You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Michael Morpurgo and Sarah Crossan are among the nominees for the Children’s Book Award 2017.
The prize is the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children, owned and coordinated by voluntary group the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.
Michael Morpurgo has won the prize a record three times and will be looking to increase his tally this year to four. He is competing in the “Book for Younger Readers” category for his An Eagle in the Snow, illustrated by Michael Foreman (HarperCollins), and is up against The Accidental Pirates (Voyage to Magical North) by Claire Fayer, (Macmillan) and The Jam Doughnut that Ruined my Life by Mark Lowery, illustrated by Hannah Shaw (Piccadilly).
Crossan, who has previously won the YA Book Prize and the Carnegie Medal, is challenging in the “Book for Older Readers” category with her title One (Bloomsbury), up against Car-Jacked by Ali Sparkes, (Oxford University Press) and Mistletoe and Murder by Robin Stevens (Penguin Random House).
Fighting it out in the "Books for Younger Children" section is Chicken Nugget by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Tom McLaughlin (Puffin), along with Oi Dog by Kes Gray and Claire Gray, illustrated by Jim Field (Hodder),
Grandad's Island by Benji Davies (Simon and Schuster) and Gracie Grabbit and the Tiger by Helen Stephens (Scholastic).
Julia Miller, Children’s Book Award coordinator, said: "Selecting our Top Ten is the start of an exciting countdown towards our Winners for 2017. We congratulate all our Top Ten authors and illustrators and can’t wait to find out who is the children’s choice this year."
The deadline for online voting is on Friday 12th May. The category winners and the author of the best children’s book published in the 2016 nomination period will be announced at an awards ceremony which takes place in central London on 10th June.
Pamela Butchart and Thomas Flintham were the overall winners of The Children’s Book Award 2016 for My Head Teacher Is a Vampire Rat (Nosy Crow) which also scooped the Books for Younger Readers category. Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury Childrens) won the Books for Older Readers category and Is There A Dog In This Book? by Viviane Schwarz (Walker Books) was named the Books for Younger Children category winner.
The Federation is a national voluntary self-funded organisation whose aim is to promote enjoyment in children’s books and reading and to encourage the availability of books for young people.