Australia's most highly regarded picture-book makers, has produced a superb memoir. His detailed and sometimes highly personal accounts further enhance our appreciation of the wonderful books he has written and illustrated.

So hoorays and hurrahs for Nicki, Tom, Kilmeny, Deborah, Leonie, Dee and Ron.
HOORAYS and HURRAHS!

Congratulations to all the other winners and honour books - and to all the creators whose books are on the shortlists and notables lists. Many congratulations.

Summer days, drifting away...

2011-08-17T09:42:00.008+10:00

It has come to our attention that while we are enduring the final weeks of the winter months, a goodly number of people on the other side of the world are celebrating summer - and the joys of the long summer holiday.

Thoughts of summer are particularly appealing at the end of August in the antipodes. This Onion turned twelve in the summer between primary school and secondary school. What a wonderful time of freedom it was. A few weeks at the beach where all the kids in the caravan park were allowed to disappear together for hours at a time, swimming, rockpooling, playing in the tea-tree thickets of the butterfly wood, expeditioning to the top shop for ice-creams, sneaking off to the back beach with the older kids when we thought no one would ever find out...

Then the end of January brought my twelfth birthday and the last long, lazy summer days - spent at the pool, or sunbaking on top of the old train engine that had found it's final resting place in the local public playground, or riding bikes at speed down the pool hill, or long-into-the-evening barbeques on the shores of the lake out of town with a companionable clutch of local families.

That summer had a special quality to it. A sense of ending, and a sense of beginning. Those primary school days were done. It would be six years until I was one of the 'big kids' in a school ground again.* Who knew what the move to secondary school would mean? All I knew for sure was that I had a longer ride on the bus, and that, like my brother, my house colours would be yellow. Not much to go on really.

The final week before school started was a frenzy of getting fitted for a new uniform, trying to wear-in stiff new school shoes after six weeks of summer feet, buying new school supplies and carefully covering in collage and contact the brand new folders, putting the brand new pens and pencils and sharpeners and erasers in a brand new pencil case, peppering my brother with questions about what high school was like.**

But one of the best things about that summer was what a lot of time there was for reading whatever I liked: on the beach with sand between my toes (and between every page of the book), in the cool shade of the tea-tree forest, on the well-watered green lawns by the pool, on layers of towels to protect me from the scalding heat of the sun-baked metal on the top of the train engine, in the fading light by the lake, speed-reading to finish a book before the sun finally set. And then the following day, scouring the bookcases for the next book to read.

So in the spirit of the summer of turning twelve, here are twelve books, in no particular order, that would have been on my reading list had I turned twelve in a much more recent summer:

1: Only Ever Always by Penni Russon

2: Sunny Side Up by Marion Roberts

3: Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

4: Cicada Summer by Kate Constable

5: Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

6: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

7: Diamond Spirit by Karen Wood

8: Once by Morris Gleitzman

9: All the titles in the Girlfriend Fiction series

9 3/4: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling***

10: Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery***
11: Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park***
12: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

* Clearly this was wishful thinking. As the future unfolded it became clear that height was not my strong suit, and I was, in fact, never to be a big kid in a school ground again. Sigh.

** Clearly another case of wishful thinking. Everybody knows Year 9 boys speak a different language to the rest of the species. And barely speak at all to their younger sisters.

*** Clearly these three titles have been available for many summers now, but if we were twelve now and we hadn't read them, they should definitely be on the list. (Also, let it be known that the Onion helping out with this list suggests Emily not Anne in deference to her colleague's well-documented anti-Anne stance.)

Spotted in the House

2011-08-11T14:40:00.001+10:00

A whole host of brand-spanking-new advances!

One of these books is a funny, thought-provoking fable.

One of these books HAS A PUFFY COVER!*

One of these books is a collaboration between an amazing artist and one of our very own (very talented) Onions!

One of these books is a compelling time-slip tale that is made of pure, pure awesome.

One of these books is the fourth in a much-loved, fabulously charming series.

One of these books is a cake.**

* It's also a funny, cheerful, perfect read-aloud picture book for the very young, but, you know, PUFFY COVER.

**A sesame chiffon cake, if you please.

Hot August Nights

2011-08-05T12:01:00.002+10:00

It was 20 degrees at midnight the night before last. 20 de-flippin-grees.

People have been reporting sleeplessness all across town. Even correspondents in the UK have been complaining of the same, so clearly this Melbourne mid-winter heatwave is infecting the ENTIRE WORLD.

Well, if you just happen to be awake in the wee smalls, you could always steal those precious moments and read a brand new book. A book born in August will surely understand and soothe your discombobulation.

No doubt it will shock and amaze you to hear that we have some suggestions...

Only Ever Always by Penni Russon

The title sounds like a lullaby doesn't it?
Feel the tug of the story, the flow between worlds. Be borne away by the writing and the rhythm. Penni's brand new novel is a moving, challenging, immersive, beautiful reading experience. Okay, so Only Ever Always won't pull you into sleep so much as pull you compulsively through to the very end. But on the plus side you won't be worried about your insomnia anymore.

Let's Go Baby-O! by Janet & Andrew McLean

Let's Go, Baby-o! You and me! To the up, to the down and the turn around, to the wibble and the wobble, and the flip, flop hop. Then twist, twirl, whirrrl...
So this one's not exactly soporific either. But the illustrations are so totally gorgeous, you won't care! Cha-cha-cha.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C Stead and Erin E Stead

A legitimate bed-time book! A legitimate Caldecott Medal-winning bed-time book. Can't you feel poor sick Amos and his helpful zoo friends lulling you to sleep? We can feel it from here - so there's no use denying it. I think somebody's a bit tired.

The Road To Goonong by David Cox

'The most important thing,' my dad said, 'is to learn to fall off a horse. And the next most important thing is to get straight back on the horse that threw you.'
Ahem. That doesn't really sound very restful either, but if you turn your mind to country life of old, and long dusty journeys by horse and cart, and blacksmiths at work with their hammers and anvil, and timber-cutters felling the big ironbarks, and cow-milking and horse-riding and dashing down the dark track to the toilet way out the back, you'll be so exhausted from all that country-living that you're sure to be asleep before your head hits the pillow. Well at least until the howling dingoes and wailing curlews start making an almighty racket.

