Goodreads Book Giveaway
Worlds Next Door
by Tehani Wessely
Giveaway ends August 21, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Goodreads Giveaway – Worlds Next Door
July 27, 2012
Class set special price for Worlds Next Door
April 10, 2012
FableCroft Publishing is pleased to offer a huge discount to schools wishing to purchase class sets of Worlds Next Door, a collection of speculative short fiction stories for 9-13 year olds. Released in 2010, Worlds Next Door features stories from 25 of Australia’s best authors for children, including Jen Banyard, Sue Bursztynski, Paul Collins, Pamela Freeman and Michael Pryor.
Stories from Worlds Next Door have been shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards and the Washington Science Fiction Association’s Small Press Award, and the book has received consistently excellent reviews across Australia. With teaching materials, free story downloads and audio versions available, Worlds Next Door is a valuable addition to any school resources.
If you would like to take the opportunity to purchase a class set of Worlds Next Door, simply email fablecroft@gmail.com with purchase order details (orders received this way will be invoiced, 30 day terms), or, if you have access to Paypal, there’s a button here!
“The Best Dog in the World”, Dirk Flinthart
“A Wizard in Trouble”, Paul Collins
“Graffiti”, Joanne Anderton
“Enid and the Prince”, RJ Astruc
“Disobedience”, Dave Luckett
“The Guardians”, Geoffrey Hugh Miller
“Horror Movie”, Michael Pryor
“The House on Juniper Road”, Felicity Dowker
“Rocket and Sparky”, Edwina Harvey
“Inksucker”, Aidan Doyle
“Mega Wombats and Demon Ducks”, Sue Bursztynski
“Philomena Plaitbinder”, Angela Rega
“Moonchild”, Bren MacDibble
“The New Rat in Town”, Kaaron Warren
“Through the Break”, Jen Banyard
“Nine Times”, Kaia Landelius and Tansy Rayner Roberts
“Sir Pesky Poos-a-lot and the Pony” Thoraiya Dyer
“Old Saint Nick”, Leith Daniel
“Slugs and Snails”, Jenny Blackford
“The Trouble with Fifi”, Launz Burch
“Tabitha”, Rowena Cory Daniells
“Genevieve and the Dragon”, Angela Slatter
“The Nullarbor Wave”, Matthew Chrulew
“Ghost Town”, Pamela Freeman
“Little Arkham”, Martin Livings
Fablecroft’s Massive Moving Sale!
November 23, 2011
FableCroft is moving interstate and would really rather avoid packing all the books up to take, so we’re having a MASSIVE MOVING SALE! Prices are slashed on all FableCroft books, including Worlds Next Door which is at the bargain price of just $13.00 including postage (within Australia). See all the specials over at FableCroft.
I’m also offering for a limited time an exclusive offer to schools – get a class set of 30 copies of Worlds Next Door for just $300 (plus $20 postage), invoiced for payment in January 2012. You’ll never get a better class set of great short stories at such a great price! 
If you are interested in this great deal (expires December 14, 2011), simply email fablecroft (@) gmail (.) com to order. Don’t miss out!
WSFA Small Press Awards
September 20, 2011
I was blown away to wake up to the news this morning that RJ Astruc’s story in Worlds Next Door has been shortlisted for the WSFA Small Press Award. This is an INTERNATIONAL award for stories published by small presses, showcasing the sterling quality these small presses do. I also love the way these awards work, because the stories are read blind (no names attached) by a team of readers, who then create a shortlist. The shortlist is then voted on (again, blind) by the members of the Washington Science Fiction Association to decide the winner. So very delighted to have a story on this list!
