Primary Book Chat with Sarah Armstrong & Shivaun Plozza

The Little Bookroom is excited to bring back the popular night for Teachers, Librarians, Home-Schoolers, Parents, or any other grown-up interested in what books are being published that tick curriculum boxes or could engage young readers on any number of topics!

Book Chat is a casual, entertaining, but enlightening night.

• 6pm for a 6:30 start (browse the shelves before we kick off)

• Michael will lead a special guest in a Q&A/Discussion about their latest release and how it's a perfect fit for schools and libraries - be it in the classroom, or to promote to students for their free-choice reading.

• We take a short comfort break.

• Michael takes us, rapid-fire, through some of the recent releases that might pique the interest of the Education Sector, focusing on local publishing and quality reads.

TERM 3 SPECIAL GUESTS:

Hear Sarah Armstrong and Shivaun Plozza in conversation about their new middle grade novels, both of which weave together adventure and environmental themes.

These two fantastic authors both have A LOT of writing experience between them and this disscussion is not one to miss!

Sarah Armstrong

Sarah Armstrong is an award-winning journalist and the author of three acclaimed novels for adults, including the Miles Franklin-shortlisted Salt Rain. Her novels for children include the CBCA Notable Book Big Magic and its sequel Magic Awry, and the CBCA shortlisted survival thriller, Run. Sarah lives with her partner and daughter in the NSW town of Mullumbimby.

Shivaun Plozza

Shivaun Plozza’s middle grade debut, The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars, was a JLG selection. Her other middle grade novels include A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic, Meet Me at the Moon Tree, which was shortlisted for the ABIA awards, and Summer of Shipwrecks, which was shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards. Running in Circles is her latest novel. Her YA novels, Frankie, Tin Heart, andThe Worst Perfect Moment, are award-winning and are widely celebrated. Shivaun lives in Geelong with her cat, Fenchurch.

About Sarah's book, The Wave:

From the acclaimed author of Run comes this exhilarating survivalist novel about 13-year-old Max, who is home alone when a tsunami warning hits his coastal town.

Max loves surfing, the beach, and the chilled-out island he calls home – though he doesn't love all the tourists that swarm his peaceful beach town every summer. When a warning comes that an unexpected tsunami is just hours away, Max is home on his own and he can't find his beloved dog, Ralph.

With precious time ticking away and people speeding past him out of town, Max is running out of time to get to higher ground. Ultimately, he will have to choose between trying to survive a tsunami on his own, or banding together with whichever strangers are left behind, even if they're tourists. And he'd better hurry, because the tsunami is going to hit any moment …

Perfect for fans of Tristan Bancks and Katherine Rundell, this gripping novel explores couarage, misplaced loyalty and survival in the face of disaster.

About Shivaun's book, Running in Circles:

From award-winning author Shivaun Plozza comes this moving coming-of-age story about family, picking your battles and the transformative power of science.

When crop circles appear in Tully, North Queensland, twelve-year-old Dell knows it's a hoax. She's a future climate scientist who believes in facts, not science fiction. But Dell's estranged mum is an extraterrestrial fanatic. She blusters back into town armed with alien conspiracy theories and a dazzling smile.

If Dell can prove the crop circle is fake, surely her mum will hightail it out of Tully again, preferably before she causes Dell's dad and three sisters further heartbreak. But as her mother's claims grow more out of this world and alien fever takes over the country, Dell worries she's fighting a lost cause. How can she convince anyone of the truth when they're all so desperate to believe a lie?