Lancashire Book Awards

Apologies for not posting to my blog for such a long time. I've been very busy, writing and reading children's fiction. I have written two pieces of children's fiction for the Writing for Children module of the MA and two traditional animal folk tales in verse for the Letters to Africa book.

I've also read all ten booksshortlisted for the Lancashire Book Award. This shortlist was drawn up by children from schools across Lancashire. The winner will be announced on 28th May during a special event at which children will discuss the books and vote for their favourite. I was part of a group of adults who shadowed the event. We met at the University of Central Lancashire last week to discuss the books and vote for our own favourite. I'm not allowed to say which book won the vote until the winner of the award is announced, but will reveal all then.

The shortlisted books are:

Bloodchild by Tim Bowler (OUP Oxford)

Stolen by Lucy Christopher (Chicken House)

The Spook’s Sacrifice by Joseph Delaney (Bodley Head)

Grass by Cathy MacPhail (Bloomsbury)

Bang Bang You’re Dead by Narinder Dhami (Corgi Children’s)

Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera (Puffin)

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison (Harper Collins)

Out of the Blue by Val Rutt (Piccadilly Press)

Numbers by Rachel Ward (Chicken House)

Saving Rafael by Leslie Wilson (Anderson Press)

My personal top five are: Bloodchild, Saving Rafael, Stolen, Grass and Numbers.