Children's Book Awards 2008

Details of award winning childrens books for 2008 will appear here as they are announced.

	The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize has been awarded to The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. 12-year-old Todd Hewitt is forced to flee the stifling male-only environs of Prentisstown, a world where thoughts are audible. Todd fights to survive and to learn the dark secrets behind Prentisstown's facade. Available at Amazon.co.uk, Foyles, Play.com and Amazon.com
	The Greenaway Prize was awarded to Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett. A little mouse uses the pages of a book to document his fears - from loud noises and the dark, to being sucked down the plughole. Packed with details and novelty elements including flaps, die-cuts, this is an extraordinary picture book. Find it at Amazon.co.uk
	The Carnegie Prize was awarded to Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve. Gwyna was just a small girl when she was bound in service to Myrddin the bard - a traveller and spinner of tales. Myrddin transfroms her - into a lady goddess, a boy warrior, and a spy. But can she work the most glorious transformation of all - and turn the leader of a raggle-taggle war-band into King Arthur? It was also the fiction winner of the UKLA Children’s Book Awards. It is available from Amazon.co.uk, Foyles and Play.com.
	The winner of the UKLA Children’s Book Awards Picturebook prize and the Red House Children's Book Awards: Books for Younger Children 2008 is Penguin by Polly Dunbar. Ben is thrilled when he's given a penguin, but try as he might, he can't make the penguin talk. Ben tickles Penguin, pulls his funniest face, sings a silly song and does a dizzy dance. Available at Amazon.co.uk, Foyles and Play.com.
	The winner of the Red House Children's Book Awards: Books for Younger Readers 2008 has been named as Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell. The book introduces Miss Ottoline Brown, an exceptionally inquisitive Mistress of Disguise, and her partner in crime, Mr Munroe. No puzzle is ever too tricky for the two of them to solve. Available at Amazon.co.uk
	The Red House Children's Book Awards: Books for Older Readers 2008 has been awarded to Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. Available at Amazon.co.uk
	The Costa Children's Book Award 2008 has been awarded to Ann Kelley's The Bower Bird. It is the story of Gussie, a bright young girl diagnosed with a rare heart condition. However she is determined to live life to the fullest, experiencing typical teenage problems such as love and parent troubles. Available at Amazon.co.uk, Foyles and Play.com.
	The children's section of the Galaxy British Book Awards was won by Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman, by Francesca Simon & Tony Ross. Four new stories about Horrid Henry, in which he builds a snowman, sets up a makeover business, gets in trouble with a famous author and writes his will! From Amazon.co.uk

Children's Book Awards 2007
Children's Book Awards 2006
Children's Book Awards 2005

The Reading Bug...and how to help your children to catch it
Do you want your children to love reading? If you like to settle down with a book (even if having kids you don’t get the chance very often) you will want to share that pleasure with them. Well, this is the book to help you do just that. It gives a practical guide on how children learn to read and to teaching a child to love books.

How to Raise A Bright Child
The title of this book could be read in two different ways. The first is how to bring your child up to somehow make them ‘bright’. Indeed one of the aims of this book is to maximise your child’s intelligence and ensure that they realise all their potential. The second is what to do if you find you have a bright child and want to know how to deal with it!

The Appeal of Harry Potter
Why is it that the Harry Potter books have such universal appeal? Why do parents love them as much as their children do? From the very beginning we are introduced toa magical world, a world kept secret from us “muggle” (non-magic) folk, full of strange rules and abilities, fascinating places, and unforgettable characters.