Craig Silvey event October 2025

Last night Craig Silvey spoke at an event organised by his publisher Allen and Unwin and a small independent bookstore in North Sydney or more specifically McMahons Point - Blues Point Bookshop.  The owner Helen Baxter has a long association with Craig Silvey. His first book was Rhubarb (2004) written when he was just 19.  The focus of the event last night was his new book Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping - second in the series about the little country dog Runt. On this tour Craig is also visiting Castle Hill; Katoomba; and four locations in Western Australia.

I was excited to attend this event because I adored the first book and was so lucky to read an advance copy back in 2022. But my connection is even stronger because IBBY Australia had a post card sized piece of art by Sara Acton on our last Mini Masterpiece art auction and I was the highest bidder.

AND this year for our second Mini Masterpiece art action we have another little picture of Runt. 

I was hoping to share this with both Craig Silvey and Helen (the owner of the bookstore) but unfortunately, they were both too busy with their event guests. Sadly, too, Helen had not heard of IBBY which is such an important international organisation and I guessing she has no idea about my blog. Here is the web page for IBBY Australia.

I talked about Runt in this blog post and then on Instagram Craig responded with these words:

"Thank you so much @momotimetoread! So delighted you found Runt such a compelling and joyous read! Means the world."

Here are a few things Craig Silvey shared in his talk:

• He hopes Runt and the sequel will be shared in families - he coined the term "camp-fire read".
• The title of the second book matches the tin - you know in advance what you will get - a dognapping!
• The sequel needs to connect with the first installment but also expand on characters and add in new ones. A theme in this second book is truth - it can be distorted or skewed but it is always inside us.
• The town of Upsdowns is an amalgam of the county towns in Western Australia where Craig lived as a child - towns like Colley and the delightfully named Dwellingup.
• Craig Silvey has three young daughters but no dog.
• Craig filled his conversation and answers with such rich language - whimsical; idiosyncratic; unmitigated joy; duress; beguiling; and nominative determinism. It was a delight to listen.
• He watched hundreds of hours of real dog dancing competitions when researching this for the sequel to Runt. 

The children in the audience last night impressed me with their intelligent questions. Here are some that I didn't get to ask Craig Silvey:

• Can you talk about the impact of winning the CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) Book of the Year award - Younger Readers in 2023
• Which of your books has reached the highest sales?
• Can you please talk about the different cover used on the US edition (see below)
• Did your publisher ask Sara Acton to illustrate your covers?
• How do you respond when people say (with a slight scoff) 'Oh you've written a kids book'.
• Did you expect more of your adult audience (last night) to have read Runt?
• Do you have a favourite children's book featuring a dog? (mine is Because of Winn Dixie)
• You moved around a lot as a child - did you have access to books and libraries? Were you a reader as a child? Do you have a childhood book that has stayed in your memory?
• When you speak you use a very sophisticated vocabulary - can you explain this and does it link with your own reading life?
• What was your involvement in the movie? And what is your involvement in the play at the Sydney based Belvoir Street Theatre which will presented in 2026?
• Were you thinking of adult readers and parents when you created all the funny names for your characters?
• Has your book Runt been translated into other languages? Do you see any issues with this process given the colloquial language and Australian setting?

Read more about the US edition here

Here is a Facebook entry about The Blues Point Bookshop - if you are in the area you might like to drop in and take a look:

Helen Baxter’s Blues Point Bookshop and its blue neon sign have been at the heart of the McMahons Point community. In three decades of devotion to the printed word, Helen has read around 20 books every month. She still hand writes the reviews that adorn her green shelves and the price tags on the back of the books. ...  This charming old-world bookstore is located at McMahons Point but will instantly transport you to the streets of London or Paris. A treasure trove for book lovers, Blues Point Bookshop houses a wide selection of classics, non-fiction, fiction and children's books, with friendly notes and recommendations from the shop's owner Helen Baxter. The comfy armchairs are the perfect spot to while away an afternoon.

Helen Baxter has run over 300 author events -that's so impressive. Craig Silvey has 2 titles in the top 25 of the ABC Radio National top 100 list - that's also very impressive. 

Craig Silvey is an author and screenwriter from Fremantle, Western Australia. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Rhubarb, was published in 2004. His bestselling novel, Jasper Jones, was released in 2009 and is considered a modern Australian classic. Published in over a dozen territories, Jasper Jones has won plaudits in three continents, including an International Dublin Literary Award shortlisting, a Michael J. Printz Award Honor, and a Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlisting. Jasper Jones was the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year for 2010. Craig's third novel Honeybee was published in 2019 and won Best Fiction for the Indie Book Awards 2021 and Dymocks Book of the Year 2020. His much-loved family favourite Runt was published in 2022 and has won multiple awards including Dymocks Book of the Year for Younger Readers 2022, Best Children's Book and Book of the Year at the Indie Book Awards 2023, Book of the Year: Younger Readers at the CBCA Awards 2023, Children's Book of the Year at the BookPeople Book of the Year Awards 2023, and Book of the Year for Younger Children at the Australian Book Industry Awards 2023. Runt was adapted into a critically and commercially successful film in 2024.