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We’re extremely excited to announce that between July 30 – August 17 we will be hosting the KYD YA Championship!
At KYD we love YA fiction. Some of our favourite memories of our young reading lives involve characters from favourite YA books or curling up with a YA adventure on the couch. And still, as ‘grown-ups’, we find ourselves regularly turning to the comforting pages of YA books. They really have a hold on us.
So, after many passionate discussions with like-minded folk about YA, we have decided to celebrate this fanaticism and embrace the enthusiasm.
We have asked ten of our favourite YA fanatics – authors, buyers, publishers, readers, writers – to champion their favourite Australian YA book from the last 30 years.
Posts from enthusiasts including Andrew McDonald, Lili Wilkinson and Agnes Nieuwenhuizen will take a personal look at some of the most memorable and formative local YA books. Beginning from July 30, we will be looking to you to vote for your favourite as you will determine the top three.
Everyone who votes for their favourite book in the championship will go into the running for one of three incredible prize packs, courtesy of our sponsors Penguin, Allen & Unwin and Hardie Grant Egmont, including:
Penguin
- Obernewtyn – Isobelle Carmody
- Little Fur – Isobelle Carmody
- Deadly Unna – Phillip Gwynne
- Nukkin Ya – Phillip Gwynne
- The Ghost’s Child – Sonya Hartnett
- Butterfly – Sonya Hartnett
- Looking For Alibrandi – Melina Marchetta
- The Pipers Son – Melina Marchetta
- Disharmony – Leah Giarratano
- The Shiny Guys – Doug MacLeod
Allen & Unwin
- Coming of the Whirlpool: Ship Kings 1 – Andrew McGahan
- Love-shy – Lili Wilkinson
- A Straight Line to My Heart – Bill Condon
- Metro Winds – Isobelle Carmody
- Sea Hearts – Margo Lanagan
- The Dead I Know – Scot Gardner
- Holier Than Thou – Laura Buzo
- Dead, Actually – Kaz Delaney
- A Confusion of Princes – Garth Nix
- Somebody’s Crying – Maureen McCarthy
Hardie Grant Egmont
- Shift – Em Bailey
- Silhouette – Thalia Kalkipsakis
- Gone – Michael Grant
- Forgotten – Cat Patrick
- Revived – Cat Patrick
- Of Poseidon – Anna Banks
- The Phoenix Files: Arrival – Chris Morphew
- Survive – Alex Morel
- Why We Broke Up – Daniel Handler
- Whisper – Chrissie Keighery
And never fear: we know there are endless Australian YA classics beyond our nominated shortlist, so there will also be a People’s Choice category. If your favourite Australian YA book from the last 30 years was left on the shelf, you can be its champion.
Please join us to discuss #KYDYAC on Twitter (@kyd_journal), Facebook or in the blog comments. We would love to hear what you think about Australian YA fiction: after all, this is not only an exciting event, but also the chance to raise your voice.
Watch this space for more YA fiction fun!
