Wednesday Weeks and the Crown of Destiny is out now! Do what you need to do to get a copy of this fast-and-funny fantasy adventure into your house ASAP 🙂 There are laughs! There is mystery! There’s a giant pinball machine! A deadly fungus! A ludicrous bad guy with body odour and a poor understanding of Occupational Health and Safety! And, of course, Bruce the talking skull. Alfie Junior the fantabulous robot. And our brilliant heroes, Wednesday and Alfie.
Thanks to everyone at Hachette ANZ, and to my fabulous co-author Denis Knight, for taking me on the Wednesday Weeks journey…I’m loving it! (Even the slugs!)(Especially the slugs!)(Who doesn’t love slugs?)
Thanks to everyone who has read Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows! It’s so wonderful to have your support and to know that you’re loving being part of Wednesday’s world! If you see Wednesday in the wild, or want to share your thoughts or ideas or photos or reviews, please do get in touch and let us know what you think.
Happy CBCA Book Week! I’m lucky enough to be working with schools and libraries all month, and I’m having a ball!
And beyond Book Week? So much is happening! The publication of Wednesday Weeks and the Crown of Destiny (Wednesday Sept 1); Australian Reading Hour (Tuesday September 14); the inaugural York Festival Writers Program (Saturday October 2); Awesome Festival, school holiday workshops at the WA Maritime Museum (October school holidays) … and more!
WEDNESDAY WEEKS AND THE CROWN OF DESTINY: Out Wednesday September 1
This is a hoot of a book – loads of laughs and adventure and escapism.
Early reviews are in (from my kids) and they’re awesome:
“I read in one sitting!”
and
“I read all the way to the end!”
Sensational! Available now for pre-order from all good bookstores.
YORK FESTIVALWRITERS DAY: Saturday October 2
Head to York for a day trip or book a fun weekend getaway to celebrate the York Festival’s first-ever Writer’s Day! I’ll be there along with other awesome writers and children’s authors (including Norm Jorgensen and Katie Stewart!). The whole festival runs Sept 25 to October 10. Read more about the festival here or for more details and to book, visit yorkfestival.com.au
AWESOME FESTIVAL: September 28 to October 2
Awesome Festival is on again! Check out the full program here or come and see me to chat all things Beneath The Trees on Thursday September 30 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM.
Science, nature and creativity often go hand in hand. This session will be sure to give you the best of all worlds, and the ability to turn anything you’ve learnt or are yet to learn into something creative and fun. Come along as local WA Author Cristy Burne talks about her new book Beneath the Trees, a squishy, slime filled look at what is means to be responsible while lost in a rainforest. Tickets here.
AUSTRALIAN READING HOUR: Tuesday September 14
Let’s get all of Australia reading on 14 September 2021! I’m so proud to be an Australia Reads Reading Ambassador! There are events happening in schools, libraries and bookshops across Australia, in person and online. To find out more or to host your own event, check out the Australia Reads website.
I’m super-excited to be working with the WA Maritime Museum education team to deliver school holiday workshops that celebrate their brand-new exhibition Brickwrecks: Sunken Ship in LEGO® Bricks. Love inventing stories, diving into history, and imagining real-life shipwrecks, survival and science? These workshops will be your perfect escape to explore, write and create these School Holidays! These are day-long workshops and they come in two flavours:
Ages 9-11 years Tuesday 5 October 2021 | 8.30am – 4.30pm Wednesday 12 January 2022 | 8.30am – 4.30pm Cost: $120 per participant (full day) BOOK YOUR SPOT
It’s that Book Week time of year! If you’re looking for costume ideas, or you’re keen to dress up as a book character from an Australian book, or (like me) you’d love suggestions for an awesome-but-also-quick-and-easy costume idea, check out these…
You can:
– adopt the sass of Wednesday Weeks and dye a streak of hair
– take the weather-friendly option and dress in a yellow raincoat like Cam or Sophie from Beneath the Trees
– choose method acting and dress as Harry from Off The Track (complete with grumpy attitude)
– embrace Take Your Skull To School Day and escort Bruce from Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows
– choose the Covid-friendly book week costume and include a face mask when you dress as Fiona Wood and celebrate one of our most awesome Aussie STEM Stars.
