Northern Ireland pupils judge national book award

7 March 2013

Primary 6 pupils from Victoria primary school in Newtownards took part in the Blue Peter Book Awards that were announced live on CBBC on Thursday 8 March.

Over 300 pupils from various schools voted from a shortlist of six books to choose the two winners:

Tom Gates - Genius Ideas (Mostly) – Best Story
Horrible Science: House of Horrors by Nick Arnold and Tony De Saulles – Best Book With Facts

Jenny Hull, Literacy Coordinator at Victoria Primary School, said

I was very pleased when our Primary 6 classes were invited to be part of the Blue Peter Book Awards this year. Some children chose to read the books in either the fiction or non-fiction categories but the majority chose to read all six books. The children's enthusiasm continued and they eagerly looked forward to getting the next book. Some pupils discovered new authors they enjoyed and have gone on to read more of their books.

Liz Canning, Booktrust NI Manager commented on the importance of Northern Ireland schools taking part.

Including local schools in the national prizes and awards that Booktrust administer is always exciting. The children are introduced to a range of new books which they read and enjoy for a specific purpose. The books are then added to the school library so they can be enjoyed by other pupils.