2010 Orange Prize for Fiction winner

Barbara Kingsolver has won the 15th Orange Prize for Fiction with The Lacuna. The Orange Prize for Fiction is awarded to the woman who, in the opinion of the judges, has written the best, eligible full-length novel in English. The winner receives £30,000,and a limited edition bronze figurine called the 'Bessie'.

Vote for the Puffin of Puffins

What's your favourite Puffin?
The publisher Puffin is celebrating its 70th birthday and has chosen 7 modern classics, one from each decade it has been publishing, and wants you to choose your favourite.
* The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett - 40s
* Charlotte's Web by E.B. White - 50s
* Stig of the Dump by Clive King - 60s
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - 70s
* Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian - 80s
* The Hundred Mile-an-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong - 90s
* Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - 00s
If you haven't read some of these entertaining and inspirational children's books then come along to the Library and borrow them.
Voting has opened and will close on 16 June, and the winning book will be announced on 17 June.

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2010 - Longlist

Prisoner of the Inquisition, by Theresa Breslin.
Now, by Morris Gleitzman.
Unhooking the Moon, by Gregory Hughes.
The Ogre of Oglefort, by Eva Ibbotson .
Sparks, by Ally Kennen.
Lob, by Linda Newbery.
Ghost Hunter, by Michelle Paver.
White Crow, by Marcus Sedgwick.

The Guardian children's fiction prize will be awarded in September.

Red House Children's Book Award 2010 Winners

Judged entirely by children from shortlist to final overall winner, the votes have been counted and the winners of the Red House Children's Book Award 2010 are:
Overall Winner:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Category Winners
Younger Readers:
Mondays are Murder by Tanya Landman
Younger Children:
Bottoms Up! by Jeanne Willis & Adam Stower
Well done to our five keen readers who read and voted for their favourite among the shortlisted titles for the Older and Younger Readers categories. The books are available for loan from the Library.
For more reading ideas see the Pick of the Year for Older Readers.

Book awards news

Forty years after it was first published, Troubles, by J G Farrell, has been announced as the winner of the Lost Man Booker Prize - a one-off prize to honour the books published in 1970, but not considered for the prize when rules about publication dates changed.

The Branford Boase Award was set up to encourage new writers and is given each year to the most promising work of fiction for children by a first time novelist. The books on the shortlist for the 2010 award are:
Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Life, Interrupted by Damian Kelleher
Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera
Big and Clever by Dan Tunstall
Numbers by Rachel Ward
Paradise Barn by Victor Watson

Top Reads

Following a recent survey which reported that increasing numbers of children are starting school without having been read to, The Guardian published five lists of books by age group The best children's books ever.

With the enormous number of books available it can be difficult to make a choice which is why browsing is so important. Another help to selection is recommendation which is why we recommend books to each other in Library lessons. I also issue Reading Suggestions regularly and have many lists by genre.

Online - look at the Book Choosers which are linked on the right in this blog, or visit the selections I have made at Lovereading4schools.co.uk. I have lists of recommendations for years 7, 8 and 9 which you can see here http://www.lovereading4schools.co.uk/viewschool/1870/favourite.
This is the website of a children's online independent bookstore which features only children's books. It's free to register and obviously there is no obligation to buy. The sister site http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/ can be searched by many categories, features over 5000 opening extracts, profiles authors and offers the useful Author Like for Like.

Puffin celebrates 70 years

Puffin Books are celebrating 70 years of publishing for children. To celebrate this anniversary year the publisher has set up Happy Birthday Puffin site. Both websites feature writers new and old, beloved by generations of readers, plus opportunities to read, listen or watch Puffin's latest news.