A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon

There's nothing quite as good as folding up into a book and shutting the world outside. If I pick the right one I can be beautiful, or fall in love, or live happily ever after. Maybe even all three. If you can't get a boy, get a book, that's my motto.

Sound advice. Get thee to a bookery. This book won't keep you awake with snoring and it won't steal the covers - but it just might steal your heart, or at least creep in close and snuggle up against it.

Sensitive Creatures by Mandy Ord

This might be a book for night-owls-by-choice. It's a book to read on the late train, to refer to in the pub, to comfort you as you work deep into the night. Shaun Tan says it's a book about 'the small crises of daily life, the ink-cluttered streets, the pockets of joy and ugliness.' And Shaun Tan is an Oscar-winner - so he knows about stuff like this.

Enjoy the heat while it lasts, Melburnians. We feel a change in the air. Luckily, all these August books will be just as beneficial when applied on cold winter days.

Wednesday stuff and items

2011-08-03T14:58:00.004+10:00

We've got our heads down round here at the moment. And not in the let's-play-heads-down-thumbs-up-because-there-nothing-else-to-do kind of way. More in the peering-at-our-to-do-lists-through-barely-parted-fingers kind of way.

So here are some things for you to be going on with.

1) Look at the gorgeous Harry Potter cakes over at Cakes Wrecks.

2) Learn how to draw a bunny. In order to do this, you will need to understand the bunny.

3) Worry about how clean, and well-fed, and shiny-haired and beefy Gale looks* in this Entertainment Weekly article.

4) Marvel at the fact that it's 23 degrees in Melbourne today! In winter! 23! One editor was seen about town at lunchtime WITHOUT HER COAT. Imagine!

5) Laugh at this XKCD cartoon, for it is genius.

6) That is all. Back to work.

*Or is that just us?

There's a cake in there...

2011-07-22T11:42:00.010+10:00

(Poppyseed and Ricotta Cake with lemon Curd. Mmmm lemon curd)

And a cake as well.

(Limburgse Vlaai, a Dutch specialty, made at the special request of the Tall Designer)

There are people with cakes, and stories to tell.

(An author who bakes a white chocolate, pistachio and pomegranate cake? We're keeping her.)

Open wide, shove cake inside.

(Devil’s Food White-Out Cake. Spec. Tac. U. Lar.)

It's Onion School.

With love and congratulations to Play School,
celebrating its 45th year of being on air.

Happy 21st

2011-07-19T16:10:00.010+10:00

21 today! 21 today!*
We've got the key to the door.**

We've never been 21 before.***

We are pleased and proud to announce that last week marked a significant milestone for the Houses of Onion. It was our 21st anniversary of independent publishing in Australia!

Hip. Hop. Hooray for us.

Of course there was cake. Herewith the rather magnificent cocky cake the Mothership procured to celebrate the occasion.

And now let us cast our mind back to how it all began...

A long time ago (1872) in a galaxy far, far away (England), George Allen set himself up as John Ruskin's publisher and printer.

Some years after that (August 1914), Stanley Unwin, of the Unwin Printers family, bought George 's company and established George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Herewith the sign for this fine establishment.

One fine day (in 1937), Stanley Unwin offered his ten-year-old son, Rayner, a shilling to read and appraise a manuscript called THE HOBBIT. Rayner accepted the shilling and recommended publication (with maps, but with no need for illustrations).

A decade and a half later (in 1952), when Rayner was all grown up and had graduated from appraiser to publisher, he was offered the manuscript of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. He thought it ought to be published, but he suspected they might lose a thousand pounds on it...

A goodly number of moons after that (1969), our PAG joined George Allen & Unwin in their Museum Street offices in London, which were located conveniently close to this adult-beverage emporium.

(We are reliably informed that this emporium was indeed favoured by Onions of yore.)

Some London summers passed, and then our PAG set off for Sydney (in 1976) and established George Allen & Unwin Australia Pty Ltd.

Some Australian summers passed, and then our RP hoisted a sail for kids books (in 1987), establishing the children's books imprint (Little Ark).

And then, 21 years ago on 10 July 1990 the British parent company was sold, and our fearless leaders led a management buy-out to establish ALLEN & UNWIN PTY LTD as an independent Australian publishing house.****

So last week, we celebrated 21 years of independence, almost 25 years of children's books, 35 years of Australian publishing and almost 100 years of the imprint. Hooray! Hurrah! Huzzah!

And so say all of us!

* When we say 'today' here, we actually mean last Sunday, but '21 last week! 21 last week!' has no ring to it. No ring to it at all.

** Well, most times we do have the key to the door. Other times Onions who arrive at the office early without keys in hand can be found sitting on the step reading manuscripts on their handy digital device.

*** When we say 'we' here... hmmm, yes, it seems that all Onions in sight have actually been 21 before...
**** We like to imagine that this evening was almost exactly like Mad Men Season 3, Episode 13: 'Shut the door. Have a seat.'

The promise of spring

2011-07-18T15:27:00.004+10:00

The depths of winter. Here we are. In it. Brrr.

(Via our good friends at the School of Earth Sciences. )

What we need to keep us going is hope that this winter too shall pass. What we need is a suggestion of spring.

Daffodils. That's what we need. And as it happens, we may just have some to hand.

Inspired by Elizabeth Honey's That's Not A Daffodil! here are some daffodils that Layla & Johnhenry prepared earlier.*

But wait, what? That's not a daffodil! That's a green beak.

Happily, we know how this story ends.

Now, that's a daffodil!

Spring. Bring. It On.

* Thanks KJW & EP for the sharing the photos of their children and their green beaks.

An open letter to Harry Potter UPDATED

2011-07-15T09:51:00.007+10:00

Dear Harry,

When did you get so grown-up?

