Shaun Tan wins the Astrid Lindgren!

Our very biggest Sun Bookshoppy CONGRATULATIONS to Shaun Tan, most recent winner of the incredibly prestigious prize for contribution to children's literature.

What the judges had to say:

Shaun Tan is a masterly visual storyteller, pointing the way ahead to new possibilities for picture books. His pictorial worlds constitute a separate universe where nothing is self-evident and anything is possible. Memories of childhood and adolescence are fixed reference points, but the pictorial narrative is universal and touches everyone, regardless of age.

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.

Should I read Triple Ripple?

Yes, yes you should.

Triple Ripple, Brigid Lowry (Allen & Unwin)

A lovely, quirky story told in three parts: the writer, the reader, and the fairytale.

Glory has left her mother and family to work in the Royal Palace, where she finds out about a curse that threatens her very life.

The writer is trying to write Glory’s story properly, sometimes she has to rewrite the very chapter she just finished - maybe there was a factual error (cameras weren't invented yet!), or the story just wasn't strong enough, or maybe the characters just didn't say their lines properly.

In the “real world” the reader Nova is having trouble with a horrible girl, Dylan, at school and reading her way into Glory’s world is the perfect escape.

Lightly metafictional, this is the perfect book for girls (and boys) who love reading, writing and a little bit of not-quite-magic in their tales.

From the author who brought you such gems as Guitar Highway Rose, Follow the Blue and With Lots of Love From Georgia.

Recommended 12+

--Kate--

Hunger Games movie - Katniss has been chosen!

IT’S OFFICIAL: JENNIFER LAWRENCE IS KATNISS EVERDEEN

LIONSGATE AND “THE HUNGER GAMES” FILMMAKERS CONFIRM HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CASTING DECISION

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 17, 2011- Lionsgate and the filmmakers of “The Hunger Games” are pleased to announce that Academy Award® nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence will assume the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in the much anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games.”

The film will be directed by Gary Ross and produced by Lionsgate with Nina Jacobson’s Color Force. Collins’ best-selling novel, which has over 3 million copies in print in the United States alone, is the first in a trilogy of science fiction/action novels which have developed a global following. Lionsgate will release “The Hunger Games” on March 23, 2012.

Newcomer Lawrence’s meteoric ascent began in earnest with her breakout role in last year’s “Winter’s Bone,” and culminated in an Academy Award nomination. This summer, Lawrence will star in Matthew Vaughn’s “X Men: First Class” and in “The Beaver” directed by Jodie Foster. Later this year, she co-stars in the Sundance Grand Jury winner “Like Crazy”.

Author Suzanne Collins weighed in on the selection of Lawrence, “Jennifer’s just an incredible actress. So powerful, vulnerable, beautiful, unforgiving and brave. I never thought we’d find somebody this perfect for the role. And I can’t wait for everyone to see her play it.”

“I can't wait to work with Jen and see her bring this character to life. Katniss requires a young actress with strength, depth, complexity, tenderness, and power. There are very few people alive who can bring that to a role. Jen brings it in spades. She’s going to be an amazing Katniss.” said director Gary Ross.

“The Hunger Games” chronicles a dystopic Capitol which requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl, forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death live televised event. Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery to participate and Katniss volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home. The Hunger Games novel has been on the New York Times best seller list for over 100 consecutive weeks. Foreign rights for the book, published by Scholastic have been sold in 41 countries.

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters

From the author of How to say goodbye in robot, Natalie Standiford comes...

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters (Scholastic)

It is Christmas and Lou Almighty is very upset with the Sullivans. One of them has offended her and if she does not receive a written confession and apology by New Year's Day they will all be removed from her will, and therefore cut off from her substantial inheritance.

The family - Ginger, Daddy-o, St John, Sully, Norrie, Jane, Sassy and little Takey - get together and decide who it could have been to offend their fearsome grandmother so much. Unanimously, they decide it must be one of the girls.

"And so it was agreed that the three girls - Norrie, Jane, and Sassy - would spend their Christmas break writing out a full confession of their crimes, to be handed to Almighty by midnight on New Year's Eve.

After that, they would have to hope for the best."

Was it Norrie's falling in love on the boy from her Speed Reading class that did it?

Was it Jane's tell-all blog?

Or was it that Sassy had murdered someone?

A wonderful, very funny and must-read book!!

14+

COMPETITION WINNERS

Harrison Clark and scorpio01-11 you have both won the tickets to see I AM NUMBER FOUR at the Sun Theatre. Please contact us at info@sunbookshop.com or come in and visit us (from Monday 21st) to claim your prize!

Thank you for your excellent reviews. We'll post them on the blog soon!

So you loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time?

