You’ve read the books (seventeen times), seen the movies (eighteen). Soon you can step inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. (Surely your folks will buy you a measly old plane ticket to Florida in order for you to fully indulge your love of literature… and stuff.)

The website humbly claims that ‘this completely immersive world will transcend generations and bring the wonder and magic of the amazingly detailed Harry Potter books and movies to life.’

You can take a virtual tour of HarryLand on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjnmhivaItU

I’m not even that much of a HogwartsHead and I want to go. (I think all school librarians should arrange an excursion as a matter of urgency.)

Tristan.

www.tristanbancksflow.blogspot.com

Hi, it has been a while, how have you been?

We’ve been tied up organising a conference called Reading Matters. But that is done for now so it only remains to pick ourselves and get back down to boys, blokes, books and bytes business.

There were a number of highlights in the conference, including Tristan Bancks. His Mac Slater series is well worth checking out. But you can see what’s on Tristan’s mind at insideadog where he is writer-in-residence for a month.

Also pretty brilliant was the American author John Green. You can catch John’s take on Australia here. See John talk Nerdfighters, puppy sized elephants, Markus Zusak and more. John Green is an award winning writing for teenagers and one half of the Vlog Brothers.

And if that is not enough, check out this interview with Mal Peet, author of brilliant books including Keeper, Tamar and Exposure.

Other highlights of Reading Matters 2009 will be podcast at insideadog in the coming weeks and months.

A cool hunter is someone who discovers and then spreads the word on what is cool. Could be the way some people are wearing their clothes. Could be a new kind of dance, or an old dance done in a new way. Mac Slater is a cool hunter. And he’s also an inventor, an innovator.

Mac lives in Australia and along with his best bud Paul, flies to New York for a wild week-long adventure in cool. They have to find the coolest stuff possible and blog about it every day to stay in game. In New York they meet the kids at The Hive, a workshop of kids creating wild one-off inventions.

-

This book has wicked plot twists, it’s funny and it’s smart. Catch the style of Mac Slater in these short, tasty videos. And more cool stuff besides.

-

The Mac Slater books are a fast, easy and massively entertaining read.

Boys, Blokes, Books and Bytes last night won an award for the program we have run over the past three years.

The title of of the prize doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, but here goes: we won an Arts Portfolio Leadership Award in the category of Leadership in Community. The award is made by Arts Victoria.

So there.

Thanks really go to all the readers and writers who have taken part so far: especially at Drouin Secondary College, primary schools in the Drouin cluster; Staughton College and Melton South Primary School. And to the hard working and dedicated librarians, teachers and parents for getting behind the BBBB program.

Cheers to you all!

And the winner is Reece, for this little number:

Q. What is a pirate’s favourite letter?

A. Aaaarrrrgh!!!

Can’t top that! Reece! Andy Griffiths’ Treasure Fever and pencil case are on the way to you at Narellan Vale Public School. Look out for it in the post.

This Thursday Kevin the Troll takes the stage in the CYL’s final Bookgig for 2007.

Kevin the Troll is the brainchild of Doug MacLeod, who was written for many of the most popular comedy shows on Australian television.

Doug explains himself and his work, here.

Kevin the Troll is about a 700-year-old troll and his dysfunctional army. Various humans, Norse gods and a chocolate giant are also involved. It’s set in Sweden in the nineteenth century.

I began writing for publication when I was twelve. I had a monthly column in the kids’ lift-out section of The Age. It taught me about deadlines. (I should point out that this little piece is a day overdue. I’m not saying I always meet deadlines, I just know what they are.)

My teenage years started bad but ended up fine. I went to a school in Morwell in The Latrobe Valley and didn’t enjoy it. The school is okay now but back then there were serious problems. They had to drain a fountain because kids kept holding one other’s heads under the water. Many of the windows were made from perspex, because the old-fashioned glass ones kept getting smashed by flying rocks, chairs and teachers. Then my family moved to Melbourne and I went to a very posh school, which was a major culture shock. I had a good time there, editing the school magazine, skulking in the art room and not getting my head held under the fountain.

The best thing about being a writer is you can work anywhere. At the moment I am writing from a hotel in The Kimberleys. (This is no longer accurate. I’m doing a second pass in St Kilda.)

As a teenager my favourite book was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. (I wrote this answer in the Kimberleys. Perhaps being surrounded by so much natural beauty made me desperate to seem deep. While I did enjoy To Kill a Mockingbird very much, I only read it once, whereas I read The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut so often that I can still tell you what a chronosynclastic infundibulum is.)

The last great YA book I read is Of A Boy by Sonya Hartnett. (Yet another Kimberleys answer and I stand by it. Though I notice you have Good Omens listed as a YA novel on your Inside a Dog website – and since I read this book more recently than Of A Boy, I guess I should include it here.)

