Birthday greetings

A very happy birthday from everyone in the WCBA to an unnamed Someone at the Children's Bookshop, Kilbirnie who is having a Special Birthday.

Happy birthday J___ M_______ and enjoy using your magic golden card.

We appreciate all that you do for children's literature and to support children's and YA writers in New Zealand.

What Lies Beneath

The What Lies Beneath exhibition has been travelling all around New Zealand and has reached Wellington at last!

Authors Melinda Szymanik, Philippa Werry, Glyn Harper, Anna Mackenzie and Maria Gill, as well as illustrators Fifi Colston and Marco Ivanic, are giving a panel talk at Wellington Central Library on Tuesday 18 October from 6pm-8pm. 

There will be book giveaways, light supper, posters and bookmarks to take home, as well as a very interesting panel discussion about children's war books. 

See poster below for more details. We would love to see lots of you there!

Please pass on news of this event to anyone you think might be interested. 

Barbara Else to give her Margaret Mahy Award speech in Wellington

Barbara Else gives her Margaret Mahy speech for a Wellington audience. (photo is of Barbara with her illustrator of the Fontania series - Sam Broad)
Award-winning Wellington writer and literary agent Barbara Else was named the 2016 winner of New Zealand’s top award for children’s writers and illustrators in March. The Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal is awarded annually for lifetime achievement and an outstanding contribution to New Zealand children’s literature.
As part of the award Barbara was invited to present a public lecture in Auckland in April.
The Children's Bookshop are delighted to host Barbara on Monday the 19th of September at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Finger food and drinks provided.
This is an open invitation - no charge but please RSVP to books@thechildrensbookshop.co.nz for catering numbers.

The Wellington Children's Book Association 

Annual General Meeting 

will be held on

3rd September 2016 at 2pm 

at The Mediterranean Food Warehouse 

Newtown

Come and meet up for a coffee and chat. 

(We have short meetings too.)

Please R.S.V.P. to 

the.wcba@gmail.com

By 30th August 2016

NZ Writers Week

Great to see so many fascinating sessions on offer at this year's NZ Writers Week (8-13 March); in fact, there's a whole section titled For the young and youthful (and that's all of us, right??) Pick up a programme if you haven't seen it yet, or look online.

Here are some sessions that should be of special interest to anyone who follows children's and young adult writing:

Thursday 10 March

9.45am Anna Smaill talking to Kate de Goldi

11am Jamie Curry and Mallory Ortberg talking about Life Online

12.30pm (Don’t miss this one!) Anna McKenzie talking about the story behind Evie's War

Also on 10 March, the launch of Hooked on NZ Books, a new online review website for young adults.

Saturday 12 March

2pm (another don’t miss session) The Kids Are All Right: Mandy Hager chairing a session on YA books and the issues today's kids face, with Sally Gardner, Cornelia Funke and Ted Dawe.

7pm (but at the Dowse in Lower Hutt) Robert Dessaix on Enid Blyton and "the lasting influences of a childhood reading".

Sunday 13 March

9.30am Live storytelling session with Paul Beavis (I've seen Paul in action and kids always love his sessions)

11am Sally Gardner in conversation with Anna McKenzie

12.30pm Mariko Tamaki, graphic novelist, in conversation with Kate de Goldi

2pm Cornelia Funke in conversation with Jo Randerson

3.30pm How Weta Digital translated James Dashner's YA series The maze runner to film

5pm Joy Cowley : A Joyful Life (a celebration of Joy's 80th year)

Plenty of other great sessions as well; it's going to be hard to choose.