Anzac Day

Though born from the doomed campaign at Gallipoli, the Spirit of Anzac is not really about loss at all. It is about courage and endurance, duty, love of country, mateship, good humour and a sense of self worth and decency in the face of dreadful odds. (quote of former Governor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane, at the Australian War Memorial's Gallipoli exhibit)

April 25 marks the anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign in 1915, the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces (the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - ANZAC) in the First World War.

(published by Angus and Robertson, 2008)

The Australian War Memorial's website says that "although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “Anzac legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future."

Introducing some of our new supporters

Preparing for our next online literary festival - starting on May 1, has been wonderful.  Once again, I am awed by the talent and generosity of Australia's best (and busiest) children's and young adult authors who will write guest posts for Reading for Australia during May.

Andy Griffiths with some of his writing journals

It is important to remember that writers make their living from writing - they license their creative efforts to publishers who sell books to readers around the world. Contributing guest author posts is an extraordinarily generous gift of their time and creativity.

Why do they do it?

I think it's because they know and value readers and reading. I've never heard of a writer who was not a reader first. Trevor Darwin of the Kids' Lit Quiz UK says of his experience of the ability of the Kids' Lit Quiz to inspire and involve adults who care about literacy:

Authors too, once introduced to the Quiz, see its enormous potential as a way of generating and nurturing a love of literature and an appreciation of the power of language to imagine, enquire, educate and entertain. In the UK, the Quiz is supported by many of the country’s leading children’s authors who are constantly astounded by the breadth and depth of the knowledge displayed by the kids taking part.

Kids' Lit Quiz Canada: 2014 in review

So far, this has been an exciting year for Kids' Lit Quiz Canada as we've read our (sometimes costumed) way through both snowstorms and fine weather in the search for our 2014 national team.

Congratulations to the team from Royal St George's College in Toronto.  These boys will now represent Canada at the Kids' Lit Quiz world final in Cornwall, England in July.

For all our friends in the international Kids' Lit Quiz community and everyone at Reading for Australia, here's a look back over the fun we had in the 2014 Canadian competition, a true celebration of good books and great readers on both the west coast and in east-central Canada.

Kids' Lit Quiz: 2014 Australian Final

Five rounds, seven teams and lots of excitement at the 2014 Australian national final on Saturday, 22 March at Mt Annan Christian College in the south-west of Sydney.

Quizmaster Wayne Mills flew in from Auckland with the official buzzers - made by the same people who provided technology for the Lord of the Rings films - and accurate to a 100th of a second. The buzzers were the first indication that the national final would differ from the regional heats of the Kids' Lit Quiz competition.