The CBCA Short list 2009

The CBCA Short List was released last week. The books included in each of the categories is decided at the Judges’ Conference after extensive discussion and by a secret ballot by the Judges. The Short List usually has six titles in each category. Questions about the shortlist and the judging process might be answered on the FAQ page. The categories are: Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood, Picture Books and Eve Pownall

 Book of the Year – Older Readers Short List 2009

•  Cornish, D. M. Monster Blood Tattoo Book Two: Lamplighter
• Eaton, Anthony Into White Silence
• French, Jackie A Rose for the Anzac Boys
• Marchetta, Melina Finnikin of the Rock
• Moloney, James Kill the Possum
• Tan, Shaun Tales from Outer Suburbia

(These books are for mature readers)I do not think I could do the job of the judges, what to put in and what to leave out. There are always titles that others want to see on the list. I have read and enjoyed all of the above, often for different reasons and comparing Shaun Tan’s book to Cornish’s Lamplighter  would be difficult. I have linked the authors to their biographies and the titles to various reviews. Some of the reviews are  professional, some are publisher reviews and some are reviews by young people, for whom the books were written. All the books above and below are worth reading but always be aware, if you are considering them for children or young adults, some are confronting or difficult reads due to the subject matter.

Book of the Year – Younger Readers Short List 2009

• Bateson, Catherine The Wish Pony
• Fussell, Sandy Polar Boy
• Gletzman, Morris Then
• Harris, Christine Illus: James, Ann Audrey of the Outback
• Millard, Glenda Illus: King, Stephen Michael Perry Angel’s Suitcase
• Rodda, Emily The Wizard of Rondo

(Intended for independent younger readers.)

Book of the Year – Early Childhood Short List 2009

• Graham, Bob How to Heal a Broken Wing
• King, Stephen Michael Leaf
• McKimmie, Chris Special Kev
• Millard, Glenda Illus: King, Stephen Michael Applesauce and the Christmas Miracle
• Sullivan, Rosemary Illus: Huxley, Dee Tom Tom 
• Wild, Margaret Illus: Vivas, Julie Puffling 

(Intended for children in the pre-reading to early reading stages.)

 Book of the Year – Picture Book Short List 2009

• Blabey, Aaron Sunday Chutney
• Dunstan, Kylie Collecting Colour
• Ottley, MattText: Marsden, John Home and Away
• Riddle, Tohby Nobody Owns the Moon
• Holfeld, Greg Text: Starke, Ruth Captain Congo and the Crocodile King
• Thompson, Colin The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness

Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years range (Some books may be for mature readers).

 Book of the Year – Eve Pownall Short List 2009

• Dubosarsky, Ursula Illus: Riddle, Tohby The Word Spy
• Greenwood, Mark  Illus: Lessac, Frané Simpson and his Donkey
• Hall, Lincoln Alive in the Death Zone
• Nicholls, Catriona and Paterson, Janet Illus: Waller, Rod Chicken: the Story of Chicken in Australia
• Ramage, Jan Illus: Hickman, Ellen Tuart Dwellers
• Ross, John and Booth, Anna Every Picture Tells a Story: Adventures in Australian Art

(Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years. (Some books may be for mature readers).

 The winners of the awards will be announced on Friday 21 August, at the beginning of Children’s Book Week, which runs from 22 to 28 August, 2009, under the theme  ’Book Safari’.