We remember when you were just a wee boy in a cupboard under the stairs. We remember when we had boxes of your story in a cupboard under our stairs*. We remember the agony of having to wait to open them at the same time as everyone else all over the world.

We have such affection for you, Harry. We're kind of like a big houseful of clucky aunts. Or maybe more like the collection of creatures at the end of Labyrinth - we've played our part, we've helped you as much as we can. But you do know that should you need us...

We've loved seeing you on the big screen all these years, Harry. But we'll only get to do that one more time. So it is an ending. But does it really ALL

END?

Of course not, because I just picked up The Philosopher's Stone again - and there you are: small and vulnerable and never been kissed - by girl or dementor.

And there's Hedwig: faithful and brave.**

And in a minute you'll meet Ron and Hermione.

And the Hogwarts Express is only just leaving the platform ... and there's so much that's just beginning.

Much love and grateful thanks,

Your Aunties Onion

PS Do you have Neville Longbottom's phone number? I'm just asking ... for a friend.

*Or perhaps not in that cupboard, perhaps they weren't even in the building, nothing confidential to see here - move along.

** Oh, Hedwig.

-------------------------------------

Updated to add A LITLE BIT OF NEVILLE

You can see the whole collection at www.impawards.com

Good news week!

2011-07-08T15:19:00.013+10:00

What a lot of lovely things happened this week. Let's work backwards...

Friday

Boori Monty Pryor and Jan Ormerod won the Prime Minister's Literary Award, Children's Fiction for Shake A Leg!!

Three million cheers for Boori and Jan and Shake A Leg!

Big congratulations also to Laura Buzo and Joanne Horniman for being shortlisted in the Young Adult section for Good Oil and About a Girl respectively.

AND

The shortlist for this year's Australian Book Industry Awards* was announced. And we're thrilled by the nice long list of our books.

Book of the Year for Younger Children
Noni the Pony by Alison Lester

Book of the Year for Older Children
Hamlet by Nicki Greenberg
Museum of Thieves: The Keepers Book 1 by Lian Tanner

International Success of the Year 2011
Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Hooray hooray hooray for Alison, Nicki, Lian and Shaun.
And huge congratulations to Mothership authors Anh Do, Peter Robb and Kate Morton.

A cheer also for all of us Onions - Melbourne and Sydney and NZ and London - and our nomination for Publisher of the Year.

Wednesday night

Karen Healey's fabulous new book The Shattering was launched into the world by Lili Wilkinson at the always-convival Readings Carlton.

The Shattering is tense and creepy and funny and sad, and set in a niiiice hot New Zealand summer - so the very thing to take your mind far away from chilly Melbourne.

Hurrah for Karen and The Shattering!

Wednesday lunch-time

The Cake-maker Virtuoso did it again. This time a quince and cardamom** custard cake. Just Look at those layers! Masterful.

* Some call the ABIAs the Oscars of the bookworld. Only it's a sit down dinner - so maybe more like the Golden Globes (which always look a lot more fun).
** We long ago identified the fact that there was unrest in the House over the cardamom/cardamon spelling, but because this cake was so delicious, we will grant the C-MV her preferred spelling.

Introducing... Andrew McGahan!

2011-06-30T14:19:00.013+10:00

No, that's not a mistake.

Andrew McGahan.

Yes, the Andrew McGahan.

The Miles Franklin-winning Andrew McGahan.

The Miles Franklin-winning Andrew McGahan, famous for such beloved books as Praise, The White Earth and Wonders of A Godless World.

Why, you ask, are we introducing him to you if:

A) clearly everyone knows him already, and

B) he writes books for adults anyway.

Why?

WHY?

Because Andrew has written a book for young people and...

It.

Is.

Awesome.

It is awesome, and we are publishing it.

It is awesome, we are publishing it, and we are so excited we have developed an irritating rhetorical tick of repeating ourselves for emphasis, because did we mention IT IS FREAKING AWESOME.

The Coming of the Whirlpoool

Last of the Ship Kings, Book 1*

It is not drowning your mother fears. What she truly dreads is that if you go to sea then you will come to the attention of the Ship Kings. And that if they discover who you are, they will kill you.

Young Dow Amber is no sailor. But driven by a strange sea-longing he ventures down to a grim fishing village on the shores of the bay known as the Claw. There he finds the people living in dread not only of the mysterious Ship Kings that rule their country, but also of the fury of the ocean itself. And when the Ship Kings sail their tall ships into the Claw, Dow's forbidden longing only grows.

Who are the Ship Kings? Who is the strange and fascinating girl who lives aboard one of their ships? And when the whirlpool rises, will the call of the sea lead Dow to his heart's desire or to certain death?

---------------

There is intrigue and adventure, capture and escape, destiny and desire. Andrew's writing sings with the wind in the rigging and thrums with the rush of water under the bow...

You will love Dow - but not without complication.

You will believe utterly in his world - but you won't be sure you want to live there.

You will taste the salt spray and feel the wind on your cheek.

But above all you will fear the coming of the whirlpool...

What's that you say? You want to see the cover? Well, to be honest, we're not sure if you're ready; we're not sure if you can handle the awesome.

So here is the bottom left corner.

Not enough? You want more? You think you can handle more?

Well...

We'll think about it...

In the meantime, here is Andrew himself, signing proof copies in the House.

The proof copies are very pretty.**

And the real book is going to be a gorgeous little hardback*** with beautiful endpapers, and little illustrations - an all round fabulous object.

You know what, they're going to look so good we might not let them actually leave the warehouse. We might just cancel all those bookshops' orders and go out to Scoresby and roll around in the gorgeousness.

But no, that wouldn't be fair. We must be unselfish. We will generously share The Coming of the Whirlpool with you because it is just too good to keep for ourselves.

And in that spirit...

So, Andrew... although as a favourite son of The Mothership you need no introduction, we're dipping the ensign; we're stringing bunting between the masts; we're hanging all the shields over the side to welcome you to the House of Onion.

