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Sally Murphy, Australian author

Readalong Post #6: Poetry Friday Introducing Toppling

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It’s Poetry Friday and, for me, it marks the start of the second week of my Readalong , and time to introduce the second of my verse novels.  First, though, thanks to everyone who took part in week one. From my lovely Poetry Friday friends who commented on last week’s post about Pearl Verses the World, to the many people who’ve commented on Instagram and Facebook and also to those just reading along on the sidelines. It is a joy to be in such good company every day, without leaving home.  The post that drew the most reaction was the one comparing the two covers, which was discussed at length on Facebook, so it will be interesting to look later on this week at the THREE covers Toppling has had.

Speaking of Toppling, this week I’d love it, if you have a copy of Toppling to hand, if you would revisit it with me. But if you don’t have a copy, you can still join in and learn about the book. Toppling was released in Australia in 2010. Here’s the Aussie  cover (I’ll show you the others later in the week, though you might catch a glimpse of the US cover in the book trailer below):

You’ll see that Toppling had a different illustrator from Pearl, the amazing Rhian Nest James, but the same  cover design team at Walker Books.

If you haven’t yet read the book (or even if you have) you might enjoy this trailer, made by amazing Librarian Julie Hembree:


It’s a little more professional than the one I made for Pearl Verses the World!

And, if you’d like a taste of the book, here I am reading Chapter One:

 

And, for Poetry Friday, here is a poem from that reading:

If you have a copy of Toppling, I’d love if you would reread it with me this week. If you don’t own a copy, it’s available from libraries and bookstores in three editions:

The Australian version, published by Walker Books Australia.

The US version, published by Candlewick.

And the UK version (with a different title, John & Dom), published by Walker UK.

(Note that while these links do go to online bookstores, our brick and mortar stores are really struggling at the moment, so if you are going to buy a book, and have access to a local bookstore (lots are delivering!), I urge you to shop there.)

Over the next week, I’m going to share more about Toppling – why and how I wrote it,  a glimpse at those three different covers, and more.  You can join in: if you have a copy of the book,  or a memory to share, I’d love to see a post on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook (#toppling), or a comment here or on my Facebook page.

Want more poetry? Of course you do! Molly has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup this week at Nix the Comfort Zone. Pop over there to see all the other poetry goodness shared around the world – and to admire Molly’s bread!

 

Comments

  1. Love your reading of “Toppling,” and the name of your book begs it to be read too! I’d like to find it and read more about John–sounds like quite a character. And I like all the detail in the art, thanks Sally.

    • Thanks Christie. Yes, I have never found a child who doesn’t like knocking things down 🙂 Sorry you are apart from them. It’s so hard!

  5. Sally, I enjoyed your reading from Toppling. I’ve taught our 4 year-old grandchild to line up dominoes and watch them topple. That trailer is amazing. I can see that the title of your book foreshadows a very serious topic.

  6. Enjoyed your reading, Sally! The first chapter drew me right in — I like John and want to hear more. I’ve always marveled at people who stack dominoes — what patience!

  7. I ‘toppled’ a few dominoes in my day, as well. Great premise for a character/book. I hope to get my hands on your titles someday. I have a hard time getting English language books in general (even US books) here in Switzerland. Ugh. Have you seen the YouTube video of the cats that topple dominoes? Fun. 🙂

    • Thanks Bridget. I can imagine the frustration of not being able to source books easily. I have not seen domino-toppling cats – but am off to hunt for them!

  8. I enjoyed listening to your reading of Toppling, especially with all of your voices! Heart fiction is my favorite genre, and this sounds like it would fit perfectly.

    “Maybe I’m not normal
    but I”m happy.”

    I wish more kids would have this same attitude. I’m off to look for Toppling!

  9. Sally, I just tweeted about this book and your reading. I hope teachers share this video with their students. Maybe you will get a letter from a Long Island child who is interested in your story.

    • Thanks so much for so generously spreading the word, Carol, And I always love to receive letters or emails from readers.

  11. I like both of the covers I’ve seen so far! “Toppling” is a cool name for a book or a hobby 🙂 (But now I’m worried about what happens to John!)

  13. Thanks for sharing your books–it lets me catch up and add to my wish lists! I like this domino-toppling kid (and have to agree about being normal). I’ve spent hours lining up dominoes to topple. There’s nothing quite as satisfying.

    • Thanks Kay. And yes, it can be very satisfying – and also frustrating when it doesn’t work.

  14. Sally, thank you for sharing about Toppling… I love the art, and I think I may know that domino-building kid… xo

  15. Appreciations for reading from Toppling (new to me) And for all the goodness here. “Pearl Verses the World” cracks me up as a title. So perfect. Back on Toppling, tho’ I feel the fun/ satisfaction of his domino project, I do worry for John. See? You’ve hooked me on how he turns out! Brava!

    • Thanks Jan. Glad you like the titles. And I ‘like’ that you’re worried – well, at least I appreciate that this means you’ve started to put little clues together.

  16. I enjoyed your reading. I used to set up dominoes and knock them down, but I never heard it called toppling. I just received Pearl Verses in the mail and am looking forward to reading it. Such lovely covers, both.

  17. Hello Sally,

    It is wonderful hearing you read your work. I really like John. His voice is very pleasant and a unique hobby which makes him interesting. And Tess…she’s going to be a bit of a pain, I see. I was a Tess. lol. I agree that this being together online has been wonderful. I have so enjoyed meetings and get-togethers. I wish it was easier to bring kidlit between US and AUS together. I haven’t seen Toppling. But, I do enjoy Candlewick books very much. I will go there and take a peek. Thanks so much for the read-along. A wonderful visit!

    • Thank you Linda for your enthusiasm. A very welcome side-effect of being in lockdown is that I have so much more time to do poetry friday and other online meetups. Bonus! Re bringing kidlit together between our countries, I agree. It can be frustratingly difficult, though I do find my favourite online bookstore (for when I can’t get something through a brick and mortar one) generally has US produced books at a fair price.

  18. Sally, “Toppling” sounds like such a rich story. I wondered about the title when I saw it and loved when I realized what it referenced. What a great evocative verb!

    • Thanks Molly. I had the title well before I realised how very apt it was for the story John wanted me to tell.

  19. I have no way to get a copy in time, Sally, but I like what you shared, the boy’s voice so clear about the kind of person he was. My students once collected all the dominoes they could find in the school & made a long, long wiggly trail of them, to TOPPLE! I know they would have loved seeing and reading that poem! Have a great week discussing the book!

    • That’s okay Linda – much as I love if people reread the book, I am really just enjoying sharing some insights into it, and revisiting for myself, too. Thanks for dropping by.

  20. Hi, Sally. Thanks for sharing about Toppling. I haven’t read it yet, but can already picture this kid, who loves building domino trails to knock down. The poem brings his voice to life!

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