Last updated at 16:00, Wednesday, 03 February 2010

The nearly nines meet the nearly ninety-nines

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TWO Whitehaven librarians have been praised for a project bringing together primary school pupils and care home residents.
Anne Steele, local studies co-ordinator and Anne Carruthers, access and life-long learning co-ordinator received the Chairman’s Award at Cumbria County Council’s annual Excellence Awards for their ‘when I was nearly nine’ project.
The project, the first of its kind held in Cumbrian libraries, encouraged children from Monkwray and Valley Primary Schools to discuss memories with residents of Powbeck House and Brackenthwaite.
Themes included home life, school days and discipline and play and leisure, and the purpose of the get-togethers, held at Whitehaven Library, was to encourage greater communication and respect between the different generations.
The winners, honoured at an event held at Carlisle Racecourse, were chosen by an independent panel of judges.

Chill out – and read a book
RESEARCH has revealed that reading helps reduce stress – and who doesn’t need some calm in their lives?
‘Get into reading’ is a group which meets every Wednesday at the Daniel Hay Library between 10am and noon to read aloud.
The group chooses from short stories, poems and novels which offer opportunities for interesting discussions and reflection in a supportive and relaxed environment.
If anyone would like to join the group, they are warmly invited to pop along each Wednesday or contact Anne Timpson on 01946 593041.
Cleator Moor library also runs a reading group the first Tuesday in the month from 10am to noon.

Curl up with a few lost dogs
REVIEW: Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon, published by Hodder.

I HAVE a confession to make – I don’t like dogs. I know this revelation puts me on par with the devil in the eyes of canine lovers, but I have a panic attack every time one wanders over to sniff my leg.
However, saying all that, (and I probably wished I hadn’t) I can understand why owners adore their four-legged friends. If hell is other people, dogs can at least provide an escape.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cumbrian author Lucy Dillon’s first novel, The Ballroom Class, so was looking forward to her latest read.
She has a wonderful, warm style, instilling life into her characters with ease and confidence.
Her second novel, which has a delicious front cover, opens with ‘London girl’ Rachel watching her well-groomed life fall around her ears.
Amidst her personal misery, she discovers she has been left dog-kennels by a beloved aunt and moves, reluctantly, from her former flash life into a relaxed rural world.
Shaken by her new existence, Rachel comes to see that changes can be good for the soul – and the heart.
Dillon is a thoughtful writer and has a gift for moving readers with characters such as divorced mum, Zoe, with her love-rat husband, who many women will recognise, alongside broody Natalie and chirpy kennel girl Megan.
At the end of the novel, I wanted to stay with them all and see what happened next. It must also be hard for Dillon to leave her creations behind.
If you are looking for an escape from all the grim, winter weather, I suggest you curl up with Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts.

Call for young crime-writers
THE best young crime writers in Cumbria are being sought for a national competition.
Organised by the CWA, which represents the interests of published crime writers and library authorities nationwide, the competition will appeal to writers aged up to 18.
Stories, up to 1,000 words, can be submitted from now until February 19. Entries can be made through any library in Cumbria and will be judged by members of the CWA. Local winners will be considered for the national prize to be announced during National Crime Fiction Week, which starts on June 14.Margaret Murphy, CWA chairwoman, said: “From Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series, right through to adult crime novels and thrillers, crime fiction is a vibrant and hugely popular genre.
“The Young Crime Writers Competition gives budding young writers the unique opportunity to have their work read by professional authors - and have fun writing.’’
Pick up an entry form at your local library or download one from www.cumbriacc.gov.uk/libraries/crime_writers.asp

Or how about young designers
TEENAGERS are being called upon to design a new county library card – and win a £250 voucher.
Budding artists, between 11 and 18 years, can call into their local library to pick up an entry form which needs to be returned by February 28.
The winning design will be used on library cards throughout Cumbria.Costa book winners named
THE Costa Book Awards winners have been announced. They are:
Costa Novel Award: Colm Toibin – Brooklyn
Costa First Novel Award: Raphael Selbourne – Beauty
Costa Biography Award: Graham Farmelo – The Strangest Man
Costa Poetry Award: Christopher Reid – A Scattering
Costa Children’s Book Award: Patrick Ness – The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, Book Two)

Teen time in  the library
CLEATOR Moor librarian, Pat Kelly, reviews some of the newly-released teen reads.

Timewalker by Justin Stanchfield
Sean sleepwalks and has nightmares in which he is visited by a strange girl but one day she appears before him asking for help in a different universe. The Controllors are evil masters whose wealth allows them to fix elections, cause food shortages and destroy nations.
They can manipulate people across time to do their dirty work for them. Lots of action in this imaginative sci-fi adventure. (age 11+)

Dead House by Anne Cassidy
This challenging fiction doesn’t side step difficult issues. Cassidy uses a family tragedy to unpick a complex web of relationships.
Lauren’s father is in prison for the murder of her mother and sister but as she gets older Lauren is drawn back to the family home where the crime took place.
Much of what happened is blocked out but as she pieces together the awful day she realises to her horror that her father may have been innocent all along! (age 11+)

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Fourteen-year-old Sig finds his father frozen to death on the icy Arctic lake outside their cabin just before a violent stranger arrives with disturbing truth about Sig’s father’s past.
All Sig has to defend himself with is the old revolver his father gave him but is it the answer or will using it destroy his own values? How will he survive now that his sense of right and wrong has been challenged? Don’t let the slim size of this book put you off. It is tightly plotted with razor sharp tension. (age 12+)

Two Good Thieves by Daniel Finn
Demi and Baz are street children stealing and running in the slums of a South American city. All they have is each other and their wits to stay ahead of the law and various criminal types.
When they discover they have stolen a priceless jewel they move into a deadly world of survive or die. This is a very fast-paced adventure. An edge of your seat thriller. (12+)

First published at 15:42, Wednesday, 03 February 2010
Published by http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk