News: Red House Children's Book Award shortlist announced

I received this press release over the weekend but unfortunately I have not had a chance to get it up on my blog until now as work has been stupid busy. However, as it is about one of my favourite book awards I still wanted to post about it, even if it is a good few hours after everyone else. I love the Red House Children's Book Award for one reason - the books on the list, and the eventual winner, are chosen by and voted for exclusively by young readers. Not librarians. Not teachers. Not stuffy journalists working for national newspapers. Kids. And let's face it - they know what they like better than we do most of the time. There are some outstanding books and authors on the list, I am sure you will agree.


Press release:


Some of the biggest names in children’s fiction are joined by exciting new authors and illustrators on the shortlist for this year’s Red House Children’s Book Award, the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children themselves. What could be a better indicator of the books that will tempt children away from computer games and DVDs than a list drawn up by young people across the country, which pits literary heavyweights like Morris Gleitzman and Patrick Ness against outstanding debut authors such as Annabel Pitcher?

Who will win? It’s up to children everywhere to decide. Voting is now open and the Red House Children’s Book Award would like to encourage every child in Britain to check out the shortlisted titles and vote for their favourite!

The Red House Children’s Book Award is highly respected by teachers, parents and librarians and has brought acclaim and strong sales to past winners such as J.K. Rowling, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman and Anthony Horowitz. The award has often been the first to recognise the future stars of children’s fiction and has the ability to turn popular authors into bestsellers.

Children nationwide are now invited to vote for their favourite of the ten shortlisted books. The category winners and the author of the best children’s book published in the 2011 nomination period will be announced – for the first time ever – at a glittering awards ceremony which takes place in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre in London on Saturday 18^th February 2012.

A dedicated website www.redhousechildrensbookaward.co.uk showcases all the shortlisted titles and featured authors. Any child can vote here for their favourite book until 20^th January 2012.

The full shortlist for the Red House Children’s Book Award 2012 is as follows:

Books for Younger Children

Rollo and Ruff and the Little Fluffy Bird by Mick Inkpen, published by Hodder

Don't Worry Douglas! by David Melling, published by Hodder

Peely Wally by Kali Stileman, published by Red Fox

Scruffy Bear and the Six White Mice by Chris Wormell, published by Jonathan Cape

Books for Younger Readers

One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson, published by Marion Lloyd Books

Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis, published by Oxford University Press

The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon, published by Scholastic

Books for Older Readers

Grace by Morris Gleitzman, published by Puffin

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, published by Walker

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, published by Orion

Additional Notes:

The Red House Children’s Book Award, now in its 32nd year, was founded in 1980 by author and librarian Pat Thompson and is owned and run by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. The overall winner is awarded the Red House Children’s Book Award Silver Tree, of which they are the custodian for a year, and an engraved silver acorn which is theirs to keep. Each of the shortlisted authors and illustrators also receives a silver bookmark and an incredible portfolio of writing and artwork created by children inspired by their book. The ten titles on the shortlist for the Books for Younger Children, Books for Younger Readers and Books for Older Readers categories, as well as 40 highly recommended titles, were chosen by children who read and voted for the books at lively events organised nationwide by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.

The Federation of Children’s Book Groups was set up as a charity by Anne Wood, the originator of the Teletubbies. It acts as an umbrella organisation for local Children’s Book Groups all over the UK. The groups organise a variety of activities including author events and other activities that promote the enjoyment of children’s books. The Federation also produces numerous specialist book lists, organises National Share-a-Story Month each May, National Non-Fiction Day each November and holds an annual conference each spring. www.fcbg.org.uk

Red House has created a community to which book-loving parents will want to belong and an environment in which parents can, with confidence, select the books their children will take with them on their reading journey. Red House sifts through the thousands of books published each month and promotes the best through its magazines and website, taking care to select books that children themselves really enjoy. Red House provides choice without confusion, education without boredom, value without obligation and strives to make books affordable to all, with over 1000 titles half price or less.