David Maybury | Blog

From the desk of Michael Thorn and the CMIS folks comes news of the 2010 (Australian) Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

Nine children’s fiction and seven young adult fiction works make up the shortlist – whittled down from more than 320 entries:

• Cicada Summer – Kate Constable
• The Terrible Plop – Ursula Dubosarsky and illustrator Andrew Joyner
• Just Macbeth – Andy Griffiths and illustrator Terry Denton
• Mr Chicken goes to Paris – Leigh Hobbs
• Running with the Horses – Alison Lester
• Star Jumps – Lorraine Marwood
• Mannie and the Long Brave Day – Martine Murray and illustrator Sally Rippin
• Tensy Farlow and the Home for Mislaid Children – Jen Storer
• Harry and Hopper – Margaret Wild and illustrator Freya Blackwood

The Branford Boase Award (the author and editor of a debut novel for children) has been announced – and if you haven’t guessed who nabbed the gong yet – it went to Lucy Christopher’s Stolen (ed. by Imogen Cooper)

I am absolutely thrilled to win this year’s Branford Boase Award. It means such a lot to me that Stolen has been recognised in this prestigious award.  The other books are fantastic and really stiff competition, so what an honour to be chosen!  Of course, I’m equally thrilled that I’m sharing this award with my editor, Imogen, too….she’s the bee’s knees! – Lucy Christopher

Lucy did indeed fend off stiff competition from the rest of the shortlist – with some incredible books being nominated:

• Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda, edited by Lindsey Heaven
• Life, Interrupted by Damian Kelleher, edited by Anne Clark
• Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera, edited by Shannon Park
• Big and Clever by Dan Tunstall, edited by Ross Bradshaw
• Numbers by Rachel Ward, edited by Imogen Cooper
• Paradise Barn by Victor Watson, edited by Leonie Pratt

And what did the bees knees editor have to say for herself?

I am absolutely thrilled to have won this award, and to win with Lucy, whose work I so greatly admire, is a great joy. The Chicken House has a firmly held belief in the importance of nurturing new talent – as you can see by the fact that we have won the prize three times now! – and I have always aspired to win the Branford Boase. I hope I shall go on to help more and more brilliant new writers achieve their potential and enrich the lives of children and young adults. – Imogen Cooper

Congratulations folks!

The wait is over – as the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards– the holy grails of UK children’s publishing – have announced their winners.

The winner of the Carnegie Medal this year… from a shortlist of:

• Chains – Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
• The Vanishing of Katerina Linden – Helen Grant
• Rowan the Strange – Julie Hearn
• The Ask and the Answer – Patrick Ness
• Nation – Terry Pratchett
• Fever Crumb – Philip Reeve
• Revolver – Marcus Sedgwick

is Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book!

And the Kate Greenaway winner – chosen from the mammoth shortlist of:

• Leon and the Place Between – Grahame Baker-Smith
• Harry & Hopper – Freya Blackwood
• The Great Paper Caper – Oliver Jeffers
• Millie’s Marvellous Hat – Satoshi Kitamura
• Crazy Hair – Dave McKean
• The Graveyard Book – Chris Riddell
• The Dunderheads – David Roberts
• There are cats in this book – Viviane Schwarz

is Mary Wild and Freya Blackwood’s Harry & Hopper!

The Queen of Teen shortlist is out!And amid the names of teen diva fiction – is our own Sarah Webb.

So Landy wins the Irish Book of the Decade. Colfer takes the Puffin of Puffins. Can we make it three for three and have Sarah win Queen of Teen?

The full shortlist of deserving candidates is:

• Sarah Webb
• Cathy Cassidy
• Cathy Hopkins
• Chris Higgins
• Helen Bailey
• Jacqueline Wilson
• Joanna Nadin
• Louise Rennison
• Samantha Mackintosh
• Sarra Manning

Meg Rossoff’s debate about the pink-ness of the award is interesting too – and well worth a read. But before you go reading anything… VOTE WEBB!

The Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story Prize is back – and has fast wangled its way in as one of the more interesting prizes every year. (The prize is celebrating its fourth birthday)

Fancy putting yourself in the running for £1000, a story in print and as much media coverage as you can shake a stick at? This is probably a good place to start then!

