Lots of animals, mysteries, fantasies and even a hopeful Olympic runner feature in the shortlist for the 2016 Scottish children’s book award!
The authors shortlisted include Pamela Butchart, who won the Blue Peter Best Book Award 2015 with her book The Spy Who Loved School Dinners, former SCBA winner Ross Mackenzie and Carnegie-shortlisted writer Elizabeth Wein. Scotland’s children have some tough choices to make!
The shortlist is split into three separate age categories: Bookbug Readers (3-7 yrs), Younger Readers (8-11 yrs) and Older readers (12-16 yrs).
And now, to announce the shortlisted books...
Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)
Never Tickle a Tiger by Pamela Butchart and Marc Boutavant (Bloomsbury)
- Family reviewers Repa, Amirah (4) and Ibrahim (2) loved this book: “The book is beautifully illustrated and both Amirah and Ibrahim couldn’t wait to turn the page to find out what happens next.”
Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie (Bloomsbury)
- Site member BusyIzzy really enjoyed this: “Beautifully illustrated, good fun, and a clever way of promoting libraries too.”
Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock and Ali Pye (Nosy Crow)
- Have you read this book? Join the site and send us your review!
Younger Readers (8-11 years)
The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie (Floris)
- Have you read this book? Join the site and send us your review!
The Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island: The Lost Children by Gillian Philip (Orchard)
- Site member HaveanInkaboutit loved The Lost Children and said: “This book is a great and addictive read for any fans of fantasy or mystery.”
The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan)
- Read Elizabeth Laird’s top 10 books about tough stuff.
Older Readers (12-16 years)
Trouble on Cable Street by Joan Lingard (Catnip)
- Have you read this book? Join the site and send us your review!
Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein (Egmont)
- Teen reviewer Valentine sung Black Dove, White Raven’s praises: “From the first page, I felt like I was inside the story; I could almost imagine I was flying a plane into the empty Ethiopian sky, or listening to the yipping of hyenas in the distance”.
The Piper by Danny Weston (the pseudonym of Philip Caveney) (Andersen)
- Have you read this book? Join the site and send us your review!
This is Scotland’s biggest book award and is run by Scottish Book Trust and Creative Scotland. Over the next five months, children the length and breadth of Scotland will be reading the three shortlisted books in their age category and voting for their favourite (28,000 votes were cast for the 2015 award - phew!). The deadline is 5 February 2016, with the winner announced on March 2 so keep an eye on the site to see who wins! Each shortlisted author and illustrator receives £500, whilst the three winners will receive £3,000 each.
Aspiring film makers can also enter the book trailer competition to showcase their digital talents and win book tokens for their school. Scottish Book Trust has some top tips on how to create book trailers and more info about the competition here.
