Exciting times people, exciting times!! June is but a blink away and with it will come the new book. To that end I think IT IS TIME FOR A COMPETITION!!!
Are you ready? Really? Are you sure? Okay. Quite sure? Just testing. No, no, I can tell you're sure.
Oh
By the way...
I got asked to run a workshop on writing picture books. I'm doing it soon at Selwyn College Community Education. It's a day long course 10am to 4pm on Sunday June 19. The fee is $120 inc GST. I'm going to tell people everything I know. Plus some extra stuff. All on picture books. They're so hot right now.
You can find details here.
It'll be fun.
I promise.
Well then.
Till next time.
Oh...
Sorry, what?
I forgot something?
I forgot to tell you how to win the competition?
The competition.
Right.
So. To win a signed copy of Fuzzy Doodle:
One of my favourite first lines is from Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz - 'When the doorbell rings at 3 in the morning, it's never good news.' I want you to tell me your favourite opening line in a book and why you think it's the best. Post it in the comments here on the blog. I will pick the one I like the best. Competition closes on Friday June 3rd at 5pm.
5 comments:
"I have always known that in another life I was or will be a dolphin" ~ Tessa Duder, Alex.
I loved Alex as a child, the first line for me encapsulates a love of water, a sense of whimsy, of hope, of transformation, of innocence, of adventure and of freedom.
“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say.
About anything.
― Patrick Ness, The Knife of Never Letting Go
'There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.'
Holes, by Louis Sachar. Why: I've never forgotten this opening sentence. It sets the voice of the book and the heat and desperation therein.
Mr and Mrs Durley, of number four Privet Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thankyou very much. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling. I recited this from memory (just quickly checked the book one small word wrong.) This book changed kids lives. Everytime I read it to a class I had non readers suddenly switching on. Reading levels shot up. I saw a direct and powerful transformation in the kids in front of me as I read this book. It was like magic! My first edition copy is falling apart... but the memories of all those kids faces still stay with me when I pick up the book.
"The Princess kissed the frog. He turned into a prince. And they lived happily ever after . . . Well, let's just say they lived sort of happily for a long time." From The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Steve Johnson.
It was hard to decide on a favourite opening line, but I chose this one as when I first read it (once upon a time a very, very long time ago), I realised, for the first time, that picture books could be so much more than fairy tales.
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