* Okay, we lied. Andrew hasn't written just one book for young people - he is writing a FOUR-BOOK series. We wanted to break it to you gently so you didn't expire on the spot. Breathe. Breathe. You'll get through this. One AWESOME book at a time.

** As is Andrew, obviously.

*** Clearly it needed to be a hardback to contain the awesome.

The BIG DILEMMA

2011-06-29T13:54:00.006+10:00

Once a year, in the House of Onion, we have to address the BIG DILEMMA. And that time was upon us earlier this week.

The BIG DILEMMA stems from the fact that we can't, in clear conscience, expect the Cake-Maker Virtuoso to make her own birthday cake. So we need another Onion to step into the breach.

This year there was no shortage of volunteers. Happily, we have a clear policy on matters such as these. And so it came to pass that the first person to respond to the call-to-cake was allocated the task of preparing a delicious item to honour the Cake-Maker Virtuoso - and to satisfy all the other Onions who now have rather discerning palates when it comes to cake. No pressure, EM, no pressure at all.*

In her time of need, the Cake-Maker's Understudy turned to Tess Mallos's The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook and produced a most excellent Karithopita,** otherwise known as a Greek Walnut Cake. And this proved to be very pleasing indeed for our star cake-maker and her cake-eating colleagues.

Hip. Hip. Hooray!

* We wouldn't be surprised if you actually heard the sounds of sweet relief from other Onions who volunteered ever slightly more slowly than Ms M.
** For anyone keen to replicate this tasty treat, an approximation of Tess Mallos's recipe can be found here. However, the Cake-Maker's Understudy has an eagle eye for detail and reports that this recipe differs slightly - it notes that hot syrup should be poured on cold cake, whereas Tess's recipe calls for cold syrup to be poured on hot cake. And we are also informed that the delightful dark brown colouring was achieved by using raw sugar, rather than white. Feel free to experiment as you wish.

Corpus Libris - in the House of Onion

2011-06-16T12:01:00.001+10:00

Inspired by Corpus Libris, herewith we present a photo essay for your enjoyments - featuring assorted Onions and a selection of items we happened to have lying around the House...

* * *

*** Particular kudos to supergirl SB for maintaining Setu Bandha Sarvangasana for many minutes while we tried to wrangle a shot!

An Onion in London

2011-06-09T13:20:00.002+10:00

What manner of sights do you suppose an Onion in London might choose to seek out? Bookshops, of course!

Herewith a photo essay of a selection of bookstores that can be found in the busy streets of London town:

Lovely stores all.

Daunt Books in Marylebone is particularly wonderful with its wooden shelves and staircase, its books categorised by country - and its welcoming warmth when the weather turned wet. Those of you who have been following the fortunes of the humble bookstore around the world may well be aware that James Daunt, the founder of Daunt Books, is taking the helm as managing director at Waterstones. Clearly we Onions are quite the fans of bookstores - and we wish him all the best in his endeavours.

And I was especially enamoured of Persephone Books, who reprint neglected classics by twentieth-century writers, with a focus on women writers. The titles are chosen to appeal to busy women.* And they are elegantly packaged with particular attention to endpapers that match the date and mood of the book. And their design aesthetic is beautifully showcased by the book displays in their gorgeous store.** Despite my bulging suitcase, I may have been tempted into a purchase. Reader, I dare you to walk into Persephone and not be tempted too.

* I wonder if we can find any of those around here?
** Thanks so much to Clare in the London Office for introducing me to the wonderful publishing venture that is Persephone.

Baby, it's cold outside

2011-06-08T12:33:00.002+10:00

How cold and wet it is. There may be hail, and even snow not very far away.

The House is full of semi-folded umbrellas, and newspapers soaking up the rain from the umbrellas, and people wearing fingerless gloves circumnavigating the umbrellas and newspapers.

But there are heartwarming glimmers amid the gloom.

Some are in the shape of Troubletwisters e-cards,

... an Onion's special warming winter wardrobe*,

... and some brand new winter reading.

Look at the glow cast on that table! There's nothing like a special finish to brighten up a winter's day in lieu of actual sunshine**.

POD, by Stephen Wallenfels
The Paradise Trap, by Catherine Jinks
The Shattering, by Karen Healey
Sensitive Creatures, by Mandy Ord

Meanwhile, certain peripatetic Onions enjoy a very different view.

*The Onion would like to dedicate her new unicorn jumper to Margo Lanagan.
**Pleasingly, but somewhat inconveniently for the integrity of this post, the sun has just decided to appear over the House. But it's still cold.

Monday stuff and items

2011-06-06T12:11:00.004+10:00

1) This Oliver Jeffers app is one of the most beautiful specimens of its kind we've seen in a long time, and Helena Bonham-Carter thinks so too.

2) This is Shyness author and recent insideadog.com resident Leanne Hall caught our eye at Reading Matters last weekend, not only as a most dazzling panellist, but because she planked onstage! And this interview with David Levithan shows she has even more talents ...

3) Also pleasingly eye-catching at Reading Matters was a shiny Ena Noel IBBY medallion, awarded to Lili Wilkinson for her Scatterheart and because she is an under-35 writer of note. We agree! Congratulations, Lili!

4) And it seems ours were not the only eyes caught at Reading Matters, nor were we the only ones to take inspiration from the tweetings - here is a very amusing poem.

5) With a novel and several e-readers in hand, Mandy Brett spoke recently at the Wheeler Centre about the place of editors in a rapidly changing world:

A full transcript can be found here.

6) And the Wheeler Centre also points us to some very unlikely book covers.

From our correspondent in Rome

2011-06-03T13:42:00.002+10:00

It is rather quiet in the House at the moment, with no fewer than two Onions wining, dining and cycling about in sunny Italy.*

One travelling Onion seems to be visiting a great many bookshops (how surprising!), some of which have bars incorporated within them (how eminently civilised and also convenient!).

*brrrrgrumble much travel envy in the House.