The complete list of finalists:
- “After the Dragon”, by Sarah Monette, published in the January 2010 issue of Fantasy Magazine, edited by Cat Rambo & Sean Wallace
- “Amaryllis”, by Carrie Vaughn, published in the June 2010 issue of Lightspeed Magazine, edited by John Joseph Adams
- “The Cassandra Project”, by Jack McDevitt, published in the June 2010 issue of Lightspeed Magazine, edited by John Joseph Adams
- “The Days of Flaming Motorcycles”, by Catherynne M. Valente, published in Dark Faith anthology, edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon, Apex Book Co. (May 2010)
- “Enid and the Prince”, by RJ Astruc, published in Worlds Next Door, edited by Tehani Wessely, FableCroft Publishing (June 2010)
- “Lord Bai’s Discovery” by Jean Marie Ward, published in Dragon’s Lure, edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jennifer Ross, and Jeffrey Lyman, Dark Quest Books (June 2010)
The competition “Enid and the Prince” is up against is top notch and I’m so proud to have published a story strong enough to compete at this level! Well done RJ!
Win a class set of Worlds Next Door
May 4, 2011
Looking for a brand new resource to teach Narrative, Short Stories and Science Fiction and Fantasy in YOUR school?
Entries are now open to win a class set (30 copies) of Worlds Next Door! Ideal for classrooms from Years 6 to 9 (depending on ability), this collection of short stories offers something for everyone. The Worlds Next Door website provides Creative Commons licensed teaching materials for stories, including lesson plans, free story downloads, audio and more. The book and its stories have been shortlisted for the Aurealis, Ditmar and Tin Duck Awards, and have received positive reviews from all over the country, including in Magpies, Fiction Focus and Reading Time. A fantastic resource for any classroom!
So how can you win? Part of the impetus behind the Worlds Next Door project was the hope that any person who used the book as a classroom resource might like to share their unit of work/lesson plans with others. To enter this competition to win 30 copies of the book for use in YOUR school or library, we’re asking you to do just that – create lesson plan (or unit of work) for one of the short stories available on the website (either the print downloads or one of the audio downloads) for sharing under the Creative Commons license on the website.
It can be as simple as a single lesson based on a story, or a complete unit on Narrative, or Short Story, or one that uses content from a story (see examples of work already available elsewhere on this website!). The competition is open to all primary and secondary schools in Australia. Be creative, use technology if you can, think big! What would you LOVE to teach, given no restrictions!
To enter, send your lesson plan/unit of work to fablecroft@gmail.com by June 30, 2011.
Please include your name, school/library name, school/library address, telephone number and email address with your entry.
Main prize is one class set (30 copies) of Worlds Next Door. The publisher reserves the right not to award a prize if insufficient entries of quality are received. Single copies of the book may be awarded for honorable mentions.
Competition only open to staff of schools/libraries in Australia. By entering the competition you give permission for the lesson plan/unit you submit to be shared under Creative Commons licensing on the Worlds Next Door website (all contributions will be acknowledged to the contributor).
Aurealis Awards shortlistings!
March 22, 2011
Congratulations to Tansy Rayner Roberts/Kaia Landelius (“Nine Times”)and Aidan Doyle (“Inksucker”), whose Worlds Next Door stories have been shortlisted for the Young Adult category of the Aurealis Awards! There are many other wonderful books and stories on the shortlists, but I’m particularly chuffed about these ones
The full list is here, and well done to everyone on it!
Edublogs nominations
November 23, 2010
In order to nominate blogs for the 2010 Edublog Awards you have to link to them!
- Nominations: Close Friday 3 December!
- Voting: Ends Tuesday 14 December!
- Award Ceremony: Wednesday 15 December!
For the latest up-to-date news on the Edublog Awards:
1. Follow edublogs on Twitter
2. Subscribe to the Edublog Award blog via our RSS Feed or email (add your email address to top right sidebar)
3. Like Edublogs on Facebook
My nominations
Best individual blog: The Principal of Change
Best individual tweeter: @CL_Journal (Curriculum Leadership journal) – I know, it’s not an individual, but there’s nowhere else to put it!
Best group blog: CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus blog
Best resource sharing blog: “Bright Ideas” by SLAV
Best librarian / library blog: Ruth Buchanan (Skerricks)
Best elearning / corporate education blog: Free Technology for Teachers
Best educational use of a social network: CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus
Lifetime achievement: Judi J, for CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus blog
.
