All week, we’ve been publishing, category by category, reviews of titles shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. The reviews are by librarians from libraries across Victoria - perhaps the very librarian who checked out that book you borrowed last time you were at your local library.
Monday we began with reviews of the three poetry books shortlisted for the CJ Dennis Prize for Poetry. Tuesday saw the publication of reviews of the six novels shortlisted to win the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction. We continued on Wednesday with six reviews of non-fiction titles shortlisted to win the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction.
We continue the series today with reviews of the titles shortlisted to win the Prize for Writing for Young Adults. Frankston Library’s Kimberley Rickard calls Doug MacLeod’s Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher “cleverly written and humorous”; Geelong Library’s Maryanne Hyde thinks Cath Crowley’s Graffiti Moon “sure packs a big punch”; and St Kilda Library’s Linda Todd writes that, in The Three Loves of Persimmon, Cassandra Golds creates “a fantastical world where the poetry of flowers speak to the heart, where an ornamental talking cabbage called Rose is a true friend, and where pink scented envelopes arrive from beyond the grave.”
And, just as importantly, write us a review of your own and vote for the book you think best deserves to win the overall prize - the richest single literary prize in Australia.
We conclude the series tomorrow with reviews of the three titles shortlisted to win the Louis Esson Prize for Drama.