Festival fun has little bookworms covered
Young readers will get the chance to meet their favourite author and develop their passion for the written word, writes Sarah Webb
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There are many ways to create a reader for life, and bringing children to meet their favourite author is one of them. And with the October Children's Book Festival swinging into action in schools, bookshops and libraries all over Ireland, here's the chance to do just that.
One of the highlights of the festival is the Monster Book Bash in aid of the Bubblegum Club, the first ever literary lunch for children, with a reading from Mr Skulduggery himself, Derek Landy, plus Marita Conlon McKenna, Judi Curtin and Don Conroy; and tips for young writers on getting published. It all kicks off tomorrow, Saturday October 3, in the Kingston Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, at noon.
The 24-Hour Comic Day with Manga expert Tsuyoshi Ogawa on October 17 and 18 in the Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dublin, is a must for young comic fans; and award-winning Scottish writer Sophie McKenzie will appear at several events, along with performance poet Brian Moses and bearded Scottish favourite Philip Ardagh, who opened the Festival in Cork City Library on October 1 at 11.30am.
Another way of creating readers is to bombard them with brilliant books and O'Brien Press has come up trumps with The Train Driver by Kunak McGann (€5.99), a charming, well-written story about a young boy, Dara, who's mad about trains (age 4+).
And for GAA fans, the fast paced and exciting Feile Fever by Joe O'Brien (€7.99) will hit the spot. Yummy by Lucy Cousins (Walker, £14.99), is simply the best fairytale collection for the very young I've seen in years, with vividly-coloured illustrations and short, snappy text. A must for children of 2+.
Best-Loved Irish Legends by Eithne Massey (O'Brien €12.99) is a collection of old favourites including The Children of Lir and The Salmon of Knowledge in one handsomely illustrated volume for age 4+.
Readers of 8+ will love Judi Curtin's new book, Alice to the Rescue (O'Brien €7.99), a deftly handled tale about two best friends that oozes charm. And fashionable tweens will adore Threads by Sophia Bennett (Chicken House £6.99).
When best friends Nonie and Jenny spot a refugee girl in a pair of pink fairy wings, they have no idea how all their lives are going to change. Peppered with some unforgettable characters this elegant, funny novel has real heart.
For teens, multi-Bisto Award winner, Kate Thompson tackles climate change in The White Horse Trick (Bodley Head £10.99), set partly in Tír na nÓg and bringing back a number of characters from The New Policeman and The Last of the High Kings.
Again for teens, The Wisdom of Dead Men (£6.99 Random House) by Oisín McGann is an explosive fantasy read, set in the Victorian era. It opens with a gripping spontaneous combustion and the action never lets up.
And if Darren Shan is your teen reader's poison, check out The Enemy by Charlie Higson (Puffin £12.99), a taut horror-thriller set in London. A strange disease has turned everyone over 14 into zombies, but one hardened gang of youngsters is determined to survive. And the Shanster's (as Darren's fans call him) latest gore-fest, Hell's Heroes (Harpercollins, £12.99) has just hit the shelves to terrify his legion of readers.
I can't get 13 Reasons Why (Penguin £5.99) by American bookseller Jay Asher, out of my head. Set in contemporary America, it's the story of a teen suicide. The book has two narrators, Hannah, the suicide victim who makes audio tapes explaining why she intends to take her own life, and Clay, a friend of Hannah's who is listening to the tapes after her death. The reader 'listens' to the tapes along with Clay, an experience both shocking and harrowing. Essential reading for teens and parents.
And finally, Irish author Celine Kiernan is back with book two of her excellent Moorhawke Trilogy, The Crowded Shadows (O'Brien €10.99), a cracking theatrical historical fantasy set in medieval Europe.
All the Irish authors mentioned will be supporting the Festival by appearing at schools, libraries or bookshops near you. Don't miss them!
For information on the Bubblegum Book Bash see www.bubblegumclub.ie and on the Children's Book Festival Tel: 01-8727475 or see www.childrensbooksireland.ie Sarah Webb's latest book is Amy Green, Teen Agony Queen: Boy Trouble (Walker €5.99).
- Sarah Webb
Irish Independent
