Short List for Highland Children's Book Awards

The short list for the 2007 Highland Children's Book Awards has been announced so over the next couple of months, primary and secondary school pupils will be busy reading the entries and voting for their favourites. The winning books will be announced during a special event before schools break up for the summer holidays.

The Highland Council's Principal Schools Librarian, Stephanie Hoyle said: "The standard of writing for young people is currently very high and there is a wide and varied selection of books to choose from. The books on the short list are already winners, chosen by ballot. Children and teenagers in the 46 participating schools have had a hard task to choose just one book to vote for from the long list titles distributed to them in January. Their opinions of the books they have read can be seen on our virtual library website www.highlandschools-virtualib.org.uk/hba

"The winning books will be voted for by Highland pupils who will all be busy reading over the next few months before casting their votes in a second ballot in mid June. The winners however will be a closely guarded secret until the Awards Ceremony on 20th June."

Books on the 2007 short list are:

12+ category:

• Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler
• The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks
• Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer
• Fur by Meg Harper
• Soul Eater by Michelle Paver

8+ category:

• Ghostboy and the Moonbalm Treasure by Richard Hamilton
• Indie Kidd: Are we having fun yet (Hmm?) by Karen McCombie
• The White Giraffe by Lauren St John
• Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend by Francesca Simon
• You're a bad man Mr Gum! by Andy Stanton

Picture Book category:

• Tyson the Terrible by Diane and Christyan Fox
• Captain Abdul's Little Treasure by Colin McNaughton
• I'm a Happy Hugglewug by Niamh Sharkey
• The Cat who wanted to go Home by Jill Tomlinson and Paul Howard
• The Getaway by Ed Vere

Copies of the long list books were donated by the publishing companies. The Awards Ceremony, like the Big Launch in January, will be sponsored by Falk Renwables. The Awards are sponsored by Anta Pottery.