Monday, November 05, 2012

The YABBA Awards And Book Club

Tomorrow I am taking a small group of students to the YABBA Award ceremony - the Young Australian Best Books Award, the one young readers actually get to vote for. I would like to say one of my books is on the shortlist, but it isn't. Still, I wanted to go, and to take along some students.

At this stage, there will only be a handful. See, I work in the western suburbs of Melbourne and the ceremony is in the south east, in Kew, at a very expensive private boys' school. And it's on early, so I just can't go to Sunshine, pick up the students at school and take them out again. So I made the decision to take the Year 10s, who can meet me in town. I will be getting a couple of books signed for younger ones whom I couldn't take. I promised to take them on an excursion next year.

It's appropriate, really. These were my first book clubbers, at a time when I hadn't been able to get any interest going. They will be at Senior Campus next year. I will miss them terribly and as I couldn't take them to the Inkyfest, this was my last chance to spoil them before they go - Ryan, Thando,Paige, Selena, Dylan and Kristen.

It will be our chance to look around and see how it works. Any school can apply to host the ceremony, but as you need room for three hundred people it's no use applying if you don't have a school hall. I can manage two hundred in my library,  but that's still too small. We don't have a hall at the West Campus. The Senior hall is in use for exams at that time of year and is, anyway, a bit shabby. The only other campus with a hall is North, but I'd need support there. I'll need to research this. Stand by for more!

There will be some great writers there. Dylan got very excited when I mentioned Andy Griffiths. I asked him wasn't he a bit old for this writer. "Never!" he cried.

My friend George Ivanoff, who has visited our school, tells me there's a mile long queue to Andy's table and the rest of the writers are ignored, even, last year, Gabrielle Lord, who is VERY popular, but he thinks it worth doing and will be there anyway.

As the morning tea is for adults only, I'm taking some snacks for my dear students. BYO just isn't as much fun. I have bought them lamingtons, chips in  mini bags and cans of soft drink.

Time to get ready for tomorrow!