Books News: The Independent rejects 'gender-based' children's books, Carnegie Medal shortlist announced

THE INDEPENDENT DECIDES NOT TO REVIEW 'GENDER-BASED' CHILDREN'S BOOKS
In an editorial piece published on Sunday, The Independent on Sunday's Literay Editor Katy Guest set out her plans to abandon reviewing 'gender-based' children's books for the paper. She plans to reject any book "marketed to exclude either sex" in the future. Her editorial came in response to an online campaign called Let Books Be Books, which called on publishers to ditch titles aimed predominantly at either girls or boys, to the exclusion of the other gender. 

Guest praises Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games for having "a female lead character and striking, non-pink cover designs." Guest believes the series "is loved by boys and girls equally." She continues: "There are those who will say that insisting on gender-neutral books and toys for children is a bizarre experiment in social engineering by radical lefties and paranoid 'femininazis' who won’t allow boys to be boys, and girls to be girls... When I grew up in the 1970s, and when my parents grew up in the 1950s, brothers and sisters shared the same toys, books and games, which came in many more colours than just pink and blue, and there was no obvious disintegration of society as a result." The idea of presenting 'choice' along gender lines is a marketing ploy, aimed at "forcing parents to buy twice as much stuff," she argues.

Authors JK Rowling, Roald Dahl, Robert Muchamore and others are praised for their non-biased approach to gender in their prose, and their gender-neutral marketing. She concludes by saying: "I promise now that the newspaper and this website will not be reviewing any book that is explicitly aimed at just girls, or just boys... Any Girls’ Book of Boring Princesses that crosses my desk will go straight into the recycling pile along with every Great Big Book of Snot for Boys. If you are a publisher with enough faith in your new book that you think it will appeal to all children, we’ll be very happy to hear from you. But the next Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen will not come in glittery pink covers."

CARNEGIE MEDAL & KATE GREENAWAY PRIZE – SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED
The shortlists for the Carnegie and Kate Greenwaway Medals – for authors of children's books, and illustrators respectively – have been announced this week, with writer Anne Fine looking likely to take away the Carnegie Medal for the third time for her novel Blood Family. The other nominees for the Carnegie award are All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry, The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks, The Child's Elephant by Rachel Campbell-Johnston, Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper, Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell, Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead and The Wall by William Sutcliffe.

The nominees for the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration are The Paper Dolls by Rebecca Cobb (illustrator) and The Paper Dolls by Rebecca Cobb (author), Where My Wellies Take Me by Olivia Gill (illustrator) and Michael Morpurgo and Clare Morpurgo (authors), The Day the Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator) and Drew Daywalt (author), This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen, The Dark by Jon Klassen (illustrator) and Lemony Snicket (author), Mouse, Bird, Snake, Wolf by Dave McKean (illustrator) and David Almond (author), and Oliver by Birgitta Sif.

DOUG JOHNSTONE LAUNCHES NEW NOVEL 'THE DEAD BEAT', PLUS OTHER LITERARY EVENTS
Doug Johnstone, the author of Edinburgh-set thrillers such as Hit & Run and Gone Again, will be launching his new novel The Dead Beat on 1 May at the city's Looking Glass Books. In conversation with author, agent and Blasted Heath publisher Allan Guthrie, Johnstone will be "blethering about the book, reading briefly, answering questions, signing books and playing a couple of grunge covers, for reasons that will become apparent if you come along." Johnstone says his new novel contains "death, electroconvulsive therapy, someone swearing at a bird, female wrestling, obituaries, Kurt Cobain, house fires, attempted suicide, sex in the street and Teenage Fanclub. Not necessarily in that order." More details can be found here.

Other highlights on offer in Edinburgh's literary calendar this month include the launch of new poetry collections by Jennifer Lynn Williams and Alasdair Paterson (20 March, at The Saltire Society), the return of Rally & Broad with special guests Ryan Van Winkle, Kirsty Law, A New International and Loud Poets (21 March, The Counting House), and internationally renowned poets Des Dillon and Tom Hubbard reading at the Royal Scots Club (19 March). More events and details on those mentioned above can be found on the Edinburgh City of Literature website.