The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness has won the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008. The author wins Patrick received a cheque for £2,500 and a trophy. Launched in 2003 to recognise and celebrate contemporary fiction written for teenagers, the prize is judged by a mixed panel of adults and teenagers. The chair of the panel comments on violence in teenage fiction. Ness's book beat the following shortlisted titles:
Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson
The Knife That Killed Me by Anthony McGowan
Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz
The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner
Apache by Tanya Landman.
Previous winners are Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Sarah Singleton's Century, Anne Cassidy's Looking for JJ and Anthony McGowan's Henry Tumour.