#RM11

2011-06-02T14:40:00.004+10:00

Here is the collective mind of the fabulous Reading Matters 2011 conference last weekend, compiled* from all the energetic tweeting that was going on:

...and also the mind of one note-taking Onion:Authors charmed the crowd and signed their books...

...while Onions mingled with other bookish types and also ate cake.

* Thanks to Zoe Sadokierski for pointing us towards the fabulous Wordle site - hours of fun!

More awardy goodness

2011-05-30T14:25:00.020+10:00

Since March and the announcement of one very pretty shortlist, we in the House have been on tenterhooks.* But for a short time we were off tenterhooks, and free to gambol for joy, once the winners of the 2010 Aurealis Awards were announced:

Best kids' fiction (primarily through words)
The Keepers: Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Best YA short story
'A Thousand Flowers' by Margo Lanagan, Zombies and Unicorns

Best YA novel
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

HOWEVER, we had no sooner settled down to catch our breath and tidy our hair than there came another pretty shortlist, for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards! We are all on tenterhooks once more!

YA fiction
Good Oil by Laura Buzo

About a Girl by Joanne Horniman

Kid's fiction
Shake a Leg by Boori Monty Pryor and Jan Ormerod

Congratulations, Lian, Margo and Karen; Laura, Joanne, Boori and Jan!

*and also quite worn out with setting our caps at the shortlist.

Book Design Awards!

2011-05-20T13:14:00.011+10:00

We are delighted to report that it seems it was House of Onion night at the 59th Annual Book Design Awards last night. Huzzah!

We are extraordinarily pleased for the clever designers we work with and especially for our very own Tall Designer.

WINNER:
Best Designed Children's Series

The Moorehawke Trilogy by Celine Kiernan
Design by Bruno Herfst and Elise Hurst

The Poison Throne The Crowded Shadows The Rebel Prince

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Best Designed Children's Fiction Book
The Museum of Thieves: The Keepers 1 by Lian Tanner
Design by Josh Durham, Design By Committee
Cover illustration by Sebastian Ciaffalgione

COMMENDED: The Best Designed Children's Picture Book
The Vegetable Ark by Kim Kane and Sue deGennaro
Design by Bruno Herfst, Illustrations by Sue deGennaro

COMMENDED: The Best Designed Young Adult Book
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Cover design and illustration by Lisa White

Lisa White also WON Best Designed Fiction Book
for Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.

And Emily O'Neil took out the coveted
Young Designer of the Year!
Many cheers indeed.

Herewith the full list.

Slip on over to Fancy Goods to see the wonderful display they have of all the winning covers.

And in other awards news - the Aurealis Awards are announced tomorrow night in Sydney.

Good luck to all our short-listed authors. May the winning winds be beneath your wings.

Monday Stuff and Items

2011-05-16T09:17:00.007+10:00

1) According to the British Library, this is the earliest known picture of a time machine! The Out of This World exhibition at the BL looks fabulous. What a happy coincidence it is that at least two Onions will be in London in the next month or so. We'll send you a postcard.

2) Way back when it was much warmer than it is now, Margo Lanagan found her brilliant book Tender Morsels at the centre of an unexpected storm.

But as so often happens, the clouds dispersed and the skies cleared. Herewith very interesting discussions about Tender Morsels over at the Bitch Media YA Book Club.

3) Jonathan Walker offers a fascinating insight into his illuminated novel, Five Wounds, over at The Spectator.

4) Meanwhile at Readings Holly Harper is waxing fairytale about The Wilful Eye, while Hugless Douglas is cosying up to A Pocketful of Eyes.

5) And in awards news - HOORAY for Zombies vs Unicorns and for our Oscar-owning Astrid Lindgren Award winner Shaun Tan - both finalists in the 2011 Locus Awards.

6)

A library is many things. It's a place to go, to get in out of the rain. It's a place to go if you want to sit and think. But particularly it is a place where books live, and where you can get in touch with other people, and other thoughts, through books... Books hold most of the secrets of the world, most of the thoughts that men and women have had. And when you are reading a book, you and the author are alone together---just the two of you.

This is an excerpt from EB White's letter to the children of Troy, on the opening of their new library in 1971. He was responding to a request from the new (and clearly completely genius) librarian for a letter to enthuse the children. Read the full story, and some of the other fabulous replies (including from Isaac Asimov and Dr Seuss) at the Letters of Note blog.

This is the reason we make books.

2011-05-11T10:09:00.003+10:00

This is Marlo, the first grandchild to be born to the House of Onion.
We are excessively proud of him.

There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world.
Love of books is the best of all.
- Jacqueline Kennedy

London Calling

2011-05-06T12:42:00.002+10:00

It seems to be the season for very special visitors.

Earlier in the week we were delighted by a visit from the very charming Onion-about-London. She wrangles all manner of operations in our UK office* , from the highbrow to the silly mid off.

As befitted the occasion, there was cake.

And not just any old gluten-filled cake. This was an extremely tasty Flourless Orange Cake. Our thanks to the Acting Cake-maker. Excellent work!

Which brings us to a matter that regular readers may have noticed. It's been all quiet on the cake-making front lately*. Do not despair - the Cake-maker Virtuoso has not abandoned us. She has simply been flitting around the world. And my, she is an intrepid and determined traveller. When everyone else was cancelling their flights to Japan, she stood firm, held her nerve and bravely boarded this almost empty plane bound for Tokyo - and beyond.

Her reward? Cherry blossoms, of course.

While she swanned about in the Land of the Rising Sun, and then discovered the delights of New York and San Francisco - we were left virtually** cake-less. Cake-less, we tell you! A very sad state of affairs indeed. The good news is that she had a marvellous time and has returned safely. Hallelujah!

*Well, not counting this cake, and not counting the Oscar cake, which were aberrations. Tasty tasty aberrations.

** It must be confessed that while technically cake-less, we did indulge in a chocolate mint slice that the C-M V had made in advance and LEFT IN THE FREEZER FOR US. She's just that kind of woman. And no, no you may not have her. She is ours.