The judges will be some hard nuts to break this year with Audrey Niffenegger, David Hughes, Rachel Cooke, Dan Franklin, Paul Gravett and Suzanne Dean all casting their critical eyes over each entry.

You can check out the winners from previous years – here and here.

Deadline for entries is 6th October 2010. Not to be missed!

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were announced this week – with Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me stealing the 2010 Fiction and Poetry category. Stead is working her way to world domination – after When You Reach Me bagged the Newbury Medal earlier this year.

Laurel Croza/Matt James’ I Know Here took the picturebook prize and Elizabeth Partridge, Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You Grow Weary won the Non-fiction prize. Partridge’s book has been highly acclaimed too – winning the LA Times Book Award Young Adult Prize.

The race for Irish Book of the Decade is over! Derek Landy*’s Skullduggery Pleasant has been crowned Irish Book of the Decade.

Not only is it great to see a children’s book fight off  books Star of the Sea, Let the Great World Spin and The Secret Scripture – but who could have chosen a better winner?!

Children’s book sales account for 25 percent of all books sold in Ireland, but you don’t get to see this kind of equal footing too often. It shows a real respect for our next generation of readers, and it’s because of these readers that I can accept this award with sincerest gratitude, and without apology.

*Just look at him smirking… You know his ego is going to be huge now, right?

The Guardian have just announced the longlist for this year’s Guardian children’s fiction prize – with a move away from teen fiction and some strong under 10 entries!

Adults love crossover fiction because it’s closer to us and easier to appreciate, and it has traditionally been the place of some very fine writing. That’s great, but I’m particularly delighted this year to have had such strong entries for eight, nine and 10-year-olds
- Julia Eccleshare.

I’m delighted to see Gregory Hughes, Ally Kennen and Marcus Sedgwick listed – I just read Ogre of Oglefort yesterday (recommended!) Here it is – the 2010 Guardian children’s fiction prize longlist:

Prisoner of the Inquisition by Theresa Breslin
Now by Morris Gleitzman
Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes
The Ogre of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson
Sparks by Ally Kennen
Lob by Linda Newbery illustrated by Pam Smy
Ghost Hunter by Michelle Paver
White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

It’s award season round these parts (namely the announcement of the Bisto Book of the Year) but if you’re having some withdrawal symptoms already the Branford Boase Award shortlist is out:

• Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda, edited by Lindsey Heaven
• Stolen by Lucy Christopher, edited by Imogen Cooper
• Life, Interrupted by Damian Kelleher, edited by Anne Clark
• Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera, edited by Shannon Park
• Big and Clever by Dan Tunstall, edited by Ross Bradshaw
• Numbers by Rachel Ward, edited by Imogen Cooper
• Paradise Barn by Victor Watson, edited by Leonie Pratt

The award goes to the author and editor of a debut novel for children – and the level of competition is steep (though there’s a great coup for Chicken House’s Imogen Cooper – two books on the list!)

Plenty of time to catch up on your reading too – the announcement isn’t until July 14th

The Red House Children’s Book Award – one of the most important awards in the UK announced their winner last week (I’m waaay late on this).

Books up for the award are read and voted for by children from around the country – and broken into three categories:

Younger Children – the winner was Bottoms Up! by Jeanne Willis & Adam Stower

Younger Readers – the winner was Mondays are Murde by Tanya Landman

Older Readers – the winner was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The overall Red House Children’s Book Award gong went to Suzanne Collins for Hunger Games!

I’ve gone a little awards crazy – thanks to the Bisto Book of the Year announcements. How about a run down of some other international chidlren’s book awards to get it out of the system. Go on then.

The winners of the 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards were announced last week:

• Non-Fiction: E3 Call Home by Janet Hunt
• Junior Fiction: The Loblolly Boy by James Norcliffe
• Young Adult Fiction: Blood of the Lamb: The Crossing by Mandy Hager
• And the winner of both bets Picture Book and Book of the Year: Old Hu-Hu by Kyle Mewburn & Rachel Driscoll

In the US – the Children’s Choice Book Awards have chosen their people of the year – with Illustrator of the Year going to  Peter Brown for The Curious Garden and Author of the Year to James Patterson for Max.