I wish I could nominate more!
The Guardians Audio
October 17, 2010
Audio recording of “The Guardians” by Geoffrey Hugh Miller, read by the Daniel Simpson.
We welcome listeners of all ages. This recording may be freely used for educational purposes with fair attribution to the author and the book, Worlds Next Door, in which the story is published. If you like this story, please consider purchasing a copy of the anthology!
To download the MP3 recording, please click the following link: The Guardians
Audio recording of “The trouble with Fifi” by Launz Burch, read by the author.
We welcome listeners of all ages. This recording may be freely used for educational purposes with fair attribution to the author and the book, Worlds Next Door, in which the story is published. If you like this story, please consider purchasing a copy of the anthology!
To download the MP3 recording, please click the following link: The Trouble With Fifi
Slugs and Snails Audio
August 18, 2010
Audio recording of “Slugs and Snails” by Jenny Blackford, read by the author.
We welcome listeners of all ages. This recording may be freely used for educational purposes with fair attribution to the author and the book, Worlds Next Door, in which the story is published. If you like this story, please consider purchasing a copy of the anthology!
To download the MP3 recording, please click the following link: Slugs and Snails by Jenny Blackford
These stories are provided freely for educational purposes only. They are intended for use in conjunction with the book they were published in, Worlds Next Door (FableCroft Publishing). Please respect the rights and livelihoods of the author, artist and publisher in your use of work from this website, and please consider purchasing a copy of the book (available in print, epub and pdf – electronic versions not quite in the shop yet, so please email fablecroft at gmail dot com if you are interested – site licensing for schools is also negotiable).
A Wizard in Trouble by Paul Collins
Enid and the Prince by RJ Astruc
Genevieve and the Dragon by Angela Slatter
Ghost Town by Pamela Freeman
Slugs and Snails by Jenny Blackford
Tabitha by Rowena Cory Daniells
The Best Dog in the World by Dirk Flinthart
The Trouble with Fifi by Launz Burch
Through the Break by Jen Banyard
Activities for Through the Break
August 16, 2010
Shai is surfing in a new stretch of ocean. It seems the ocean holds more than he could have imagined…
Stewart is a very smart boy, who likes to get what he wants. And what he wants, is Santa. But has he bitten off more than he can chew?
Guest Blog: Tansy and Kaia talk collaboration
July 27, 2010
The Collaborative Arts, by Tansy & Kaia
Tansy: Collaboration most definitely used to be a dirty word for me. I am – or was – a complete control freak when it came to my writing. Taking on critiques and editing was one thing, but sharing ownership of my work? That’s just weird.
Kaia: I find it hilarious that you have ever been a control freak in ANYTHING. I mean, you write until you fall over, pretty much. And then you get up and keep writing for God knows how long, and somehow it ends up working out anyway. Just the thought of doing it that way makes me twitch.
Tansy: I have grown as a person. I used to take a whole year to write each draft of a book! Also I used to have spare time. And an attention span. Where was I? Writing with you is AWESOME because you make the spreadsheets and timelines and keeps notes. It’s like having someone tidy up all your clothes while you are sleeping.
Kaia: Ha, yes, there is that. I guess it’s no surprise that I am *still* a control freak about my writing. But I think I need all these meta docs and meticulous little things because I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. Which is why I absolutely love having somebody bringing not only the crazy (and the Tansybrain is kind of nuts, in the best of ways), but also a bit of make-write-good to the project. Because if I pick up your metaphorical clothes of the floor, you totally throw them into the closet and close the door really quickly, making the room (and the story!) all presentable to other people.
Tansy: Ha, how do you know my methods for cleaning house? While we have been on-and-off collaborating on a lovely soccer and blueberries novel for some time now, the story we wrote together for Worlds Next Door was something of a departure for us – for a start, it’s set in Sweden rather than Australia!