A very special visitor

2011-05-04T14:49:00.007+10:00

We had a very special visitor
to the House of Onion today.

He was small.

And gold.

And extraordinarily heavy.

And he came wrapped in an Ikea* pillowcase inside Shaun Tan's backpack.

So, of course, there was cake.

Oscar was very pretty.

And seemed to have a healthy appetite.**

But Shaun had all the good stories - about the lead-up to the big moment and the actual big moment and the moments after the big moment, and the Vanity Fair after-party,*** and Billy Crystal, and what it felt like to receive this rather exciting phone call.

An assortment of Pippi Longstockings were also in attendance,
to honour the Astrid Lindgren Award.

All in all it was a very pleasing morning.
Yes. A very pleasing morning indeed.

* Yes. Oscar was cloaked in a pillowcase of Swedish origin. As is fitting for the Oscar of an Astrid Lindgren Award winner.

** That's our story and we're sticking to it.

*** Apparently just like CBCA events... no really, actually just the same.

A Royal Slice*

2011-04-28T13:48:00.011+10:00

With the upcoming wedding of Wills and Kate - ahem, sorry, William and Catherine - taking up most of the tv and radio waves (and the entire market in tatty souvenirs) for the forseeable future, we thought that we'd take this oportunity to celebrate some unconventional royals.

E Nesbit did a great line in surprising monarchs. She imagined kings who were property developers, princesses who married lift men, and Fairy Godmothers who gave the oddest advice to their royal charges. One of the best is Billy the King. Eager to make his way in the world, Billy King answers a job ad at his local employment office. 'Hard-working king wanted; no objection to one who has not been out before.' Sounds ideal, but things - of course - don't go as planned for Billy. There is an ineffective prime minister, a monarch-eating monster and all sorts of trouble. But luckily there is also Eliza, the brand new queen from the neighbouring kingdom.

Margaret Mahy must be sprinkled with some of the same magic dust as Nesbit. Strange and interesting royalty abound in her short stories, too. Like the melancholy king who is cheered up by music made by Selina and her grandmother who live in the dump-diddledump-diddledump (much to the distress of the royal physicians who feel sure the king's ears will be polluted by untold germs). But perhaps most lovely of all is the beautiful princess who marries a clown. 'Princesses don't marry clowns! They marry princes, simpletons, and seventh sons; they marry the youngest of three brothers - but NEVER clowns!' And like all good clowns (and all good princesses!), this clown is made of equal parts humour and melancholy - so lovely - sigh.

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munch, Illustrated by Michael Martchenko

Elizabeth begins as a princess princess - all pretty clothes and marrying perfect princes. But enter the dragon, who burns Elizabeth's clothes and generally forces her to look at life differently. Elizabeth outsmarts the dragon, rescues the prince, discovers he's not so perfect afterall and dumps him to pursue her own interests. WIN!

The Princess and the Dragon by Audrey Wood

Rather similar in flavour to The Paperbag Princess - but this one goes a step further. The roaring princess and the ballet-dancing dragon just aren't cut out for the roles society wants them to play. Never fear - I can feel a swap coming on! Aren't the courtiers delighted when the abrasive princess is replaced by the polite-as-pie dragon! And isn't the princess delighted when she can live in a cave and terrorise villagers to her heart's content! Play to your strengths seems as good a moral as any.

Mimus by Lilli Thal translated by John Brownjohn

This is a strange and wonderful book. When Prince Florin and his father, King Phillip, attend a banquet in the neighbouring kingdom, they are greeted with devastating betrayal. After the ambush, Prince Florin is forced to live in the stable with Mimus, the wily court jester. Mimus is by turns cruel and generous, proud and lowly, brave and cowardly. In order to save his own life, Florin must learn the ways of the jester and unravel a secret plot. But can he trust Mimus? An epic mystery: funny, chilling and gripping. No monarch can remain unchanged after living the life of the jester.

The Princess and her Panther by Wendy Orr and Lauren Stringer

'One afternoon... a princess and her panther crossed the desert sand. The princess was brave and the panther tried to be.'

We're all for brave princesses who inspire courage in their little sisters. All for it!

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Just like Kate, Buttercup is a beautiful commoner, plucked from obscurity by the prince of the land. But Prince Humperdinck is about as far from Prince Charming as a prince can possibly get. And poor Buttercup is kidnapped by a swordmaster Spaniard (who is not left-handed), a Turkish giant (who has a sportsman's heart) and a clever Sicilian (who is not as smart as he thinks he is) - who are then outwitted, outplayed, outlasted by the Dread Pirate Roberts whose intentions are...well... more seemly than any Survivor contestant's intentions ever are. So if all the hoo-ha about Wills & Kate's wedding has put you in the mood for a fairytale royal romance - with a happy ending? As you wish.

* We have to give an honourable mention to AA Milne, who gave us King John (who was not a good man, but did kindly put up a notice concerning James James Morrison Morrison's mislaid mother), and of course 'The King's Breakfast'.

Monday Stuff and Items

2011-04-18T12:13:00.004+10:00

1) Interesting to see so many kids and YA characters representing on the Forbes magazines Fictional 15 rich list. Carlisle Cullen invested wisely in the 1700s, Artemis Fowl has sketchy interests, and Chuck Bass is... well, he's Chuck Bass.

The breakdown of how Forbes calculated the wealth of Smaug the dragon is particularly worth reading.

2) Patrick Ness's Top 10 "unsuitable books for teenagers" is hilarious and spot on - particularly number 10!

3) Heads-up, authors. The bar has been raised. What will you put in your next acknowledgements?

4) In honour of the fact that the Cake-maker Virtuoso has, until very recently, been in Japan, here is an amazing Japanese house called the Shelf Pod, designed to store the owners' vast collection of books.

5) This chaotic modern life. Always ringing the changes. And their unexpected consequences. I mean, who would have thought that updating the public transport ticketing system would have such a profound impact? What's a reader supposed to use as a bookmark now she no longer has those perfectly sized expired train tickets? Well one clever designer may well have the answer... build 'em in to the book!