And the category winners in the Children’s Choice Book Awards:

• Kindergarten – 2 grade: Lulu the Big Little Chick (Paulette Bogan)
• 3 – 4 grade: Lunch Lady and the Byborg Substitue (Jarrett J Krosoczka)
• 5 – 6 Grade: Dork Diaries: Tales from a not-so-fabulous life (Rachel Reneé Russell)
• Teen Choice: Suzanne Collins for Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2)

Magic Light Picture’s fim of The Gruffalo won the best children’s animation at the 17th Stuttgart Animation Festival 2010.

The English 4-11 – Best Children’s Illustrated Book Awards – awarded each year by the English Association in four categories:  Fiction and Non-Fiction in Key Stages 1 and 2.  (Winners are chosen chosen by from a shortlist of books selected by a panel of teachers)

• Ernest by Catherine Rayner
• Crazy Hair by Neil Gaiman, illus. Dave McKean
• Insect Detective by Steve Voake, illus. Charlotte Voake
• Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure by Amanda Wood and Clint Twist, illus.  Ian Andrews, Diz Wallis and Eloise A. Lambert
• Dracula adapted by Nicky Raven, illus. Anne Yvonne Gilbert

The winners were announced for the McNally Robinson Award (the best book from Manitoba, Canada) too – broken into Older and Younger categories:

• Older Category: Puppet By Eva Wiseman
• Younger Category: Timmerman Was Here By Colleen Sydor

And of course there was the announcement of the 2010 Colorado Book Awards shortlist -

Children’s Literature:

• Always My Brother by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill
• Grandmother, Have the Angels Come? by Denise Vega, illustrated by Erin Eitter Kono
• The Splatters Learn Some Manners by Marty Mokler Banks, illustrated by Cecilia Rébora,
• Mule Train Mail by Craig Brown, Charlesbridge

Juvenile Literature (something was lost in translation here ):

• Artsy-Fartsy: An Aldo Zelnick Comic Novel by Karla Oceanak, illustrated by Kendra Spanjer
• How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills, pictures by Heather Maione,
• V for Victory: Home-Front Heroes by Teresa R. Funke

Young Adult Literature:

• The Indigo Notebook by Laura Resau
• After by Amy Efaw
• Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters

There is no more waiting. No more blathering. No more long winded introductions in revealing the secret of who the Irish Book of the Year is. No.

The wait is over.

Bisto Honour Award for Writing goes to Siobhan Dowd for Solace of the Road

Teenager Holly Hogan is a troubled young person. Adopting a blonde wig and the assumed identity of fearless and reckless Solace, she journeys across England towards what she hopes will be a better future in Ireland. A finely constructed novel, beautifully written by a master storyteller.

Eilis Dillon Award for a First Children’s Book goes to Bob Burke for The Third Pig Detective Agency

This is the story of Harry Pig, one of the three famous little pigs who built houses during our childhood. Now grown up, he ekes out a precarious existence as a private detective. This excellent pastiche of detective fiction is a vibrant, lively and funny book.

The Children’s Choice Award goes to Jane Micthell for Chalkline

Chalkline tells the tale of the capture of Rafiq by soldiers of the Kashmir Freedom Fighters when they raid his village in search of new recruits. They roughly draw a line in chalk on Rafiq’s class-room wall and declare that any boy whose height reaches the line will be taken to fight. Chakline is a chilling account of the conditioning of a young boy to accept violence as normal, to stone or be stoned and ultimately to kill or be killed. A well-told, well-researched and cleverly plotted tale that is an intense read.

and finally…

the overall Bisto Book of the Year Award AND Bisto Honour Award for Illustration goes to Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick for There

This alluring picturebook is one that will draw every reader, child and adult, into its charming spell. The little girl’s persistent self-questioning is a true and honest echo of the voice of a child as she comes to terms with what she knows and what she doesn’t. The harmonic interdependence of images and text is achieved with artistic brilliance and a disciplined pared-back writing style.

Congratulations to all of the winners and shortlistees – as well as to Children’s Books Ireland and Premier Foods for 20 years of Book of the Year Awards!

I was elated to be invited back for a second term as a Bisto Book of the Year judge – and after months of turning pages, munching sandwiches and hours of debate, my second chance as a judge for the Bisto Book of the Year is at an end.

So what did I learn this time round?

