Cristy Burne

To the Lighthouse has been available since May 29, but then it sold out, so we had to reprint, which took forever, until finally, at last, I’m stoked to announce that… drum roll…

We once again have copies!!!!

The crowd goes wild!! (Actually, that’s just me…I’m typing this all alone, except for my dog :-)) 

Wanna help me celebrate?

Ask your parents to grab you some tickets for an awesome nearly-hour of fun, celebrating the kid-style launch of To the Lighthouse, an adventure that could happen to you.

There’ll be a ferocious quokka oven mitt, some incredibly scary chip packets, and we’ll make some important (and not-so-sensible) decisions, like ‘would you rather eat twenty donuts in a minute, or have no donuts for a week?’

And I’ll share a sneak peek of a To the Lighthouse follow-up that I’m working on right now.

(Actually, I kinda sorta probably need some help with that bit, so bring your thinking caps, please!).

WHEN: Thursday October 5
TIME: 3pm (50 minutes long)
WHERE: The Story Place, mezzanine floor, State Library of WA, Perth.
COST: $15.50 general admission + one copy of To the Lighthouse. $25.50 family of four + one copy of To the Lighthouse. $5.50 general admission (Inclusive of all fees and charges).
BOOKINGS: Essential. Book your tickets online (click the yellow BOOK NOW button, top-right) or call 9328 9666, or email ticketing@awesomearts.com.

Isaac arrives on Rottnest Island hoping for an awesome holiday adventure, but
his mum would rather he stayed inside, where it’s safe. Then Isaac meets
Emmy. She’s allowed to do whatever she wants – and she wants to have fun!
With Emmy daring him on, Isaac’s life gets more and more exciting. But when
things go horribly wrong on their secret midnight adventure, they both wonder
whether this time they’ve gone too far…

Hope to see you there!

If you think your school might like $250 of new books, check out RedGum book club.

They’re Australian, they promote Aussie books, and your school gets $250 of new books when signing up to receive their catalogue.

And guess what’s in the most recent RedGum catalogue?

Loads of fab books, including The 91-Storey Treehouse, The Spectacular Spencer Gray, the beautiful Swimming on the Lawn by debut author Yasmin Hamid, and…To the Lighthouse. YAY!

So check it out, grab some bargains, and support Australian authors 🙂

RedGum Young Writers Award!!!!!!!!

While you’re cruising the RedGum offerings, if you’re aged 9 to 13, why not enter the RedGum Young Writers Award.

You can write a picture book or short story, it’s free to enter, and you can win a $250 book club voucher.

Heaps of authors and illustrators (including me!) get their start by entering competitions like this. You might win. You might miss out. But either way, you’re creating something awesome.

Get to it…

Entries close Sunday 11 December 2017

It’s that time of year again already! National Science Week and Children’s Book Week tag-team across August, making it a seriously crazy-fun month every year.

In 2017 I’ve been zooming all over Perth, meeting loads of clever kids and passionate teachers and librarians. I’ve been eating fabulously healthy food (thank you Aniek!!), and spreading the word of healthy eating too (thanks to Healthway for being the major sponsor of Children’s Book Week – eat platefuls of yummy fruits and vegies, book peeps!)

It was so terrific to see so many people dressed up as their favourite book character!

How cool is this Emmy costume from talented To The Lighthouse illustrator Amanda Burnett:

This little munchkin of mine couldn't wait to dress up as "Emmy" from "To the Lighthouse" From the book I illustrated for @fremantlepress Written by @cristyburne ☺️📚

A post shared by Amanda Burnett (@teaching_with_mrs_b) on Aug 20, 2017 at 6:36pm PDT

Hope you all had a fantastic National Science Week and Children’s Book Week!

And don’t forget, if you want even more To The Lighthouse fun, come join us for a mega-fun book launch on October 5 at Awesome Festival in Perth.

Hope to see you there!

To the Lighthouse, and the lighthouse keeper!

August 7 is International Lighthouse Day. 

What will you do to celebrate? Maybe cozy up with a Western Australian book adventure!

For a taste of life as a lighthouse keeper’s kid, check out the gorgeous Lighthouse Girl by Dianne Wolfer. It’s based on a real life story of Faye Howe on Breaksea Island in 1915, and it makes me cry every time I read it. (I can’t think of this book without remembering the Giants’ visit to Perth in 2015, and the serenely beautiful Girl Giant kicking up her heels for a dance.)

To visit Broome on a stormy night, check out the funny and re-released-by-popular-demand The Grumpy Lighthouse Keeper by Yawuru author Terrizita Corpus. This book draws inspiration from the Gantheaume Point lighthouse, built in 1905. (I love this spot! We scrambled down to the rocks and hunt for fossilised dinosaur footprints…loads of fun!)

And of course, for a daring adventure on Rottnest Island, grab a copy of To the Lighthouse, by me :-).

If you itch for even more adventure (or the ultimate writer’s retreat), pop your application in the mail and you (and a compulsory friend) could be spending six months as a lighthouse keeper on Tasmania’s Maatsuyker Island. Go on… I dare you!~

Do you (or your kids) like toys, books and really cute quokkas? Then come on down to Perth’s Most Awesome Toy Shop Ever: Toys in the Park.

The walls are lined with the most unique and clever toys ever, and you’ll also have the chance to sign up for a Really Cool Creative Workshop and try your hand at a Super Fun School Holiday Competition.

Competition details: Complete an activity sheet to create your own island adventure, bring it in to the Toys in the Park store to be displayed in the shop window, and you’ll go in to the prize draw.

Prizes (winners selected at random):
1st prize – a ticket to the creative writing workshop (super-fun! details below)
2nd and 3rd – a fluffy, plush quokka toy (super-cute!)

Buy a copy of To the Lighthouse when you enter, you’ll get an extra entry into the draw!

Entries open Monday, 3 July.
Enter before 3pm Sunday, 16 July.

Recognise this staircase, anyone?

Creative Writing and Design Workshop
Come into Toys in the Park and sign up for a one-hour interactive workshop with ME!

We’re going to have loads of fun creating our own island adventures, with some drawing, writing and dreaming up crazy ideas.

Saturday, 22 July 2017
For 6 to 10 year olds
2.00 – 3.00pm
Cost $20, which includes all materials and a copy of To the Lighthouse. (I can sign it for you, or for a lucky friend who’s having a birthday sometime soon)

Workshop places are limited (and so are copies of the book! It’s selling out all over so we’re having to reprint it already!)
Book your workshop spot in-store, or over the phone.
Toys in the Park, 403a Albany Highway, Victoria Park
(08) 9470 3981

Grab a copy of The West Australian ED! Magazine today!

In the mag is details of how to win a trip to Rottnest Island for two adults and two children, and a signed copy of To the Lighthouse.

Here’s how you do it:
You’ll need to grab the mag for the fine print, but basically you need to email your name, age, address and phone number to ed@wanews.com.au with TO THE LIGHTHOUSE in the subject line.

The winner will be drawn Monday, just in time for the school holidays…

Yeeee ha!~ Rotto, here (someone) comes!!

Thanks to Rottnest Express, Fremantle Press and The West Australian