A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board
This month our Teen Advisory Board had an exciting visit from book blogger, agent and champion of LoveOzYa, Danielle Binks. Danielle was one of the instigators of the Love OzYA movement and is also the editor of the Australian young adult anthology: Begin End Begin.
Danielle is an incredible powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm. She talked to us about her passion for Australian YA literature, and unpacked why she can sometimes be critical of it (because she loves it so much and wants it to be better) and what genres she would like to see more (fantasy and diverse love stories). She also delved into the importance of authors having a social media presence, and commented that they do need to have more than just the one book in them if they want to have a successful career in the industry.
Best of all, Danielle also showed us some Top Secret documents detailing the authors and books she represents, and asked the board which titles they would like to read most and why.
At the end of the meeting, we gifted Danielle a preview copy of an October release: Marie Lu’s Warcross. Two board members have already read this one and are raving about it, and so Danielle promised that she would take it on holiday to Bali with her. Members have also recently been reading the award-winning debut novel, The Bone Sparrow, from Zana Fraillon – who they met at the last meeting. You can read some of their reflections on the book below.
Finally, this month our Board made a final decision on the design for their shelf-talkers, and they have now gone to print. Look out for our teen reviews across the Readings shops in the next month or so.
Our Teen Advisory Board’s thoughts on The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
‘Beautiful and heartbreaking; a modern-day The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.’ – Kirrily Ireland
‘Subhi’s wide imagination leads him on a journey of friendship, love, hope and freedom from the four isolating walls of living in a detention centre.’ – Layla Saraya
‘A beautifully crafted book that left me speechless. It taught me that not everyone rolled the lucky dice in life, and we are never grateful for what we have compared to people like Subhi. I never knew people lived like that, and that it happens here, in Australia. I encourage you to learn about the prisoners in our own country. This book deserves every bit of praise that it has received.’ – Mia Tikellis
‘See into the life of a young refugee in The Bone Sparrow, a story of hope, family, and imagination. Read this book o discover the horrific reality of detention centres through the eyes of a young refugee.’ – Stella