It is still far easier to criticise a judges decision from the outside.
Last year I wrote about the omissions on the shortlist. As I did the year before. And I’ll do the same this time round too. What is popular does not always make the shortlist. I would like to see that change but the awards have specific criteria that lay out how books are to be judged – and literary merit doesn’t always mean popularity. Publishing a longlist may still be an answer but this isn’t an award for what sells or what kids read most – it goes for the best written.

Celebrating Irish writing doesn’t mean celebratin Irish publishing.
There are only 3 books from Irish publishers on the shortlist – and two of those are in Irish. Maybe with the advent of Little Island there will be more home-grown names shortlisted next year – but while the awards celebrate Irish illustration and writing there wasn’t as much to celebrate in Irish children’s publishing.

Talking about a book you love is much harder than one you don’t.
This is still true from last year. I found it far more difficult to defend a book I liked than a book I didn’t. There are still only so many times you can say ‘this book is indefinable’ and ‘worthy winner’.

Junior juries can only be a good thing.
This year the awards are a little bit different. CBI, not content with just having  regular judging (not that there is anything wrong with the charming, handsome and witty judges), have set up a series of Junior Juries around the country. Running alongside the shadowing scheme from previous years the Junior Juries panel will award their own prize for Bisto Book of the Year. I can’t wait to see who they choose!

The judges.
Apart from reading so many stories – the most enjoyable aspect of the awards was meeting the other judges. Sharing ideas, stories and jokes with the six other judges (as well as Maire and Aoife) was as rewarding as the judging. Thanks to Jennifer Carpenter, Valerie Coughlan, Luke Markey, Ríona Nic Congáil, Eileen Phelan and Juliette Saumande, Maire Uí Mhaicín and Aoife Murray for a fascinating and eye opening few months.

Not long to go before the winners are announced!

The announcement of the Bisto Book of the Year 2010 is here at last! The winners will be named at a ceremony in Dublin later today.

While you’re waiting to hear who stole the Book of the Year – have a look at the shortlist – who is your favourite?

• An Greasai Brog agus na Sioga – Catriona Hastings and Andrew Whitson
• Chalkline - Jane Mitchell
• Colm and the Lazarus Key – Kieran Mark Crowley
• Gluaiseacht – Alan Titley
• Lincoln and his Boys – PJ Lynch and Rosemary Wells
• Solace of the Road – Siobhan Dowd
• The Eyeball Collector – FE Higgins
• The Gates – John Connolly
• The Third Pig Detective Agency – Bob Burke
• There – Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

The Bisto Book of the Year is presented annually to writers and illustrators who are born or resident in Ireland. For more about the award click here or visit childrensbooksireland.ie

The race for Irish Book of the Decade is down to the final ten – and the man with no plan but a skeleton detective, Derek Landy, is in with a fighting chance. In fact he’s favourite!  (I’ve no idea who the actual favourite is – but I do know John Boyne and Derek are in the current top ten!!)

Now I’m not suggesting you don’t vote for another book… say John Boyne’s Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Artemis Fowl or Siobhan Dowd’s Bog Child?

It would be great to see one of the some kids books in contention to pick up the gong.

Voting is open until 27 May – get clicking!! (And then click again. And again.)

This blogasaurus is bunched after the CBI Conference and doing lots of work and not enough sleeping. I’ll be back on Monday for the Bisto Book of the Year announcement and lots more! In the meantime – enjoy the bits and pieces below!

This year the Bisto Book Awards are doing something a little bit different. Not happy with the regular judging (not that there is anything wrong with the charming, handsome and witty judges*) the folks have set up a series of Junior Juries around the country – including  Scoil Cholmcille, Skryne.

The gang in Skryne have a brilliant video talking about the books on the shortlist -be warned – the judges can be brutal!

And interestingly – there’s a poll for the winners too. With 54 votes cast so far – and a whopping outright winner of the blog poll:

• The Third Pig Detective Agency 2
• The Eyeball Collector 6
• Lincoln and His Boys 3
• The Gates 6
• Solace of the Road 0
• There 0
• Gluaiseacht 0
• An Gréasaí Bróg 0
• Colm & the Lazarus Key 33
• Chalkline 4

And if ye get bored of all the book talk – go play with George – the fun Llama. No blog should be without one!

*I'm one of those charming, handsome and witty judges again this year. (The awards will be announced on 24 May)

The Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards are looking for the Book of the Decade – and all you have to do is cast your vote. Sounds easy, right?