Whatever costume you choose to wear, I hope you have a whole heap of FUN dressing up as your favourite children’s book character! And a huge thanks to the Children’s Book Council of Australia for being such huge supporters of Children’s Book Week every year!
It has been a crazy-busy time with loads of fun news!
SHORTLISTING! CONGRATULATIONS TO FIONA WOOD AND THE WHOLE TEAM!
My biography of Dr Fiona Wood, part of the Aussie STEM Stars series, has been shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards. YAY!
These awards aim to promote quality Australian books that help children get the best, most literate start in life. Each book is judged on its appeal to children, interactive quality and ability to assist speech pathologists and parents in communication and literacy development.
Huge congratulations to Fiona Wood for her courage and determination, and to Wild Dingo Press for their vision in publishing the Aussie STEM Stars series, and to the Fiona Wood Foundation for their ongoing contribution towards making tomorrow better. I am so proud of this book and so thrilled to see Fiona’s story honoured like this. Fiona’s story is incredible and uplifting and an inspiring read for anyone aged 10+ (..including adults! 😜)
WEDNESDAY WEEKS AND THE CROWN OF DESTINY: AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
We have an official cover for Wednesday Weeks and the Crown of Destiny, which is out September 1, just five weeks away!!!!
Like Book 1, this is an adventure stuffed full of cool fantasy settings, funny jokes and full-throttle adventure. There’s a giant pinball machine of doom, a floating fortress, killer fungus, troll podiatry and more.
You can pre-order your copy now from all good book stores.
And check out these awesome reviews for Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows:
‘Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows is full of peculiar creatures and charismatic adversaries in strange realms, and yes, magic! … This is a science book for budding fantasy fans and a fantasy book for young science wizzes but ultimately the good humour, relatable characters and colourful plot makes it a fun read for everyone.’
– Lee Constable, TV & Online Presenter
‘This is another great book that celebrates friendship. It celebrates difference and allows kids to see themselves in Alfie and Wednesday – in a variety of ways that celebrates what makes us different and special and shows that it is wonderful when it is our interests, rather than physical similarities, that unite us and bring us together…a story that uses tropes and themes common in fantasy, but takes a wonderfully new and inventive stance on the fantasy novel. A wonderful start to a new series!’
– Ashleigh Meikle, Book Blogger
PODCASTS AHOY!
If you want to listen to me talk about writing and reading and creating and messing about, I’ve been lucky enough to be interviewed on several awesome podcasts recently. If you feel like a dose of Cristy Burne in your living room, check out:
This next month or so I’ll be out and about at schools and libraries and I really hope to see you at one of these events.
If I’m not visiting your school, let’s hang out anyway! Want to spend some time playing with science, then channel that fun into your creative writing? Sign up for this fun-and-free after-school workshop at Thornlie Library… Suitable for kids aged 8+Wed, August 25, 2021; 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM AWST.
SCRIBBLERS FESTIVAL!
Scribblers Festival was totally awesome! Thanks to everyone who came along and who contributed to making it so much fun!!! (And thanks to Sundae Studio for the cool shot!)
COVERGIRL!
At last, my lifelong ambition to be featured as a covergirl has come true! 😉
But seriously, what a cool honour (and wild surprise!) to find myself on the front cover of the Professional Journal of the WA School Library Association for July 2021.
Thanks so much to the WASLA team for featuring my article 🙂 It’s all about why we get out of bed in the morning…(and only some of it is about coffee, I promise ;-)).
Instead, it’s about how lucky we are to have the opportunity to make such a huge difference in the lives of the children we work with.