What excites me about writing for teenagers is the same thing that excites me about writing for any audience. I like coming up with characters and stories that people might find diverting. Every now and then I write something that gives me a chuckle and it’s a good feeling.

What bugs me is it takes me so long to come up with something halfway decent and I’m not a patient person.

My all-time favourite film is Doctor Strangelove, pictured. (Both in The Kimberleys and St Kilda.)

My favourite piece of new technology is my latest laptop, which is a tough little Mac.

I have never been able to touch my elbow with my other elbow. I don’t think any human can, but I had this happen to the central character in my novel, Tumble Turn.

People might be surprised to know that I just made a lot of readers try to touch their elbow with their other elbow.

Want to know more about Doug or comment on the Bookgig? Send a question, below.

If you are in Drouin mark Thursday 8 November in your diary.

If you are in Melton, mark Tuesday 13 November in your diary.

Primary school boys in Drouin, you are at the Drouin Secondary College from 6.30 – 7.30pm.

High school boys at Drouin, your session is at the public library from 7.30 – 8.30pm.

Melton, its an all-ages affair at the public library from 7.00pm.

Guest writer at all sessions will be Michael Wagner (pictured). Michael is the creator of the Maxx Rumble books. Ix (pronounced Ish) will also be along. All sessions will include pizza and drinks. A good time guaranteed for all!

For more about Michael Wagner visit his website.

Coming out to schools and libraries in Drouin and Melton this past week has been a blast! All the writers plus Ix have had a great time. The writing, acting, reading and ideas from all the boys has been brilliant. So two thumbs up to you. We’ve even enjoyed meeting the teachers!

Don’t forget to enter the ‘save one book‘ competition. Tell us the one book you would save on a desert island. Entries close Friday26 October at 5pm.

Click here to go the competition. Then write the name of the book and the author/s in the comments box below. This competition is open to everyone. We’ve had some great entries. Check them out in the comments sections.
And there are also two other competitions, for readers in Drouin and in Melton. So get typing to win!

In the meantime, dates for further events are being worked out. Stay tuned.

Boys, Blokes, Books, Bytes launches in Melton on Tuesday 16 October. We have some new writers, and some great new books and things to do.

In the morning we are Melton South Primary School and at Staughton College in the afternoon. In the evening, it’s an all ages (and that includes dads or mums or mentor) at Melton Public Library. This session, which includes free books, pizza and a meet the writers session, starts at 7.00pm. Sharp!

The writers will be Michael Hyde, John Weldon and actor Ix Adams.

See you in Melton.

PS, Just a reminder that all comments sent to the Boys, Blokes, Books blog will be posted. They come to Mike’s inbox and are then added to the blog.

Michael Hyde will be joining us for a day of workshops and talks in Melton on Tuesday 16 October. Here’s the Magpie-loving writer to introduce himself.

I am a mad Collingwood Magpies supporter. When my family arrived in Melbourne in 1954, I was about eight or nine years old. We rented half a house in Parkville, near the Carlton footy ground. My Dad worked at Collingwood Tech as the Chaplain. I went for the Maggies and my brother went for the dirty Blues.

My dream car is a campervan. We used to have vans but then became all conservative and boring with proper cars. My fantasy is to spend a couple of months on the road bumping into stories along the way (just like Alan Marshall used to do)…

Favourite TV program would have to be Summer Heights High. If you’re not watching it by next week I’ll give you a detention where you have to watch the whole series. If you don’t crack up you need a humour transplant…

The best thing about reading is doing it on the toilet. People tend to leave you alone – especially after a hot curry…Don’t you just love Kenny?

I have never been able to kick ten perfect drop punts in a row. As soon as I can Collingwood will put me in the same team as Strauchnie.

I began writing when kids at Footscray Tech in the seventies asked me to have a go. They didn’t much like the stuff that was around then…

My latest book is Surfing Goliath which is about two mates pitting themselves against the power of nature. One kid wants to surf a massive wave and his friend intends catching a huge bronze whaler shark. Both the wave and the shark are called Goliath. And Winning Streak (basketball), the sixth in my choose-your-own-adventure Change the Game series. I have another two teen books and another YA novel out next year.

The best thing about being a writer is the massive pile of money I make which allows me to employ chefs, maids, cleaners and drivers (when I need one), masseurs, a pilot for my private jet, and of course which lets me give away heaps of money to my kids and friends and…

I like books that take me into a world of characters, events and settings that make me forget I’m reading and leave me with a better understanding of the world and people. Don’t care if they make me sad or happy, just as long as they keep me on the hook and leave me with something.

For more on Michael Hyde, visit his publisher’s website.