Well not really… there are some boring books up for contention. Books from Ross O’Carroll Kelly, Roy Keane and some guy called John Banville.

There are some good books up there too – books like:

• Skullduggery Pleasant
• Artemis Fowl
• The New Policeman
• Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
• Bog Child

Now I’m not one to be swaying votes or anything but – well – wouldn’t it be great if a children’s book won?

Maybe Artemis? (Hint)

The lout and no-good lay-about Derek Landy has an appeal for votes but don’t be fooled. He can’t ask ye to vote for him… can he?

Get voting – deadline is 27 May.

It’s time again for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway shortlists – the holy grails of UK children’s publishing. It was won last year by Siobhan Dowd (who picked up the Bisto Book of the Year award too)

So on with the shortlists – for the Kate Greenaway -

• Leon and the Place Between – Grahame Baker-Smith
• Harry & Hopper – Freya Blackwood
• The Great Paper Caper – Oliver Jeffers
• Millie’s Marvellous Hat – Satoshi Kitamura
• Crazy Hair – Dave McKean
• The Graveyard Book – Chris Riddell
• The Dunderheads – David Roberts
• There are cats in this book – Viviane Schwarz

And the Carnegie Medal race is very tight with some of the biggest names in writing up for the gong -

• Chains – Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
• The Vanishing of Katerina Linden – Helen Grant
• Rowan the Strange – Julie Hearn
• The Ask and the Answer – Patrick Ness
• Nation – Terry Pratchett
• Fever Crumb – Philip Reeve
• Revolver – Marcus Sedgwick

There’s not too long to wait – or to squeeze in as much reading as you can – with the awards being announced on 24 June.

It’s time again for the Queen of Teen Awards – the sparkliest, most glamorous and the pinkest award in the world of fiction.

The awards are looking for your nominations – who is the fairest, funnest, fabbest and funkiest author you’ve read (and why do all these words start with an f??) If you have a favourite – put their name down!! Go on!

Of course – we can’t let these decisions go totally untainted… so here’s two hints to who my Queen of Teen nominees are:

The E.B White Read Aloud Awards 2010 shortlist is coming soon. But here’s a taste of what is to come – Kristin Clark Venuti’s Leaving the Bellweathers has been shortlisted for the awards Older Readers category.

The E.B. White Read Aloud awards are awarded by the Association of Booksellers for Children – and were established to “honor books that reflect the universal read aloud standards that were created by the work of the author E.B. White.”

The shortlist for this years Independent Booksellers’ Book Prize has been announced – with some really strong contenders – including long time favourites Frank Cottrell Boyce, Sharon Creech, Marcus Sedgwick and Keith Gray.

It’s hard to gauge who might steal the top spot in the childrens category – plenty of time to read them all though – with deadlines for public votes open until August 30.

• Running Wild – Michael Morpurgo
• The Silver Blade – Sally Garner
• Dog Loves Books – Louise Yates
• Auslander – Paul Dowsell
• The Last Leopard – Lauren St John
• Revolver – Marcus Sedgwick
• Dogs – Emily Gravett
• The Unfinished Angel – Sharon Creech
• Henderson’s Boys: The Escape – Robert Muchamore
• What’s for Dinner Mr Gum? – Andy Stanton
• Ostrich Boys – Keith Gray
• Cosmic – Frank Cottrell Boyce

This weeks Book with a View features Belgian illustrator and author Kitty Crowther – winner of the Astrid Lindgren memorial award.

More at scamp.ie

The 2010 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children’s literature has been awarded to Belgian illustrator and author Kitty Crowther.

The award, worlds largest for children’s literature, is given to writers, illustrators, narrators and/or promoters of reading.

Kitty Crowther is the master of line but also of atmosphere. She maintains the tradition of the picture book while transforming and renewing it. In her world, the door between imagination and reality is wide open. She addresses the reader gently and personally, but with profound effect. In her deeply felt empathy with people in difficulty, she shows ways in which weakness can be turned into strength. Humanism and sympathy permeate and unify her artistry.
- Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Jury

Not so long ago I listed the Hans Christian Andersen Shortlist – from 55 candidates to 10 – PJ Lynch and Eoin Colfer were both up for consideration.

