Pageturners book discussion group members will recall debate about this author Michelle de Kretser and her book The Lost Dog  it has been nominated for another award. The Lost Dog by Michelle De Kretser has been included in the 2008 Man Booker Prize longlist. Now in its 40th year the Man Booker Prize aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland. The prize is the considered one of the world's most important literary awards and has the power to transform the fortunes of authors. The Lost Dog most recently won the 2008 Australian Literature Society (ALS) Gold Medal for an outstanding literary work. It also won this year's NSW Premier's Literary Award for Book of the Year and the 2008 Christina Stead Prize for fiction. The Man Booker Shortlist is announced on 9 September and the winner announced on the 14th. I'm still reading the book (finding it a bit fragmented but sticking with it). For more about the prize and shortlist go to www.themanbookerprize.com

Get ready to have your say and see spoken word artist Miles Merrill perform when he hosts the Australian Poetry Slam 08 competition. There will be two heats in the Central West:

Macquarie Regional Library, Dubbo
Saturday 13 September at 2.30pm

Orange City Library, Orange
Thursday 18 September at 6.30pm.

We are looking for poets, hip hop artists, storytellers and other outspoken wordsmiths to speak, scream, howl or whisper or sing your original poem, rhyme, rap or story. Performers can sign up from 30 mins before the start and have 2 minutes at the microphone to impress the judges. Be in the audience to have a chance of being picked as a judge (tip – catch the frisbee). It is an electric live event and entertainment plus. Two winners from the Orange heat will win Sydney flights and accommodation courtesy of Orange Regional Arts Foundation to be able to attend the State Final at the State Library of NSW on Friday 21 November. Come along and be part of it. Call Orange City Library on 6393 8132 for more details.

The winners of this year's Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) awards have been announced. Please note that some of the books are for mature readers. All the nominated books are on display in Orange City Library. And the winners are:

Picture Book of the Year
Requiem for a Beast by Matt Ottley, Lothian

Older Readers Book of the Year
The Ghost's Child by Sonya Hartnett, Viking

Early Childhood Book of the Year
Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley by Aaron Blabey, Viking

Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
Parsley Rabbit's Book about Books by Frances Watts, illustrated by David Legge, ABC Books

For more information and a list of honour books and nominations go to the Children's Book Council website www.cbca.org.au. Did you predict any of the winners?

Look out! The Library toboggins are ready to go, Frosty the Snowman is happy as we are enjoying the spectacle of a highly unusual midday snowfall. The snowflakes are huge and a thick layer of snow has covered the buildings and surrounds of the Library. It is hard to believe our colleagues in Sydney are basking in a beautiful sunny day no doubt thinking of champagne and oysters while we indulge in medicinal doses of hot chocolate and add another layer of clothes. Brr Brr cold…… but scenic.

The saying goes “seven days without reading makes one weak” so why not Fuel Your Mind with winners of the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. Winners of the Book Awards will be announced on the eve of Book Week, held from 16 to 22 August. Come into Orange City Library to see a display of the winning books or join in with the special Book Week storytimes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 11am. Book Week is the longest running children's festival in Australia, celebrating its 63rd birthday this year. Picture books (please note some are for older readers) nominated this year are: The Peasant Prince by Anne Spudvilas and Li Cunxin; The Island by Armin Greder; You and Me: Our Place by Dee Huxley and Leonie Norrington; Ziba Came on a Boat by Robert Ingpen and Liz Lofthouse; Requiem for a Beast by Matt Ottley; and Dust by Colin Thompson and 13 other illustrators. The other categories are Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood and Eve Pownall Award. Visit the website cbca.org.au to view the Children's Book Council of Australia Shortlist for your next children's book to read and see if you can predict the winner.