The Children’s Book Council of Australia NSW Branch is pleased to announce that Karen Jameyson has been chosen as the 2018 recipient of the LADY CUTLER AWARD.
Karen has devoted her life to the promotion and dissemination of great children’s literature. Through her editing, reviewing, advocacy, volunteer work and writing, Karen has enriched and supported the work of Australian children’s authors and illustrators and promoted their work internationally.
Karen’s passion for children and their reading has been a feature of her role at The School Magazine where she has liaised with publishers and publicists to select forty books each year for the School Magazine’s Bookshelf section. Each month student readers have eagerly turned to the Bookshelf section first to see what book is being featured and to race to the library to borrow. According to Tohby Riddle, Karen has brought “a keen and knowledgeable eye for quality” to this task. Her enthusiasm for authors and illustrators, both emerging and well known and her relationship with publishers knows no bounds.
She has supported the CBCA since her arrival in Australia, joining the NSW Branch committee and volunteering on national conference committees. Most recently Karen has been a key contributor to the revitalisation of IBBY Australia. IBBY Australia President Robin Morrow comments: “Karen is a quiet but strong member of the committee offering wise advice and practical hard work, as well as her deep knowledge of literature. We all value her collegiate spirit and friendship.”
The Lady Cutler Award commemorates the contribution to the Children’s
Book Council NSW Branch by former patron, Lady Helen Cutler, and is presented for Distinguished Service in the field of Australian Children’s Literature.
Karen Jameyson will receive this award in Sydney at the Lady Cutler Event to be held on the evening of September 14, at the Royal Automobile Club, Sydney. All are welcome to attend this event. Guest speaker delivering the Maurice Saxby Oration is Bruce Pascoe. Bookings may be made online at https://trybooking.com/WETA
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Meet the Sidekicks: a swimmer, a rebel and a nerd. Through the different relationship each shared with Isaac, they become more than these public personae. Each young man deals with grief and the situation that forces them together to deal with Isaac’s untimely and suspect demise. The relationships with each other and the people around them bring them to face difficult choices they need to make, the choices that free them to be the multi-dimensional people they truly are. These peripheral characters enhance but do not overwhelm the narrative. This intricately designed narration weaves the stories of Ryan, Harley and Miles together. These characters scream silently out for help, and each finds strength or solace if in different places. Sidekicks concludes with Miles narrating an external film sequence. The boys come together around the picnic table providing a new catalyst for the future, a future where they can remember and finally forget Isaac.
The Sidekicks is Will’s third novel for young adults, and American debut. His first novel, Loathing Lola, was released when he was just nineteen, and his second, The First Third, won the 2014 Gold Inky Award. It was also shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and Australian Prime Minister’s Literary awards. As a high school student, Will won Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year for a collection of short stories.