CBCA Shortlist 2011

2011-04-12T12:50:00.012+10:00

This morning in the House of Onion:

11.58 AM - click through to the CBCA home pag e in anticipation of a shortlist.
11.58.30 - refresh screen
11.59 - refresh screen
11.59.1 - refresh screen
11.59.2 - refresh screen
11.59.3 - refresh screen
REPEAT UNTIL
12.00 - view shortlist, SQUEAL, gallop around, congregate, SQUEAL, disperse to call authors, SQUEAL, take a few calming breaths, blog...

Older Readers

About A Girl by Joanne Horniman

Early Childhood

The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies by Tom Champion Niland and Kilmeny Niland,
illustrated by Deborah Niland

Noni the Pony by Alison Lester

Look See, Look at Me! by Leonie Norrington and Dee Huxley

Picture Book of the Year

Hamlet by Nicki Greenberg

Two Peas in a Pod by Chris McKimmie

Eve Pownall Award

Drawn from the Heart: A Memoir by Ron Brooks

You can see the full list in all its glory here.
And there are many more exciting things on the Notable Books List.

Big congratulations to all the wonderful authors and illustrators on both lists!

Trailer trove

2011-04-11T14:51:00.011+10:00

Our first introduction to the Filthies and their struggle against the elites of the Upper Decks was in Worldshaker by Richard Harland.

D. M. Cornish said:

'I loved Worldshaker! A claustrophobic setting of rivets, iron and steam, rustling silks and stiff collars and even stiffer manners; dark, twisting, bustling, brilliant. I was very, very glum when it came to an end.'

Well, be glum no more, D. M. Help is almost at hand!

Hitting the shelves in May is the fantastic fast-paced sequel - Liberator in which Col's and Riff's world has been well and truly turned upside down. This compelling steampunk story is positively crackling with political intrigue and class tension all served up with a sprinkling of good old-fashioned URST.

Herewith a trailer:

Move over Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars and Hercule Poirot, there's a new detective in town. Introducing Beatrice May Ross - and her excellent powers of observation and deduction. A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson is teen rom-crime, featuring a dead body in the Red Rotunda, a mysterious benefactor, a handsome young man with an unusual interest in the mating habits of animals and - wait for it - a hot kissing scene on the back of a stuffed tiger. *editor fans self*

Herewith a trailer:

And an interview with the lovely Lili:

And what ho! - a website for The Golden Day, the hauntingly beautiful new novel by Ursula Dubosarsky. We've shown you this trailer before - but it's so short and so enticing and so beautiful we thought we'd give you another helping...

Agent Report: Bologna Children's Book Fair

2011-04-08T14:26:00.014+10:00

PRIMARY MISSION: Fly to Italy and present yourself at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Soak up atmosphere. For about two seconds. Then attend eleventy-million appointments* each day for 3.5 days discussing books, books, books with lovely agents, publishers and rights managers, who all begin to blur into one unless they have a particular distinguishing feature such as:

(a) a cute accent

(b) stylish boots

(c) they are male

(d) all of the above.

Followed by evening functions which consist of much eating and drinking and lead to crawling into bed, exhausted, at midnight.

SECONDARY MISSION: After the winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is announced: engage in the sport of Shaun Tan spotting.

STATUS: Accepted.

HEREWITH A PHOTO ESSAY FROM THE AGENT IN THE FIELD

FINAL MISSION: Locate some kind of motor vehicle that will convey you and your guests to end-of-day activities...

* When we say eleventy million here - we might mean closer to twelve, but we're sure you get the idea.

The scent of childhood

2011-04-07T11:44:00.004+10:00

It's curiously entertaining that the enduring image of Australia held by folk from other places is usually of a land of odd or deadly animals, a fireworks-friendly bridge, an iconic opera house, a rather large reef and a big red rock in the middle of a desert.

Of course, those of us who live here know it is much more than that. We also know that most of the population lives in sprawling urban landscapes clustered around the coastline, and that it would actually be a very unusual event if we looked out the window and saw kangaroos hopping down the street. The lights of the MCG - yes. Kangaroos - not so much.

Despite the fact we are drawn to large cities, a goodly number of us did grow up in small country or coastal towns,* and only later migrated to the big smoke - in pursuit of education, and employment, and eating emporiums that are open after eight o'clock. So while we are enamoured of the bright lights, big city and its hole-in-the-wall bars and fine dining establishments, for many of us there is a little part of our heart that pings when we read a book set in the rural landscape of our childhood.

And, as we've mentioned before, we're looking at you: Snake, by Kate Jennings. How delighted are we to discover that the good folk at Black Inc. have re-released this brilliant novella. Extremely. Delighted.

So here's to books that ring true with the colours and sights and sounds of the country, its calm and its cacophony, its far horizons and casual claustrophobia, its dusty paddocks and high haystacks, its flood-prone plains and tracts of eucalypts, and the full moon, bright and blazing orange as it edges up over the horizon.

Here's to books that ring true with the scent of childhood.

* Where kangaroos were not necessarily an unusual sight, but a koala-sighting - now that was something to write home about.

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

2011-03-30T09:37:00.005+11:00

The 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award recipient is:
SHAUN TAN

From the jury:

Behind a wealth of minutely detailed pictures, where civilization is criticized and history depicted through symbolism, there is a palpable warmth. People are always present, and Shaun Tan portrays both our searching and our alienation. He combines brilliant, magical narrative skill with deep humanism.

Hooray for Shaun. So much hooray!

Pick-me-ups

2011-03-29T12:39:00.007+11:00

Sometimes in the aftermath of earthquakes and tsunamis and floods and countries or nuclear reactors teetering on the brink of meltdown, we all need a good pick-me-up. And often it's hard to identify exactly what pick-me-up might work.

