Where would movies be without writers? Earlier this week I was lucky enough to see The Golden Compass, the movie based on Philip Pullman’s novel Northern Lights. It’s an action-packed, dramatic, exciting, scary story. The movie looks amazing, especially when Lyra, the story’s hero looks into the golden compass, the instrument that can tell the truth to any question you ask. (No, not like Wikipedia!)

Now the good people at Scholastic have sent me the movie tie-in edition of Northern     Lights, which I would like to give away. To win it, tell me what’s your favourite movie  based on a book?

Matilda? Lord of the Rings? Deadly Unna? (filmed as Australian Rules)

While you are thinking about that, visit the movie website and find out about your own daemon.

Send your answer via the comments below.

Here’s your chance to get published in The Age! Next year, as part of the Premier’s Reading Challenge, The Age is looking to publish a poster each month. The first one, to be published in February, will feature stories of action, conflict and adventure.

So, if you have read say, Snakehead or the books of Extreme Adventure books by Justin D’Ath or Maxx Rumble or anything else with bags of action, get thinking and gt writing! The posters will include reviews of 150 words. Think: short, sharp, punchy and inviting.

Reviews don’t just tell us the plot. Introduce the main character. What is their problem? Who or what will stop them from getting what they want? (Remember the workshop with Michael Wagner?) Did you find the book exciting? How exciting???

Send your review to Mike Shuttleworth as an email to: youthlit@slv.vic.gov.gov.au or snail mail it to me at the Centre for Youth Literature, State Library of Victoria.

Get cracking for a chance to share your thoughts with the whole of Victoria.

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What did you like best about the Boys and Blokes events this year?

Maybe it was a writing workshop, or acting out with Ish.

Maybe it was free books, or one of the books you read, or maybe it was the trip to the State Library…

…or maybe it was the pizza.

Tell us your favourite thing to win a prize, but be quick! I’ll be drawing two names at random next Monday (17 December). Just in time for Christmas…

If you follow this link you will find an article written by brothers Felix, Benjy and Leo. They’ve been busy reading, including Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz.

The boys also mention a new book by Philip Ardagh. Who is Philip Ardagh? Follow this link and you can hear the very tall and very bearded author talking to an audience in Melbourne earlier this year. If you like to laugh I think you will like his books.

Philip meets Harry

Have you got a book you want to tell people about? Add it to the comments section below.