Kaia: Oh, yes, that was a first. In fact, I automatically gave them all mostly English-sounding names that we later had to go in and replace. And I absolutely love that my cousin, not knowing about this story, went along and named her baby Emil. Possibly I should tell her that her adorable six month old baby isn’t going to end up like that. (I hope.) I did love writing this story, because it’s so far away from what we both normally write! It was my first attempt to write something for younger kids and actually the first short story I managed to write since I was about… twelve. It’s fun, and I was absolutely delighted by the review that sorted it (along with a few others) under the heading “creepy”. Mission accomplished and all that.
Tansy: Yes, I’ve written (a bit) for the 9-12 age group and I’ve written a teeny bit of horror type stuff, but I’ve never put the two together before, and there are so many elements in the story which are outside my usual bag of tricks. Ultimately that’s the best thing about collaborating – you get to play with someone else’s toys, steal things from their List of Awesome and produce a story that you never would have written on your own.
Kaia: I do love your list of awesome.
Tansy: And of course you end up “borrowing” bits of pieces from each other which you take back to your own writing. And the danger of collaboration is that your writing voices completely merge and you end up sounding like each other even when not collaborating! But there’s one thing in the story which is completely representative of your writing and mine equally: the characters are CONSTANTLY drinking cups of tea!
Kaia: A proper Swede would drink seven cups of coffee a day instead. Then again, I’ve never claimed to be a proper anything…
Tansy: You must be a writer then.
Tansy Rayner Roberts lives in Australia and Kaia Landelius lives in Sweden. They have never met in person. They began writing together as part of a group online RPG, and found it rather difficult to stop. This is the first of their coproductions to be published. Separately, Kaia is currently editing Eld, a YA fantasy novel inspired by Swedish folklore, while the first of Tansy’s “Creature Court” fantasy trilogy, Power and Majesty, was released by HarperVoyager in June.
Guest Blog: Rowena Cory Daniells
July 24, 2010
A Fun Project for upper primary school students or high school students.
Step One. Ask the students to bring in their favourite children’s picture books from before they were old enough to read.
Discuss all the different types of picture books and techniques used. (Have examples of these books yourself in case they don’t bring them in).
Repetition – (The House that Jack Built) Repeating certain words on each page so that the kids can anticipate the words.
Hooks – put a question on odd numbered page, answer on even.
Text – Giving clues with the illustrations so that the kids can guess the words. Using word balloons to augment the text. Using words in inventive ways, eg. if there’s a giant, making his words really big. If someone gets shrunk down, making their words smaller and smaller until they are hard to read.
Using fold outs or fold ups – Where is Spot.
Turning it into a play – When Daddy Cooks.
Hiding things in illustrations - Animalia, Where’s Wally.
Creating a book from photos - eg. Danger Ted (teddy bear) around the house. Oh, no. Danger Ted has to rescue the cat. It’s fallen in the washing machine!
Step Two. Now set up an opportunity to pair the older student with a Year One or Prep student. Have the older student interview the younger one to find out their likes and dislikes so that they can write a story specifically for that child, a story that the child can ‘star’ in, a story that the child could almost read (eg little text, repetitive text).
Step Three. Then have the older student plan a short children’s book for their young friend. It needs to be no longer than 8 pages. It needs to open with a question or problem or adventure, that the younger child solves. Have the older student use one (or more) of the techniques mentioned above to make the picture book interactive and fun.
Step Four. Give them feedback on their book, or have them break into groups and give each other feedback.
Step Five. Now that they have feedback, then can write and illustrate the book. (Supply an 8 page template using actual paper, or a template on computer which they drop their text into and scan their artwork and drop it in). If they are working on real paper they can do collages with photos from magazines, or use material/s collage. (Remember this is for small children so the drawings can be very simple cartoons as long as they colours are bright).
Step Six. Once the book is completed it will need a title, a front cover and a back cover blurb.
Step Seven. They take the finished book and read it to the child. If the text is simple enough the child may be able to read it back to them.
