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Compiled by Rita Blackburn with input from Jan Nicholls, Jenni Woodroffe, Rebecca Newman, Joanna Andrews & Ruth Nitschke, CBCA WA Branch 2013.

Read across the universe

The 2013 Children’s Book Week theme, Read across the universe opens up a wide range of reading to excite young people of all ages. Research the solar system, the race to the moon, navigation by the stars, the development of the telescope and scientists such as Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler. Compare myths and legends from different cultures about the sun, moon, stars and sky. Introduce students to science-fiction and stories about alternate or parallel universes, to stimulate thought and debate about important contemporary issues. Read fiction with moon, sun, star/s or universe in the title and discuss the significance of the title.

The following list is by no means comprehensive but intended to provide a starting-point. Search your school and local libraries for further choices to offer students. Note most of the older titles can be obtained online if not available in your libraries.

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Read a selection of myths and legends from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome and from the Aztecs, the Vikings and Native Americans, as well as Aboriginal Dreamtime stories to find out about the gods and goddesses of the sun, moon and stars or stories of how these celestial bodies came to be.

Check Dewey 398.2 (folklore) in the library catalogue or browse the shelves.

Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale written and Illustrate by Gerald McDermott. American Picture Book. Age 7+. This adaptation of a Pueblo Indian myth explains how the spirit of the Lord of the Sun was brought to the world of men Awards: 1975 Caldecott Medal for illustration.

The Legend of the Seven Sisters: A Traditional Story from Western Australia by May O’Brien and Sue Wyatt. Australian Picture Book. Age 7+ Adapted and beautifully illustrated for young readers this traditional tale of the Wongutha people of the eastern goldfields, tells the story of a group of stars called the Seven Sisters (Pleiades) and why the seventh star always appears behind the others.

And you can listen to Mimi The StoryTeller relate the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvrjaxNmf24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvrjaxNmf24


INFORMATION BOOKS

For information about space, sun, moon, planets and other celestial bodies search Dewey numbers J520 (astronomy) and J523 (specific celestial bodies and phenomena).

Useful search terms include: astronomy, space, moon exploration, Galileo, Copernicus, Kepler, Neil Armstrong, spacecraft, space race, astronauts, life on other planets, satellites, telescopes, Hubble Space Telescope.

An interesting Australian book on the topic is:

To the Moon and Back by Bryan Sullivan & Jackie French. Australian Biography/Information Book. Age 10+. When man took the first step on the moon it was a bunch of Australian technicians who tracked the spacecraft and sent the first television pictures to the world. No, not at Parkes - the movie The Dish got it wrong. They were from Honeysuckle Creek in the ACT. This is their story, told by Bryan Sullivan, one of the technicians on duty at the time, and his wife, children′s author Jackie French. (Blurb from HarperCollins website)

Awards: CBCA Book of the Year: Eve Pownall Award, 2005.

PICTURE BOOKS

My Place in Space by Robin Hirst, Sally Hirst, Roland Harvey and Joe Levine. Australian Picture Book. Age 5+. Henry and his sister Rosie know exactly where they live - and not just the street, the town and the country. They know their place in space. This is a great introduction to astronomy and the universe for all ages. Awards: Honour Book, CBCA Picture Book 1989.

The Sea of Tranquillity by Mark Haddon and Christian Burmingham. British Picture Book. Age 4+. A man recounts his childhood fascination with the moon, how he sought out books and information about it and dreamed of walking across The Sea of Tranquillity.

The Terrible Suitcase by Emma Allen & Freya Blackwood. Australian Picture Book. Age 4+. When a young girl is given a red suitcase instead of a backpack decorated with rockets similar to the other children’s starting school she is angry. However, by using her imagination the suitcase becomes a magical thing, drawing others into her game of space travel. Awards: Short List, CBCA Early Childhood Book of the Year 2013.


The Worst Band in the Universe by Graeme Base.