My sister lives on the mantelpiece, Annabel Pitcher

Jamie's big sister Rose died nearly five years ago and his family just hasn't been able to be happy again. Mum's gone off with a man from the support group and his Dad takes Jamie and his big sister (and Rose's twin) Jas to live in the country.

At his new school, Jamie finds it hard to fit in - he can't seem to tell people the truth about his family, his holidays, his Christmas. He has to wear his Spider-Man top every day, so when his Mum comes to visit she will see him in it. His only friend is Sunya, whose hijab is really a cape, but he knows his Dad would not like him being friends with Sunya and he has to keep her a secret.

My sister lives on the mantelpiece is a page-turning sob-fest and would appeal to fans of Mark Haddon's modern classic The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Fairytale detectives? YES!

The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley

If you want to read a book that’s funny, really really cool and full of action-packed adventures I would recommend this.

The Sisters Grimm is an amazing book about two girls who catch up on their local ancestry and find out that they’re related to the famous brothers Grimm. When their parents disappear, and a red handprint is found on the car that they were driving in, they get moved to a place called Fairy Port landing to live with there grandmother and her mysterious butler Mr. Canis.

Soon they realise that all the stories that the brothers Grimm wrote are based on actual fact. Then they discover that this little town is home to every fairytale creature that was ever written like Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and pretty much everything else. But some of the fairytales aren’t actually true, some of them are mixed and twisted and EVIL!

So it is up to the sisters to whip them back into shape and stop them from destroying the town and getting out of the secret barrier that seals them off from the rest of the world. So if you want to embark on this amazing adventure that involves cracking open this book and laughing and maybe a little bit of crying as well as being on the edge of your seat or bed or anything this is the book for you.

The Sisters Grimm books in the series:

1. The Fairytale Detectives
2. The Unusual Suspects
3. The Problem Child
4. Once upon a crime
5. Magic and Other Misdemeanours
6. Tales Of the Hood
7. The Ever after war
8. The inside story
9. Coming soon...

Review written by: Harrison John Clark
Age: 11

Three Great New YA Releases

Dragonborn, Toby Forward (Walker Books)

In a world where magic has become wild, and evil is afoot, can the forces for good prevail?

When Flaxfield the great wizard dies, his apprentice Sam is left without a master. As the wizards gather for his Finishing, Sam does not know whom to trust and whom he should fear. He sets off alone with only his dragon Starback for company, little realizing the perils that lie in wait. This powerful opening book of the Flaxfield Quartet is an adventure story told with great lyricism and power.

Chasing Odysseus, S D Gentill (Pantera Press)

#1 IN THE HERO TRILOGY

1st book in the exciting new Hero adventure series for young adults. Four young heroes in a quest against myth, magic...and betrayal.

1 girl, 3 brothers... 4 daring young heroes...

Treachery, transformations and a deadly quest.

A thrilling adventure of ancient myth, monsters, gods, sorcerers, sirens, magic and many evils...the fall of Troy and a desperate chase across the seas in a magical ship...

Hero and her three brothers - Mac, Cad and Lycon go on this exciting and dangerous quest to prove their murdered father's honour, the betrayal by King Odysseus and the loyalty of their own people to the conquered city of Troy.

Triple Ripple: a fabulous fairytale, Brigid Lowry (Allen & Unwin)

The Writer begins with a sparkly good idea for a fabulous fairytale.

A girl called Glory is sent to work in the Royal Palace, where the queen is planning a grand ball and a bad-tempered princess is sorting through jewels and tiaras. And, unknown to Glory, the threads of her destiny are coming together.

Nova is reading the fairytale. Fairytales are not usually her thing, but right now she's feeling a bit messy and lost. Her best friend has gone away and bitchy Dylan is hassling her. Still, Nova is curious to find out why Glory's mother is scrabbling under the bed for an old magic book.

Can the Writer make everything turn out happily ever after? Will the princess find true love? Will Glory escape a secret curse? And can Nova smooth out the lumps and bumps in her life?

Out of the Egg

Out of the Egg, Tina Matthews (Walker)

What a gorgeous, unassuming little book*! With mostly black-and-white illustrations it tells the story of Red Hen, who finds a green seed.

No one will help her plant, water or tend for the seed (not Dirty Rat, nor Fat Cat, nor Greedy Pig) so Red Hen does it herself.

When the seed grows into a fantastic big tree, Red Hen lays an egg underneath and hatches a cute little red chick.

Dirty Rat, Fat Cat and Greedy Pig would like to come and play beneath the tree, but Red Hen says NO...

...but the little red chick is going to teach her mama a thing or two about kindness!

*Though for a limited time it does come with a giant plush little red chick!