Because the story is short and the illustrations are simple, and because they have the examples of books that they remember from childhood, this task doesn’t feel daunting. It is also very satisfying to have a completed book and to read it to their young friend, who will love it, because it is a book about them.
Rowena Cory Daniells is devoted to her family (husband and six children) and writing. In her spare time she has studied each of these martial arts for five years, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido and Iaido, the art of the Samurai sword. She writes for adults as well as children. Her new fantasy series is called The Chronicles of King Rolen’s Kin. king-rolens-kin.com/Worlds Next Door Book Launch
July 22, 2010
YOU ARE INVITED TO THE WORLDS NEXT DOOR BOOK LAUNCH!
Date: Thursday, 19 August 2010
Time: 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: Rockingham Community Library, Dixon Road, Rockingham
Worlds Next Door is an Australian anthology of speculative fiction stories for 9-13 year olds. Published by FableCroft Publishing and edited by Tehani Wessely, Worlds Next Door contains stories by 25 Australian authors, each illustrated by Australian artists. Many of the authors in the pages are award-winning and well-known writers of children’s fiction, and the anthology is compiled to be enjoyed by kids and adults alike, with an accompanying website containing free teaching materials, story downloads, podcasts, guest blogs and more. worldsnextdoor.wordpress.com
Teachers, librarians, children, families, friends and interested persons are invited to celebrate the launch of Worlds Next Door, the flagship book from Rockingham publishing house FableCroft. Drinks and nibblies for all ages will be provided, and there will be lots of prizes to win!
Hosted by Perth author Simon Haynes (of Hal Spacejock fame) with participation by the editor/publisher and local authors. Come along and join the fun!
Activities for The Guardians
June 25, 2010
Tom has been sent to his uncle while his life falls apart. When he finds a strange temple in the bush, he stumbles into something more unusual than he could have imagined…
Enid had a wish once and she chose the handsome prince. But wishes are fickle and things didn’t quite go to plan, so Enid and her prince have to make their own happily ever after, in most unexpected ways…
To Places Far, Far Away
We welcome author (and publisher himself) Paul Collins to talk about the journey of his story in Worlds Next Door, “A Wizard in Trouble”.
The Wizard’s Torment holds a special place in memory, for it was my first children’s book. Written in 1981, I sold it and another novel, The Earthborn, to a publisher called Parteach. It wasn’t till I received contracts that I fully believed I’d actually sold two novels. (Astounding for me, because I’d only ever written for adults – the children’s books were a slight aberration for me.)
Alas, I’ve since learnt that contracts are basically just pieces of paper with signatures. The publisher disappeared without so much as a by-your-leave, and I was left holding several pieces of paper. Luckily, I had photocopies (rare in those days because photocopies were on shiny paper that faded with sunlight and age!). I retyped my MSS thinking if one publisher wanted them, others would, too. More erroneous thinking, unfortunately. It took till 1995 for Cathie Tasker, then publisher at HarperCollins, to accept The Wizard’s Torment. She would have taken The Earthborn, too, but she left HarperCollins shortly after The Wizard’s Torment saw print. It wasn’t until every publisher in Australia had rejected The Earthborn that I sent it to a US agent, Cherry Weiner, who then it sold to Tor. The Skyborn and The Hiveborn have since been published in the US.
I’d have liked to have published The Wizard’s Torment as a trilogy, but one of the “rules” in publishing seems to be that if a major publisher publishes the first book in a trilogy, no other publisher wants to take on the series. (The perception might be that if a publisher doesn’t wish to continue with the series then it’s either a poor performer or something equally dire is afoot. Michael Pryor and I saw the writing on the wall when Hachette took over Lothian, but despite The Quentaris Chronicles being a successful series, no one wanted to take it on. Ford Street Publishing is now publishing the new series, Quentaris – Quest of the Lost City.)
I wrote a shortened version of book #2 and had it published in Fantastic Worlds, an anthology I edited for HarperCollins. Instalment three was left unwritten until recently.