I feel incredibly lucky to be working in a job I love, surrounded by people who are awesome, writing about things that make me laugh and give me hope.
I hope you have a fantastic National Science Week and Children’s Book Week (costume hint: if you go as Wednesday Weeks with a streak in your hair, please send photos!).
Hooray for children’s literature! (And hooray for coffee too :-))
What a whirlwind Wednesday Weeks has been! We had over 100 people at Saturday’s official launch, hosted by Paper Bird, and it was fabulous fun!! Blue hair streaks, pink slug cake, liquorice eels and kracken dip…plus a super-funny science show complete with smoke machine and vortex cannon. Love it!
If you missed the launch, do not fear. There are a bunch of other events coming up:
Tuesday 18 May: Adventures in Time and Spaaaaace at Maylands Library from 4 till 5. Join science writer and children’s author Cristy Burne for an interactive hour of creativity and science, curiosity and innovation. Are time machines possible? What do you need to travel through space? Are all your odd socks on the other side of a black hole? One-hour interactive Meet The Author session with me. Free to attend and you can book here.
Wednesday 19 May: Wednesday Weeks book launch at Beaufort St Books from 3.30 to 4.45. Help me and co-author Denis Knight celebrate the launch of Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows in store! Adults are FREE and kids’ tickets are $5 (redeemable for sales on the night!). Book here.
Monday 24 May: Teacher and librarian night at Beaufort St Books: Join me and co-author Denis Knight for an intimate evening just for teachers and librarians. Contact Beaufort St Books for more information.
Saturday 29 May: Scribbler’s Festival Family Weekend! I’ll be running a creative writing workshop from 9.30 -10.30 and Denis and I will take the stage at 1pm to talk all things Wednesday Weeks. This weekend is going to be AMAZING and there are so many things to do and see and you do not want to miss it! Most events are free. More information and bookings here.
Monday 7 June: WA Day Festival 6-7 June: This awesome FREE festival has something for everyone, and on Monday I’ll be appearing on stage and running workshops and having a blast. I hope you can join me! More information here.
Teaching notes: Want some cool ideas for teaching Wednesday Weeks in the classroom? Or would you like to try your hand at some of the experiments that inspire Wednesday and Alfie the book? Free teaching notes here.
Read an excerpt: If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out a free snippet of Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows here.
Buy the book: Support your local bookstore and grab yourself a super-fun afternoon of fantasy, science, laughter and escape.
Today is publication day for Wednesday Weeks and the Tower of Shadows!
SUPER-EXCITING!!
This is a fantasy adventure I co-authored with debut author Denis Knight, and the first of three Wednesday Weeks books (the second one is out in September – can’t wait!!). MOLTEN TO THE MAX!!
It’s always nerve-wracking to bring a new book into the world, and for some reason I feel particularly nerve-wracked to welcome Wednesday Weeks.
Maybe because she’s a shared creation?
Maybe because it’s a three-book deal and the pressure is on?
Maybe because it has been So Much Hard Work to get to this point?
Maybe because I love her so much and really-really-really hope other people love her too…
Anyway, the adventure has begun!
And I hope you can come help us celebrate! We’re having a kid-focused launch party on May 15 and we really hope you can join us! Details below – tickets are free but you need to book 🙂
I was lucky enough to be featured in the West Australian in the week leading up to the release of Beneath the Trees… It’s a super-short intro to me and to the book, but I really love it. I hope you do too 🙂
Hi, I’m Cristy Burne!
Three cheers for science, creativity and adventure! I write books that mix these super-ingredients into stories that inspire kids to explore our world—and to create their place in it. I’m a scientist, author, speaker, dog-person and lover of chocolate. And I’m so proud of all that our next generation are achieving.
I can’t wait for Beneath The Trees in February 2021. It’s a cracker of an adventure based on a real-life family holiday when our kids were in Year 2 and Year 4. There are raging rivers, injured platypus, laughs, disasters, surprises—and a trio of cousins who must work together to earn their happy ending.
