The Boy with the Silver Eyes now available as free e-book through The Advertiser

Reynella South Primary School students Natalie, Mitchell and Seth
with some of Jos Valdman’s characters from Ruth Starke's The Boy With
The Silver Eyes. Picture: Calum Robertson/The Advertiser

The Boy with the Silver Eyes, a new adventure story written by Ruth in collaboration with more than 25 South Australian schools, has been officially released as a free e-book.

Run as part of Children's Literacy Month in February, the project saw primary school classes across the state each tackle a different part of the story, started by Ruth, with a new chapter published every day in The Advertiser and Sunday Mail.

Now the complete story, following the cross-dimensional travels of children Max and Abbie, their dog Monty and cousin Bruno, has been launched as a free e-book.

Illustrated by Advertiser cartoonist Jos Valdman, The Boy with the Silver Eyes can be downloaded from advertiser.com.au/kidsbook for use on a smartphone, tablet, PC or e-reader.

My Gallipoli launched in Adelaide ahead of Anzac Day centenary

Ruth Starke and Robert Hannaford signing
copies of My Gallipoli at the book's launch.

Ruth's new picture book My Gallipoli, featuring illustrations by renowned South Australian artist Robert Hannaford, was officially launched on April 16 in the lead up to the Anzac Day centenary.

ABC 891 presenter and Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers officially launched the book at Hill Smith Gallery in Adelaide, where an exhibition of Hannaford's illustrations and other collected works are also on show.

In this stunning hardback book direct accounts of real Gallipoli participants such as the Australian war correspondent C.E.W. Bean and Turkish commander Mustafa Kemal mingle with factual accounts from a host of fictional characters to provide a broad history of the battle, from the months immediately before the landing at Anzac Cove in April 1915 through to the present day commemoration ceremonies.

My Gallipoli is OUT NOW through Working Title Press. To read more about the book, including reviews, or to download teacher's notes, click here.

To see photos from the launch event, click here.

Congo and Pug are coming to your school!

Click to enlarge.

A new Captain Congo story, "The Perils of Pug" is now running as a serial in all four editions of The School Magazine throughout 2014.

The June issue, No. 5 is out now and, yes, Pug did escape that shark! But almost bigger terrors await him back home on the floating island.

Check out the Captain Congo series:

Captain Congo and the Crocodile King
Captain Congo and the Maharajah's Monkey
Captain Congo and the Klondike Gold

OUT NOW: An Anzac Tale

With the outbreak of war in 1914, best friends Wally, Roy and Tom are among the first to enlist. But their great adventure soon turns to disaster.

The day after the landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, more than 2000 of their fellow Anzacs are dead and the bold attempt by the British commanders to knock the Turks out of the war, quickly becomes a stalemate.

As the Gallipoli campaign drags on, Wally, Roy and Tom find themselves locked in combat with a formidable enemy, a ferocious landscape, flies, fleas, cold and disease.

Australia's best graphic picture book team, Ruth Starke and Greg Holfeld, have combined to create an extraordinary and original work which will be appreciated on many levels and by different ages.

Based on impeccably researched material and overseen by the Head of Historical Research and war historian of the National Museum of Australia, An Anzac Tale is like no other book about Gallipoli.

The book scored three gongs at the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards for 2013, named Notable Book in the Picture Book, Younger Readers and Information Book catgeories.

An Anzac Tale is OUT NOW through Working Title Press.

CLICK HERE TO BUY AN ANZAC TALE ONLINE.

Ruth visits Reynella Primary School

Ruth visited Reynella Primary School in South Australia with her new book An Anzac Tale.

She had a great time with all the students, who asked lots of intelligent questions and were really fun!

If you want Ruth to visit your school, check out the information on the appearances page.