Friday, December 14, 2007


Nestlé Children's Book Prize

The Nestlé Children's Book Prize is one of the UK's longest running prizes. The Prize celebrates the very best in children's literature, and, over the years, around half a million school children have been involved in choosing the winning authors.


2007 winners
Novelist Matt Haig, 31, was awarded a gold medal at this year’s Nestlé Children’s Book Prize for his fantasy tale Shadow Forest (Bodley Head).
Matt, 31, had a variety of jobs from bartending at one of Ibiza’s best-known clubs Manumission to internet marketing, before taking up writing. He has published several articles and books for adults such as “The Dead Fathers’ Club” and is currently writing more children’s fiction.
Shadow Forest captivated the prize’s school-age judges and won the gold medal for the best book in the nine to eleven years category. The award was made today, December 12th, at the British Library, London, in front of an invited audience of some of the schoolchildren who were this year’s judges.

Matt’s debut novel is an atmospheric tale of “one-eyed trolls, murderous truth pixies, witches and humans who turn into rabbits” set in Norway. According to the author’s website, the book “was fun to write, especially the troll family with only one eyeball between them and the chapters with the religious rabbits”.

Two other books also scooped gold in their age categories: When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor and Nick Sharratt (under five category) and Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell (6-8 years category.) This is the fifth Nestlé Children’s Book Prize award for Chris Riddell.

Nestlé Children’s Book Prize 2007 results

Books for 9 to 11 year olds:Gold - Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Bodley Head)Silver - Catcall by Linda Newbery (Orion Children’s Books)Bronze - Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve (Scholastic Children’s Books)

Books for 6 to 8 year olds:Gold - Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell (Macmillan Children’s Books)Silver - Ivan The Terrible by Anne Fine (Egmont Press)Bronze - Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Books for five years and under:Gold - When a Monster is Born by Sean Taylor and Nick Sharratt (Orchard Books)Silver - Penguin by Polly Dunbar (Walker Books)Bronze - Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie by Joel Stewart (Doubleday)

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