The Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2013

Melissa Cox, Annabel Pitcher and James Daunt

Annabel Pitcher's Ketchup Clouds was announced as the overall winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2013 at a ceremony at Waterstones' flagship store in London last night.

The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize was created to reward and champion new and emerging talent in children’s writing, and is unique in that it is voted for solely by Waterstones booksellers across the country.

Pitcher had already won the award for Best Book for Teens earlier in the evening for Ketchup Clouds. Melissa Cox, Children's New Titles Buyer for Waterstones explained how the judges came to their decision:

'It may not sound the most obvious subject for a teen bestseller – a girl writing to a condemned prisoner confessing her own dark secret – but Ketchup Clouds is a classic coming of age story featuring death, betrayal and redemption. Annabel Pitcher’s handling of the subject is beautifully wrought and peppered with humour, layering the everyday teen experience with the extraordinary and traumatic. It’s an unsettling yet fantastically fresh and brave take on the teen confessional. Pitcher is a genuine literary star.'

James Daunt, Managing Director of Waterstones commented:

'Ketchup Clouds is an extraordinarily compelling read. It is an original and daring piece of writing, quite different to the fantastic and the futuristic that characterises so much of teenage fiction writing today. It deserves great success.'

Accepting her award at the ceremony last night. Annabel said: 'Michael Morpurgo has compared writing books to giving birth and if that's true then My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece was my lovely firstborn, happily cooed over by everyone and the second was very different; tricky to conceive, a complicated pregnancy, arduous labour, and when I finally delivered Ketchup Clouds I was really proud. However, I always thought it was destined to be in My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece's shadow, so this award really means a lot.'

Read our review of Ketchup Clouds, or take a look at our interview with Annabel Pitcher about her winning book.

R J Palacio took the award for Best Fiction for 5-12s for the highly-acclaimed Wonder, the story of a boy with a facial deformity starting school for the first time.

In describing how Wonder moved the judges, Cox said: 'This is an unsentimental and ultimately hopeful exploration of the ugly reaction that physical disability and difference can provoke in children and adults alike. Wonder is perfectly pitched at pre-teens but will equally charm older children and adults. It is a thought-provoking read with timeless appeal.'

Read our review of Wonder

Rebecca Cobb won the award for Best Picture Book for her delightful book Lunchtime. 'Lunchtime is based on my own memories of being little and not eating my meals,' she explained. 'All the other shortlisted books are really beautiful and I felt very honoured to be included in the shortlist, so I am absolutely delighted to have won. I can't believe it, it was so unexpected. I'd really like to thank Waterstones for their support for my books.'

Of Lunchtime, Cox said: 'Picture books are one of the strongest areas of children’s publishing in the UK today. Full of originality, our shortlist was rich and exciting, but Rebecca Cobb’s Lunchtime shone through, with its wonderfully expressive young girl and beautifully realised animals looming large on the pages. The illustrations skilfully evoke the wonder of a child’s imagination and the story is great fun to read aloud with small children. Cobb is definitely one to watch.'

Read our review of Lunchtime, take a look at a gallery of Rebecca Cobb's illustrations, or read our interview with her about the winning book.

The award ceremony also included the premiere of a short film created by a 15-year old customer, showcasing all the books shortlisted for the prize. The film-making talents of school girl Francesca Rogers from Sandgate, were spotted by Waterstones Folkestone when she tweeted them a video that she had made for an AS Level project.  As reward for her work, Waterstones are donating £1000 to help fund a volunteering trip to Ecuador that Francesca is undertaking, as well as a £250 Waterstones Gift Card.

Take a look at the film, created by Francesca Rogers: