The judges had no problem awarding Best First Book to this accomplished verse novel. The text is a memoir/history with strong political commentary. The author is a musician who is crossing over into text. The text is accompanied by a music CD with tracks to be played as the reader moves through the novel, and the music itself is varied in scope and of production standard just the kind of cross-over project that IP is looking for. Mature in vision and evocative emotionally, this is page-turning verse that should find a wide audience. The Taste of Apple is about turning the soil of life's hard garden. With flair for character and setting, Laidler goes to the core of adolescence that painful negotiation of class, culture and of the cracks that appear as family secrets. This is a polished vision, a story of heart told through a language rich for the senses. Accompanied by lush audio tracks, Laidler emerges as both a talented writer and spoken word artist. An impressive debut that is ripe for the picking.