Epic has been named to the Lone Star List for 2007-2008. The Young Adult Round Table exists to promote and to improve library services for young adults in Texas. The Texas Lone Star list is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books. Read more about State Lists in this blog comment by Alex Flinn.
Tony Sahara is an artist who works in New York in an office full of Star Wars toys. He designs the covers for many young adult books. He is the designer of the US editions of both Epic and Saga. I like these covers which give a good representation of what's in the books. Tony says that he enjoyed reading them too.
Conor Kostick on a panel at Worldcon 2005 with Joe Pearce and Justina Robson. Photo by Szymon Sokol.
Conor Kostick attended the Dublin City Public Libraries Children's Book Festival 2007. This saw Conor travel as far as Letterkenny as part of the festival. He also enjoyed meeting his old friend Judy Murphy. Below you can see a staged photo where one child is holding The Book of Curses.
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in Ireland. The An Post Education Awards have been running now for 20 years. The theme of this year’s An Post Education Awards is storytelling. They've teamed up with four of Ireland’s most popular children’s authors - Brianóg Brady Dawson, Judi Curtin, Conor Kostick and Oisín McGann - to create story starters, in different genres, for every age.
Here is the starter for Junior Infants – First Class, written by Conor Kostick
DetectiveHere is the starter for Second - Fourth Class and Fifth - Sixth Class, written by Conor KostickInis Beag was a mysterious island at the best of times. Thousands of years ago,people had put tall stones there, bringing them across dangerous seas to make a pattern whose meaning had been long forgotten. There had only ever been one house on the island and when someone started living in it again Inis Beag became even more mysterious. Who was it, in the house? Why did they never come over to the mainland? And why were there sometimes strange flashes in the sky at night over the island? Nora and her brother James would often go to the cliffs and take turns with a pair of binoculars. They wanted to be the first to solve the mystery. And so they were.
DetectiveThe most exciting, challenging, not to say downright dangerous case I ever solved was that which I call ‘The Mystery of the Missing Head.’ The head concerned was not a real one; it was a plaster bust. For decades it had stood on a shelf in the elegant country home of the von Meckleburg family. When this bust went missing, Amelia von Meckleburg herself rang to ask for my services. She flattered me, calling me the best detective in the country and so I took the case. I found the head, of course. But I also found a sorry tale of greed and betrayal.
School Library Journal's editors chose 63 books from the 4500 that they reviewed this year. Conor Kostick's Epic was named as one of the Best Books of 2007.
Grades 8 Up - This well-crafted fantasy features a society in which violence has been banned and people must settle their disputes in Epic, an all-consuming virtual-reality game. Erik chooses a female avatar who uses her beauty and wits in lieu of more conventional weapons and teams up with his friends' characters to save his father and take on the powers behind the game.Photo of Conor Kostick by Mark Granier.
As part of their Best kids' books for 2007 feature the Miami Herald had a sidebar entitled 2 boys select their favorite 2007 books. Epic was one of the books chosen
A young farm boy and his friends challenge their government, which rules its people through the outcome of an ongoing video game. Filled with action and suspense.
Photo of Conor Kostick by Mark Granier.
