Blue Peter Book Awards winners to be named

Fleabag by Helen Stephens, one of the shortlisted titles in the Most Fun Story with Pictures category

The winners of the 2009 Blue Peter Book Awards will be announced on Blue Peter shown on BBC One on Wednesday 4 March 2009, the eve of World Book Day

These popular and influential awards have been recognising and celebrating the best authors, the most creative illustrators and the greatest reads for children since 2000.

The shortlist of nine books was chosen by a panel of adult judges including author Anthony McGowan, school librarian Karen Bhatti, and Blue Peter Editor Tim Levell to judge the three categories: ‘Book I Couldn’t Put Down’, ‘Best Book with Facts’ and ‘Most Fun Story with Pictures’. The final nine books were then judged by a panel of young Blue Peter viewers, who have decided the winners in each category and the overall winner, who will receive the ultimate accolade of ‘Blue Peter Book of the Year’.

The child judges’ deliberations will be broadcast on Blue Peter and an extract from each of the nine shortlisted titles will be dramatised on the programme. The winning author and/or illustrator in each category will be awarded a special ‘Blue Peter Book Award’ trophy.

Tim Levell, Editor of Blue Peter said: “I’ve laughed, cried, and bitten my nails through this year’s crop of children’s books. The standard was incredibly high, particularly in the Book I Couldn’t Put Down category, and finding just nine books for our young judges to read was very tough … the real excitement now is in seeing what our young judges will choose as winners.”

The shortlist is:

Best Book With Facts:

Archaeology Detectives by Simon Adams (Oxford University Press) 100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne (A&C Black) Horrible Geography Handbooks: Planet in Peril by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Mike Phillips (Scholastic)

Book I Couldn’t Put Down:

Abela by Berlie Doherty (Andersen Press) Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Corgi) Foul Play by Tom Palmer (Puffin)

Most Fun Story with Pictures:

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman (Egmont) Fleabag by Helen Stephens (Alison Green Books) Lost! The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong, illustrated by Rowan Clifford (Puffin Books)