Australian Picture Book. Age 6+. Sprocc, a young splingtwanger-player, leaves his home planet, Blipp, in search of musical freedom, pursued by the overly-ambitious Musical Inquisitor. Lured by the promise of fame and fortune, Sprocc enters the annual Worst Band in the Universe Competition and is launched skyward on a totally cosmic musical adventure. (Blurb from author’s website)

Awards: IBBY Honour List 2000.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. American Classic Picture Book. Age 1+. A small bunny safely tucked into bed goes through a bedtime ritual of saying good-night to everything around him as the room grows darker and the moon rises. School Library Journal One of Top 100 Picture Books of All Time.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram. British Picture Book. Age 2+. Very popular with parents and young children, this endearing story describes how Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare express their love for each other in increasingly large measures. It includes the iconic phrase, ‘I love you right up to the moon and back’

Moon Rabbit by Natalie Russell. British Picture Book. Age 3+ Little Rabbit likes living in the city. There are so many things to see and do! But at night, when she is all alone, she looks up at the moon and begins to wonder. Could there be someone out there? Another little rabbit just like her? (Blurb from author’s website)

Bilby Moon by Margaret Spurling and Danny Snell. Australian Picture Book. Age 2+. When Little Bilby notices that the moon is becoming smaller and smaller each night he sets off to find the missing pieces.

The Midnight Gang by Margaret Wild and Ann James. Australian Picture Book. Age 1+. Baby Brenda climbs out of her cot and out the cat flap, 'on the stroke of midnight when anything can happen', and is joined by three friends for a wild romp that takes them to the moon, stars and a comet. (adapted from The Source)

Awards: Honour Book, CBCA Book of the Year Award: Picture Books, 1997.


NOVELS FOR YOUNGER READERS

Tee Dee and the Collectors : or How It All Began by Brian Caswell. (Alien Zones series) Australian Novel/Series. Age 10+ This is the first of the 6-part humorous, science fiction Alien Zones series for younger readers. The books can be read sequentially or each story can stand alone. Tee Dee, an alien, is searching throughout the universe trying to locate her father who has been stranded somewhere. On earth, she is befriended by a group of children who plan to help her. Awards: CBCA Book of the Year Notable Book.

The Café on Callisto by Jackie French. Australian Novel. Age 8+. Sam and her Dad live alone, twenty-five levels below earth. Seeking a better life, Dad travels to Callisto Four to open a cafe. Full of descriptive language, this amusing view of life on other planets is a great introduction to science fiction. Awards: Aurealis Award 2001: Children’s (8-12 years) Best Short Fiction

Hal Junior: The Secret Signal by Simon Haynes. Australian Novel. Age 9+. Hal Junior lives on a futuristic space station with his parents. He's a good kid with crazy schemes and somehow trouble always seems to find him. This is a funny, action-packed science-fiction novel for middle primary readers. Sequels: The Missing Case and The Gryis Mission.

Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left by Robyn Klein. Australian Novel. Age 9+. First published in 1985, this is the hilarious account of a crazy alien family's stay on earth, as their extra-terrestrial powers and ignorance of earth customs get them into trouble, and adventures.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. American Classic Novel. Ages 10+ Three young people travel through time and space to Camazotz in an attempt to rescue their physicist father from the fifth dimension or ‘a wrinkle in time’. This is an exciting and enduring classic for upper primary and young secondary readers. Awards: Newbery Medal 1963.


Number The Stars by Lois Lowry. American Novel. Age 10+ Ten-year-old Annemarie’s courage is tested when her best friend is threatened by Nazis in 1943. This accessible story of friendship and courage describes the Danish Resistance through a child’s eyes. Awards: Newbery Medal 1990.

NOVELS FOR OLDER READERS

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. British Novel/Series. Age 14-adult. Published in 1979, this first book in a humorous, science-fiction series has become modern day classic with a cult following and continues to be popular with young adults. It began as a radio play before becoming a series of novels, a television series and film. A multitude of common sayings have arisen from Douglas’s works. Sequels include: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley. Australian Novel. Age 13+ Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist. Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose. Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it. Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other. An intense and exhilarating 24 hours in the lives of four teenagers on the verge: of adulthood, of HSC, of finding out just who they are, and who they want to be. (Blurb from Pan Macmillan Australia

website)

Awards: 2011 NSW Premier's Literary Awards: Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature; Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, YA Fiction; 2011 Honour Book CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers short list; Victorian Premier’s short list; Queensland Premier’s short list.