So here I have the three books in one, completely revised along with the third part. When Tehani asked me if I had anything for her new anthology, I figured what better place to showcase some of the book.
I hope you enjoy “A Wizard in Trouble”, an except from the (as yet) unpublished This Spells Trouble.
Paul Collins
Melbourne June 2010
Paul Collins has written many books for younger readers. He is best known for his fantasy and science fiction titles: The Jelindel Chronicles (Dragonlinks, Dragonfang, Dragonsight and Wardragon), and The Quentaris Chronicles – co-edited with Michael Pryor – (Swords of Quentaris, Slaves of Quentaris, Dragonlords of Quentaris, Princess of Shadows, The Forgotten Prince, Vampires of Quentaris and The Spell of Undoing). He has also written The World of Grrym trilogy with Danny Willis. His trilogy The Earthborn Wars was published in the US by Tor.
Paul has been short-listed for many awards and has won the Inaugural Peter McNamara, Aurealis and William Atheling awards. Paul is also the publisher at Ford Street Publishing, a children’s specialist publishing everything from picture books to young adult literature.
Paul’s websites are: www.paulcollins.com.au, www.fordstreetpublishing.com and www.quentaris.com
Activities for Moonchild
May 22, 2010
Sammy lives on the moon and there are lots of things you just can’t do – like go outside. So when it looks like he’s going to miss his monthly moon walk, he starts to get creative!
Activities for Tabitha
May 19, 2010
Josh thinks the new girl, Tabitha, is pretty great, and when he finds out her father is a famous cartoonist, that’s even cooler! But Tabitha is hiding something big and nothing is as it seems…
Two suggestions by the author for teaching opportunities:
1. The animation aspect
2. The ezine aspect
Why not collaborate between the English and ICT and/or Visual Arts departments to design an integrated unit working on narrative and animation, or non-fiction writing and ‘zine creation?
ANIMATION
Ask the kids to brainstorm a list of their favourite movies, then find out which ones used CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) and find out which company did these graphics. eg. WETA in New Zealand.
(A lot of studios show up on a Google search. Students could look up where they might study 3D animation.)
Lastpixel (Western Australia):
http://www.lastpixel.com.au/
AArons CGI:
http://www.aaronscgi.net/
WETA DIGITAL:
http://www.wetafx.co.nz/
http://www.hotfrog.com.au/Products/Animation-Companies
Teaching materials online:
Webquest: Stop-Motion Animation… Taking It One Frame at a Time!!!
http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=36127
Animation Lesson plan – www.fis.ie/LessonPlan/LessonPlansArt3.pdf
Tutorials on 3D animation –
http://www.3d-tutorial.com/tutorials.php?cat=6
Simple animation lesson:
http://www.youthlearn.org/activities/make-zoetrope-short-lesson-how-create-simple-animation
Resources
http://www.amazing-kids.org/resources.html
EZINES
Investigate the purpose and design of ezines before students (individually or in teams) create their own. (This task could be integrated further with Science or Society & Environment or HPE learning areas, with the content being related to work in other subject areas – particularly applicable for Year 6 or 7 classes or schools utilising curriculum mapping or integrated units).
Some possible lessons/units you might consider adapting for your class.
Upper Primary/Early Secondary
http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~webquest/
http://questgarden.com/author/preview.php?u=&l=03419-051002172951&a=&p=introduction&pt=student
Advanced students:
http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/journalism20/on_assignment/ezine.htm
Activities for Inksucker
May 18, 2010
Zoe’s family owns a most unusual bookstore. When her father disappears into the depths of the shop, it is up to Zoe to find him, and save him – can she succeed?
Activities provided by Aidan Doyle
Activities for Philomena Plaitbinder
May 17, 2010
Philomena Plaitbinder has a big problem – she hates her hair, but she’s not just having a bad hair day, it’s much bigger than that…
Philomena Narrative Structure (Word)
Philomena Narrative Structure PDF
Philomena Writing Activity (Word)
Philomena Writing Activity PDF
All activities supplied by Angela Rega.