The glorious weather in Melbourne at the moment might be enough - especially after the summer-that-never-was. Or maybe a slice of the Cake-Maker Virtuoso's spectacular Rhubarb upside-down cake might do it. Or a nice crunchy new season apple. Or a one-point win for your football team in the opening round of the season. Or a good book (I wonder if there are any of those around here?). Or of course, that old fall back, a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down.

But if none of these are working for you, here are some items that might just do the trick.

In Melbourne - what ho! A Children's Book Festival this weekend at The Wheeler Centre featuring loads of our favourite authors and illustrators. What an excellent idea that is. Hurrah!

In Sydney - Team Unicorn and Team Zombie are shaping up for a good old-fashion feud. Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfeld (Team Zombie) are set to showcase their debating prowess against the finely honed skills of Margo Lanagan and Garth Nix (Team Unicorn). So roll up, roll up to see if the score can be settled once and for all. Kick-off is at 6pm on Thursday, at Kinokuniya Bookstore.

On the interwebs - over at Meanjin Mandy Brett's wonderful essay Stet by Me: Thoughts on Editing Fiction. We are highly tempted to steal it and add it to our occasional series, What Do Editors Do All Day. Instead, we will simply say, thank you, Mandy. You made our day with this thoughtful, inspiring, eloquent and insightful essay about what it is we do all day, and why we do it.

And if for some unfathomable reason these items don't float your boat, perhaps what you need is a goodly dose of Maru.

Double the Trouble

2011-03-28T12:57:00.011+11:00

Intriguing, yes?
Mysterious, yes?
Want to know more, yes?*

As ever, we are here to help...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that good things are always better in twos.

Noah knew it.
Frank Sinatra knew it.
Wrigley's knew it.
Peters Ice-cream, the makers of the sorely missed Two-in-One, knew it.

And you will know it too, once you get your hands on Troubletwisters , because it contains:

- Two main characters (TWINS!)
- Two strange cats
- And TWO AUTHORS!

That's double your New York Times best-selling action.
Twice the amount of critical acclaim.
And two times the talent.
Because the authors in question are Garth Nix and Sean Williams.

You will know Garth from the Keys to the Kingdom series and the Old Kingdom series, but did you know he can employ special night vision to save electricity?**

You will know Sean from his many series, novels and collections which include The Fixers, The Broken Land, Astropolis and Star Wars: New Jedi Order: Force Heretic (with Shane Dix), but did you know that he is the inventor of a celebrated Brussels sprout curry?

Together they will be unstoppable!

As well as double your fun, Troubletwisters also boasts:

- a very cool and enigmatic grandmother with a Hillman Minx and special powers,
- a secret antique shop,
- and an Oracular Crocodile.

Before we wrote this post, we thought we might try to play it cool, try to be hip, attempt to sound a little bored even: 'So anyway, we're publishing this new series, no biggie, maybe have a look at it, or not, whatever.'

But we fell at the first hurdle because Troubletwisters is just TOO DAMN EXCITING - and it's only the first book!***

Stuff cool, forget hip - grab your twin, your doppelganger, your other half and RUN DON'T WALK to the bookshop in May.

* Sounding a wee bit like Yoda, we are?
** It's Earth Hour every night at Garth's house.
*** Breathe, breathe, breathe into paper bag. Calm down.

Awardy goodness

2011-03-22T14:07:00.012+11:00

The Aurealis Awards shortlist was announced today.

And my what a pretty shortlist it is.*

Kids' fiction (primarily through words)

The Keepers 1: Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Kids' fiction (primarily through pictures)

Precious Little by Julie Hunt, Sue Moss and Gaye Chapman

Best illustrated book/graphic novel

Hamlet by Nicki Greenberg

Five Wounds by Jonathan Walker and Dan Hallett

Best YA short story

'A Thousand Flowers' by Margo Lanagan

from Zombies vs Unicorns Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black (eds)

Best YA novel

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

Guardian of the Dead is a Young Adult Fiction Finalist in the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards - only the most prestigious awards in all of New Zealand!

BUT DON'T STOP THERE!

Guardian of the Dead is also a finalist for the Australian Shadow Awards presented by the Australian Horror Writers Association

Huge congratulations, to Karen - and to Lian, Julia, Sue, Gaye, Nicki, Jonathan, Dan and Margo!

Woo hoo!!

*Editors bat their eyelashes becomingly in the direction of the shortlist*

Alien Onion

Selkies in the storm-tossed seas

Wednesday Stuff and Items

A Confusion of Printzes*

Attention Aspiring Authors

Ask a Silly Question - 2012 edition

Happy New Year!

On the twelfth day of Christmas...

A Very Onion Christmas - Teen & YA

A Very Onion Christmas - younger readers

A Very Onion Christmas - picture books

Friday stuff and items to be thankful for

The Gauntlet

Tuesday Stuff and Items

The Onions Go To Sydney

Every good weep-fest deserves cake

'All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story.' - Karen Blixen

The editor's cut

Fictions on the Field IV

The Festival of Lies

Oh, also...

Where we've been

So it's Grand Final eve...

Now THIS, this is how a biscuit barrel ought to look

I'm Still Awake, Still - still!

I'm Still Awake, Still

Touching the Void

Everybody in the House...

Voices in the vibrating air...

Friday Stuff and Items

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming...

O, speak of that; that do I long to hear

Summer days, drifting away...

Spotted in the House

Hot August Nights

Wednesday stuff and items

There's a cake in there...

Happy 21st

The promise of spring

An open letter to Harry Potter **UPDATED**

Good news week!

Introducing... Andrew McGahan!

The BIG DILEMMA

Corpus Libris - in the House of Onion

An Onion in London

Baby, it's cold outside

Monday stuff and items

From our correspondent in Rome

#RM11

More awardy goodness

Book Design Awards!

Monday Stuff and Items

This is the reason we make books.

London Calling

A very special visitor

A Royal Slice*

Monday Stuff and Items

CBCA Shortlist 2011

Trailer trove

Agent Report: Bologna Children's Book Fair

The scent of childhood

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Pick-me-ups

Double the Trouble

Awardy goodness

An open letter to Harry Potter UPDATED