Blue Peter Book Award Winners Announced

A thrilling adventure of two cryogenically frozen children from the 1950s, brought back to life in 2009 has been crowned the Blue Peter Book of the Year at this year’s Blue Peter Book Awards.
The author Ali Sparkes, who previously worked as a Bluecoat in Pontins, a sequined assistant to a juggling unicyclist and a comedy columnist for Radio 4’s Home Truths, was announced as the winner of the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award 2010 with her book Frozen in Time.

The book saw off intense competition from celebrated authors including the award-winning Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Frozen in Time won the ultimate accolade on the special episode of Blue Peter broadcast 3 March on BBC One in honour of World Book Day.

Winner Ali Sparkes commented:

‘I really think the Blue Peter Children's Book Award is the children's author's Oscar and I know a lot of my author friends agree. All they've been able to say since they heard I was shortlisted is 'Will you get a Blue Peter badge? Will you get a badge?!'

And what makes it extra chunkily lovely is that Frozen In Time is such a British book and shares so much of its British spirit with Blue Peter. I think anyone who reads it, of whatever age, will make that connection. I really wanted it to be about adventure, friendship, tolerance, decency, modern life, history, cookery, handling fear - and a lot of laughs. And if that's not Blue Peter, too, I don't know what is...’

The enormously popular and influential Blue Peter Book Awards have been recognising and celebrating the best authors, the most creative illustrators and the greatest reads for children since 2000.

There are three categories of awards: Most Fun Story with Pictures, Best Book With Facts and Book I Couldn’t Put Down. The favourite of the three is voted Blue Peter Book of the Year.

The winners are:

Most Fun Story with Pictures:
Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things by Guy Bass (Stripes)

Best Book With Facts:
Why Eating Bogeys is Good For You by Mitchell Symons (Random House Children’s Books)

Book I Couldn’t Put Down:
Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes (Oxford University Press)


The winning author and illustrator in each category was awarded a special Blue Peter Book Award Trophy. In addition, an extract from each of the nine shortlisted titles were animated for the programme.

The panel of adult judges comprised Tim Levell, Editor of Blue Peter (Chair), children’s librarian Debra Conway and author Matt Haig, who won the Blue Peter Book of the Year in 2009 with his novel Shadow Forest.

The final nine books were judged by a selection of young Blue Peter viewers, who decided the winners in each category and the overall winner from those for the Blue Peter Book of the Year.

Tim Levell, Editor of Blue Peter commented:

“What is so wonderful about the Blue Peter Book Awards is that the winners are decided by children, which I know means so much to authors. The standard of the books this year has been remarkable and all of the shortlisted books, brought to life through fantastic animation on the programme, are worthy of celebration. I am of course delighted for Ali and I hope she enjoys the rest of 2010 knowing that she has written the Blue Peter Book of the Year!”

The shortlist was:

Best Book With Facts:
Usborne Lift-the-flap Picture Atlas – Alex Frith & Kate Leake (Usborne)
Tail-End Charlie – Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom (Francis Lincoln Children’s Books)
Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You – Mitchell Symons (Red Fox)

Book I Couldn’t Put Down:
Cosmic – Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan)
The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 – Harriet Goodwin (Stripes)
Frozen in Time – Ali Sparkes (Oxford University Press)

Most Fun Story with Pictures:
Peter the Penguin Pioneer – Daren King (Quercus)
Spells – Emily Gravett (Macmillan)
Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things – Guy Bass & Pete Williamson (Stripes)