Beneath The Trees is set in sub-tropical rainforest in Queensland, one of the best places in the universe to see wild platypus. How cool are platypus! Egg-laying mammals with webbed feet, venomous spurs and an extraordinary sixth sense called electro-reception… Mind = blown.
Huge thank yous to everyone who braved the grey and rain and donned their masks to help launch Beneath the Trees into the world. I massively appreciate your time and support and smiles (which I could see even beneath the masks :-)). I loved meeting so many creative kids and seeing so many of my SCBWI West mates – thank you everyone for making my day xxx
Huge thanks also to my kids for helping with the platypus cupcakes and chocolate leeches, to my sister Nic, who provided my colourful homemade mask, to H M Waugh, who made a fabulous wearable leech accessory, to Mum for sewing a giant vampire leech, to my writing buddy Shirley Marr for exploring her clearly considerable illustration talent by illustrating her mask with a platypus, to my Wednesday Weeks co-author Denis Knight for driving halfway across WA in the rain, to the Paper Bird team for providing a gorgeous display and perfect venue and even flowers (thank you Fiona!)…I feel so lucky and so supported. And if morphing the super-launch party into a chilled craft-and-laugh session is the part I need to play in keeping everyone safe, then I can’t complain.
Book nook brilliance – check out the exhibition!
A highlight of the day was seeing all the amazing book nooks in the store right now.
If you get a chance, please fill your heart with joy and creativity and appreciation for just how wonderful the gift of Paper Bird is by checking out their Book Nook exhibition. There are so many gorgeous, clever, heart-lifting and wonderous book nook creations hidden in their shelves, made by kids and adults alike, and there’s even a bunch of book nooks made in a snap over the five days of Perth lockdown…it’s amazing what kids have managed to create in just five days with only what they have around the house.
I can’t help thinking of all the hours that went into imagining, planning, creating, trying and trying again to make these book nooks. All those hours were spent in joy and the creative process, not watching TV or feeling despair. I am so proud of everyone who entered, and especially of the team at Paper Bird for dreaming up and making happen and pivoting when required to gift us all this gorgeous thing.
Check it out and feel the love and explore Fremantle at the same time. Day trip!
Day 1 of lockdown in Perth and it’s a great day to be on the couch with a good book. So happy book birthday to me! Beneath the Trees is a junior fiction adventure based on a true story and it’s funny and scary and I’m so, so proud of it.
And happy book birthday also to three other great Fremantle Press books out today… We can’t spread the love in person this week, so let’s raise a virtual glass and/or credit card to support Josephine Taylor author of Eye of a Rook, Georgia Richter and Deborah Hunn, authors of How to be an Author and to all the contributors to Women of a Certain Rage, edited by Liz Byrski
Tomorrow night at 5pm WST, 8pm EST, I’ll be chatting with supercool Derek Dool author Adrian Beck about Beneath The Trees. We’ll chat platypus and leeches and rainforests and survival and family and friendship and the pleasures and perils of basing a book on a true story. We can’t meet in person this week, so I’d love to e-see you there!
“Beneath the Trees is a page-turning combination of true-to-life survival techniques, environmental themes and action, which makes for a fun and informative read for children aged 6+. The perfect adventure story for anyone who’s ever wanted to see a platypus or visit a rainforest – I know I have!” Better Reading
Cam and Sophie feel like they’ve been travelling forever to get to the rainforest and the river and their cousins. They just want to see a platypus in the wild. But with the rain tipping down and the river turning wild, they can’t see a thing.
Until suddenly, they can.
A platypus is just below them and it needs help! But when their rescue attempt goes horribly wrong, it’s not just the platypus that needs saving.
‘Beneath the Trees is a great contained wilderness survival story for kids aged six and up … They will love reading this adventure and imaging how they would survive if lost in a forest.’ Books+Publishing
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