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner. British Novel. Age 13+ Set in an alternative 1950s Britain and the race to the moon, where Standish Treadwell and Gramps live with the rest of the undesirables in Zone 7, and all stand terrified under the brutal regime of the Motherland. But severely dyslexic Standish sees the world through different eyes to most, and through his vision and courage he has to track down his best friend Hector, who has disappeared completely, and ultimately find a way to bring down the oppressive forces of the Motherland. How can one boy stand against an all-powerful army? (Blurb from author’s website) Awards: Carnegie Medal, 2013; Costa Children’s Book Award; Guardian longlist.


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. American Novel. Age 14+. Green’s fourth highly acclaimed novel is an achingly beautiful romance between Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters who meet at a Cancer Kid Support Group. The witty conversations between the two raise questions that apply to all of us such as, ‘Will I be remembered?’ According to the Time review, this book is ‘a good example of why so many adult readers are turning to young adult literature for the pleasures and consolations they used to get from conventional literary fiction.’ On numerous recommended American book

lists including School Library Journal, New York Times and Kirkus Review.

Hal Spacejock by Simon Haynes.

Australian Novel/Series by a Western Australian author. Age 14+ -Adult. In this first book of a continuing series an incompetent, accident-prone pilot is given one last chance to save his intergalactic cargo ship. An ageing robot is trusted with a midnight landing in a deserted field. And a desperate businessman is prepared to sacrifice both of them to get what he wants. (Blurb from Fremantle

Press website).

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. British Classic Novel. Age 14+-Adult. Set in 2540, this satire describes a dystopian, totalitarian world where human beings are mass-produced and conditioned for lives in a rigid caste system. Considered one of the 100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century.

1984 by George Orwell. British Classic Novel. Age 14+-Adult. Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. (Blurb from Goodreads.com)

Life As We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer. American Novel. Age 12+ This compelling story and its sequels focuses on the effects of an asteroid colliding with the Moon and knocking its orbit closer to Earth. Sequels: The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In.


Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. (His Dark Materials trilogy) British Novel/Series. Age 11-Adult. In a new, yet familiar universe, Lyra and her daemon set off on a quest to the land of armoured bears and witch-queens, to a place where scientists are conducting experiments too horrible to be spoken about. This exciting first book in the highly acclaimed, inventive and multi-layered His Dark Materials series is suitable for capable upper primary readers. The more philosophical sequels will be appreciated by older readers, including adults. (adapted from A Core Collection, Fiction 2003, CMIS, Department of Education &

Training WA) Sequels: The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass. Awards: Northern Lights: Carnegie Medal 1995; The Amber Spyglass: Whitbread 2001.

Galax-Arena by Gillian Rubinstein. Australian Novel. Ages 14+. This is a compelling, thought-provoking psychological thriller, in which three children are kidnapped by aliens and taken to another planet where they are forced to perform dangerous acrobatic stunts. Sequel: Terra-Farma. Awards: CBCA Honour Book: Older Readers, 1993.

Space Demons.by Gillian Rubinstein. Australian Novel. Ages 12+ First published in 1986, this exciting story about children who are drawn into a computer game to battle against sinister forces remains popular and the themes relevant. Sequels: Skymaze and Shinkei. Awards: CBCA Honour Book Older Readers 1987.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield. American Novel. Age 13+ The first in a thought-provoking series, Uglies is set in a future dystopian world in which all people are compelled to undergo cosmetic surgery at the age of 16 in order to become ‘Pretty’. After discovering what really is at stake, Tally at the brink of 16, joins her newfound friends and rebels against society’s enforced conformity. Sequels: Pretties, Specials and a companion book, Extras.

The Nargun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson. Australian Novel. Ages 12+ In this outstanding fantasy, orphaned Simon Brent is withdrawn and resentful when he comes to Wongadilla until he discovers the age-old spirits of the mountains and the swamp. He finds he is able to face the ancient terror of the Nargun with courage and resourcefulness. (From A Core Collection, 2003

CMIS, Department of Education and Training WA).

Awards: CBCA Book of the Year Older Readers 1974; IBBY Honour Diploma 1976; New York Times Outstanding Books 1974.


Also select books from the 2013 shortlisted books and the notables list.

http://cbca.org.au/Shortlist2013.htm

http://cbca.org.au/Notables2013.htm

http://cbca.org.au/Shortlist2013.htm

http://cbca.org.au/Notables2013.htm

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