On Wednesday 8 March from 11.30am to 12.30pm, join our live videoconference
WordSpace: Young Adult Fiction session
Join Fleur Beale and Paula Boock in a discussion about Young Adult Fiction. WordSpace is a series of videoconference discussions between secondary school students and leading New Zealand writers, brought to you by the New Zealand Book Council and CWA New Media. To participate, your school will need to be a member of the Book Council.
Fleur and Paula will talk about how they relate to their young adult audience, where their stories come from and why they love what they do.
Fleur Beale
Fleur Beale’s understanding of teenagers comes through in her novels, which have an emphasis on outdoor activities and characters who are aware of their difficulties, social troubles and shortcomings.
A prolific writer, Fleur’s titles include Slide the Corner (1992); Against the Tide (1993); Driving a Bargain (1993), finalist in the Aim Children’s Book Awards Junior Fiction category; Over the Edge (1994); The Fortune Teller (1995); Dear Pop (1995); The Rich and Famous Body and the Empty Chequebook (1995); Fifteen and Screaming (1995); Rockman (1996); I am not Esther (1998), which received an Honour Award at the 1999 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards; Further Back Than Zero (1998); Keep Out (1999); Destination Disaster (1999); Playing to Win (1999); Trucker (2000); and Deadly Prospect (2000). Her recent titles My Story: A New Song in the Land – The Writings of Atapo, Paihia, c. 1840 (2004) and Walking Lightly (2004) were both finalists in the Junior Fiction Category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2005.
Paula Boock
Paula Boock writes strong fiction which shows her sympathy for modern teenagers and understanding of the social pressures they encounter. Her fiesty female protagonists explore friendships and challenge traditional roles and social expectations as they cope with dysfunctional families, school and life after school, male aggression, and disasters, including death.
Boock won the 1992 Best First Book Award for Out Walked Mel (1991) and the 1994 Esther Glen Award for Sasscat to Win (1993). Her novel, Home Run, was a finalist in the senior fiction section of the 1996 AIM Children’s Book Awards while Dare Truth or Promise (1997) was shortlisted for the 1998 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.
Power and Chaos (2000) is based on the popular television series The Tribe.
TO REGISTER FOR THIS VIDEO-CONFERENCE, CONTACT digitalconversations@cwa.co.nz BY MONDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2006.
Telephone: (04) 382 6506
The Book Council will be creating a DVD of this session, which will be available for schools to purchase. If your school takes part in the session, please be aware that we will need signed permission forms from all participating students.
