Books shortlisted for Waterstone's prize

14.01.10 Graeme Neill in The Bookseller

Tales of dead hamsters, medieval monks, sorcerers and a girl who can fly are among books shortlisted for the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize. Waterstone's described many books on the shortlist as "tackling tough subjects for children".

Lucy Christopher's Flyaway is about a young girl who doesn't want to think about the fact her father may be dying. The title character of Suzanne LaFleur's Love, Aubrey is struggling to cope by herself when something terrible happens and she's on her own.

Desperate Measures, a debut novel by Bafta-nominated children's TV writer Laura Summers, is a tale of young siblings trying to stay together after their parents split up. The novel alternates between two narrators; Rhianna, brain-damaged at birth, and her twin sister Vicky. Waterstone’s
described the debut novel as "affecting, honest, and totally gripping".

Stephenie Meyer has endorsed The Girl Who could Fly by Victoria Forester. "It’s the oddest/sweetest mix of Little House on the Prairie and X-Men," she said. "I was smiling the whole time (except for the part where I cried). Prepare to have your heart warmed."

Sarah Clarke, children's buying manager at Waterstone's, said: "2009 was a bumper year for children’s books and 2010 is off to an equally strong start with such a spectacular shortlist. Horror and the supernatural often dominate children’s fiction but this year we’re seeing that balanced with
serious, believable stories proving that sometimes real-life drama hits closest to home."

The awards are in their sixth year and the winner will be announced at Waterstone's Piccadilly on 10th February.

The full shortlist:

1. Flyaway by Lucy Christopher (Chicken House)

2. The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies (Simon & Schuster)

3. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (Macmillan)

4. Seven Sorcerers by Caro King (Quercus)

5. Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur (Puffin)

6. The Toymaker by Jeremy de Quidt (David Fickling Books)

7. Desperate Measures by Laura Summers (Piccadilly Press)

8. Superhuman: Meteorite Strike by A.G Taylor (Usborne)

9. The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh (Chicken House)