But David Almond is on a non-stop trek for world domination – after being announced as the winner for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2010. (This could become a double win for Almond – with the announcement later today for the The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award)

The 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award has gone to Jutta Bauer  – who was one of only two names I recognised on the shortlist. (Any excuse to look up new illustrators!)

I know I got very close two years ago when they said I was in the final bunch of people. It’s fantastic to be shortlisted and it’s really wonderful how this prize honours writers and illustrators from around the world. The great thing about the award – it brings to light authors from all around the world. I’m going to have to dig out their work and read it.
– David Almond

And here it is, the moment some of you have been waiting for. The announcement of the Children’s Books Ireland Bisto Book of the year Shortlist 2010!

• An Greasai Brog agus na Sioga – Catriona Hastings and Andrew Whitson
• Chalkline - Jane Mitchell
• Colm and the Lazarus Key – Kieran Mark Crowley
• Gluaiseacht – Alan Titley
• Lincoln and his Boys – PJ Lynch and Rosemary Wells
• Solace of the Road – Siobhan Dowd
• The Eyeball Collector – FE Higgins
• The Gates – John Connolly
• The Third Pig Detective Agency – Bob Burke
• There – Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

Congratulations to everyone shortlisted – and if you’re craving more – have a read of Childrens Books Ireland for details about each book.

I just started reading an advance copy of the newest, flashiest and well… did I mention newest Derek Landy book? Skullduggery Pleasant, Dark Days. And it’s good. Oh it’s very very very good*.

Of course – March 23 is also the day when the Bisto Book of the Year Award Shortlist is announced. Stay tuned to find out which ten books make it!

*Dark Days is due to hit bookshelves on 4 April

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Prize has a new winner. The prize that gave us Emily Diamond’s Flood Child, Pat Walsh’s Crowfield Curse and Sophia Bennett’s Threads has come up trumps again.

This years winner is Janet Foxley for her fairytale about a community living in a volcano, hidden from human beings called Muncle Trogg.

But if one winner isn’t enough – you can have a read of the whole shortlist (extracts at least) on the Times site.

The award was judged by Christopher Little, Neil Blair, Jenny Valentine, Jessica Sage, Miranda McKearney, Ros Bartlett and the powerhouse of UK publishing – Barry Cunningham.

The winner of the Essex Book Award has been announced – but before you go guessing who won (hint in the title above) have a look at the shortlist -

The Battle for Gullywith by Susan Hill
Deathwatch by Nicola Morgan
The Sandfather by Linda Newbery
The Soul Trade by E.E.Richardson
The Ant Colony by Jenny Valentine
Chalkline by Jane Mitchell

And of course – if the picture and title didn’t give it away – the 2010 Essex Book Award goes to Jane Mitchell!!

We are thrilled to announce Jane Mitchell’s Chalkline as the winner of the forth book award, a clear favourite and inspiration to those pupils involved in the decision making. – Stephen Castle, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education

More from the Saffron Walden Reporter.

The iBbY jury for the Hans Christian Andersen Award have announced the five authors and illustrators selected for this years shortlist.

The list of 10 was whittled down from 55 candidates – including our own PJ Lynch and Eoin Colfer. Unfortunately neither Eoin or PJ made it to through to the final stage this year.

I am delighted to see David Almond, Etienne Delessert and Jutta Bauer on the list though!

• Ahmad Reza Ahmadi from Iran
• David Almond from the United Kingdom
• Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros from Brazil
• Lennart Hellsing from Sweden
• Louis Jensen from Denmark

and the five short-listed illustrators:

• Jutta Bauer from Germany
• Carll Cneut from Belgium
• Etienne Delessert from Switzerland
• Svjetlan Junakovic from Croatia
• Roger Mello from Brazil

Update – from the Guardian:

I know I got very close two years ago when they said I was in the final bunch of people. It’s fantastic to be shortlisted and it’s really wonderful how this prize honours writers and illustrators from around the world. The great thing about the award – it brings to light authors from all around the world. I’m going to have to dig out their work and read it. – David Almond.

Somewhere in the mix of everything I missed hitting the publish button on this one – Vanessa Curtis was awarded the Manchester Book Award last week!

Voted on by schools and reading groups throughout Manchester – from a long-list of 24, a shortlist of 6 and finally to the announcement of a winner.

Click for more details.