Young readers put their hands up for more Fremantle Press mystery

Riddle Gully Secrets by Jen Banyard is in the running for a West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award. Banyard said this was the second time the Riddle Gully series had been honoured, with Mystery at Riddle Gully making the shortlist in 2016.

‘I’m rapt to receive the shortlisting because the WAYRBAs, unlike other awards, are decided by the people for whom the book is intended – young readers themselves, who respond to the story in their own wonderfully imaginative, fresh way,’ said Banyard. ‘Last year I had the delight of meeting lots of young people who’d read one or other of my Riddle Gully books. It’s heart-warming to see the smiles on their faces and their excitement at meeting the books’ author. It tells me I’m part of something huge – awards or no awards – which is Keeping Kids Reading!’

Riddle Gully Secrets is up against 19 titles in the younger readers category, including books by Aaron Blabey, Andy Griffiths, Anh Do, Emily Rodda and David Walliams.

The WAYRBA is a statewide readers’ choice award. Young readers are invited to nominate, through their libraries, books they have enjoyed. From this the WAYRBA committee draws up three lists of books that are then read and evaluated by kids as ‘terrific’, ‘good’, ‘okay’ and ‘awful’. The results are tallied to find the winner, who will be announced on 16 November.

With hidden treasure, cunning crooks, mistaken identities and mysterious disappearances, Riddle Gully Secrets is an exciting adventure featuring junior reporter and super sleuth Pollo di Nozi. It’s available in all good bookstores and online, with free postage in Australia to any school purchasing more than one copy.

Free class sets of bookmarks and teaching activities can be ordered by emailing admin@fremantlepress.com.au. Make sure you include your school name and address and the number required.

Teaching notes are available here.