FTB celebrate NYR12 with new TTBL

If you are puzzled, let me explain.
FTB: First Tuesday Bookclub is a television show on ABC1.  The first Tuesday of every month Jennifer Byrne (I hope I have spelt her name right) chats about a book or two with four of her famous friends (actors, authors, reporters etc) and it is rather entertaining. 
NYR12: 2012 is Australia's National Year of Reading.
TTBL: is Top Ten Book List.

So, to celebrate NYR, FTB is compiling a list of the Top Ten Aussie Books to Read Before You Die. 

Click here if you would like to vote, or if you are just curious enough to see which titles made the shortlist.  In my mind, the shortlist of 50 left a lot to be desired.  The only children's book to the found was "The Magic Pudding" which is admittedly good.  However, Australian authors (above all others in my opinion) write awesome children's and young adult fiction.  They also write some excellent non-fiction for kids too. 

The shortlist consists of both fiction and non-fiction genres.  There are autobiographies, biographies, novels and journals.  Titles include: My Brother Jack (by George Johnston), My Brillian Career (Miles Franklin), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak), Picnic at Hanging Rock (Joan Lindsay) and of course The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay).  A few "classics" you see and a punchbowl of recent releases.  The Slap (Christos Tsiolkas) also gets a mention.  I noticed that many of the texts were either historical or set in the outback.  Those that were not set in the naturally harsh outback, were weaved amid the concrete harshness of innercity reality.  How does this reflect upon the definition of "Aussie" literature?  An interesting and perhaps unanswerable question. 

At school we have decided to build our own list... one for students and one for teachers.  We will be including the "other" authors, who, I am ashamed to say it, are often passed over due to their chosen audience (children).  It might be difficult to write a good story for adults, but it is truly exhausting to write one for a child. 

So, don't forget to scroll back to the top and click on the links to see the full list and vote.  There is an opportunity to vote for an unlisted title, you just have to fill in a different form.  Also, everyone who votes goes into a draw to win a prize pack of the books voted the Top Ten Aussie Books to Read Before you Die. 

Also, I would like to know... What Aussie book do you think is worthy of the list? and Why do you think so?

Happy Reading
:)M