Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008
Established in 2003, the Booktrust Teenage Prize recognised the best in contemporary writing for teenagers. Unique in its involvement of teenagers in the judging process, giving four winners of a short story competition the opportunity to debate and vote on the shortlisted books with the adult judging panel, the Prize garnered a reputation for earmarking very special writers often early in their career, including Mark Haddon, Patrick Ness, Marcus Sedgwick and Anthony Macgowan. The Booktrust Teenage Prize was last awarded in 2010 and is no longer running.
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Winner
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Walker BooksThe first in a series, this enthralling sci-fi/fantasy novel grips readers throughout, presenting them with tough questions about identity, ethics and the nature of truth.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness
Winner, Booktrust Teenage Prize
The first in a series, this enthralling sci-fi/fantasy novel grips readers throughout, presenting them with tough questions about identity, ethics and the nature of truth.
Publisher: Walker Books
Patrick NessPatrick Ness
Patrick grew up in the US and studied English Literature at the University of Southern California. He moved to London in 1999. Since then he has published four novels. The Knife of Never Letting Go won numerous awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Prize, the Guardian Award, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. In January 2010 he won the 2009 Costa Book Award for the category children's book for The Ask and the Answer. He has also written a novel and a collection of short stories for adults, although he prefers not to categorise his writing in this way.
He taught creative writing at Oxford University and has written and reviewed for The Daily Telegraph, The TLS, The Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian.Patrick Ness was Booktrust's first-ever online writer in residence.
Read an interview with Patrick
http://www.patrickness.com/
Patrick received a cheque for £2,500 and a trophy at a ceremony in London on 18 November.
Amanda Craig, Chair of Judges, said
In a strong year for young adult fiction, the judges of the Booktrust Teenage Prize selected six novels - coincidentally, three by men and three by women - that we all felt were outstanding for the scope of their imagination, their originality, their writing and their appeal. The Knife of Never Letting Go made the judges laugh, cry and debate its contents with passion; a striking mixture of thriller, science fiction and literary tour de force, it's influenced by writers as diverse as Laurence Sterne and Ursula le Guin, and should appeal to a wide readership.
Viv Bird, Director of Booktrust, said
The Booktrust Teenage Prize attracts some great authors and this year was no exception. With an impressive shortlist of compelling and well-written novels, The Knife of Never Letting Go was original and completely gripping. I offer huge congratulations to the author and winner Patrick Ness for his remarkable book.
Shortlist
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The Red Necklace
Orion Children's Books
The Red Necklace
Sally Gardner
Shortlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Gardner skilfully sets the scene, in which extra-sensory abilities can be turned to many uses, and where good and evil, identity and destiny are not as clear cut as we might think.
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
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Alex Rider Mission 7: Snakehead
Walker Books
Alex Rider Mission 7: Snakehead
Anthony Horowitz
Shortlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
The latest instalment in the adventures of Alex Rider, in which he re-enters earthly events from outer space - and gets tangled up in the criminal world of the Snakehead organisation in south-east Asia.
Publisher: Walker Books
Anthony HorowitzAnthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz is a screenwriter and children's novelist. Born in 1955 in North London, he was educated at Rugby School and York University, and published his first book, Enter Frederick K Bower, in 1978.
He created the television series Foyle's War, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders, Crime Traveller and Menace, and has written episodes for many more, including Agatha Christie's Poirot, Murder Most Horrid and Robin of Sherwood. He has also written a horror film, The Gathering, starring Christina Ricci.
His books for children include the Alex Rider series about the teenage secret agent. There are nine books in the series including Snakehead (2007), shortlisted for the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also written The Power of Five series, Diamond Brothers series of mystery stories and the Groosham Grange series.
http://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/about/ -
Apache
Walker Books
Apache
Tanya Landman
Shortlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Siki already has a fierce hatred for the Mexican warriors but when her little brother Tazhi is brutally slain in front of her, she vows to become an apache warrior and avenge his death.
Publisher: Walker Books
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The Knife That Killed Me
Definitions
The Knife That Killed Me
Anthony McGowan
Shortlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Paul is not one of the tough kids, nor is he one of the 'freaks' who exist on the fringes of the school, eschewing the casual violence and bullying that colours life there.
Publisher: Definitions
Anthony McGowan
Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. He went to school in Leeds. He has an M.Phil in philosophy and a PhD on the history of the concept of beauty. He has worked as a nightclub bouncer, civil servant, and Open University tutor in philosophy. He now lives in London. He is married to the fashion designer and novelist Rebecca Campbell. They have two children.
His debut thriller, Stag Hunt, was published in 2005 and a sequel, Mortal Coil, came out in 2005. In the same year, Random House published Hellbent, his first novel for teenagers, and a second young-adult book, Henry Tumour was published in 2006. Henry Tumour won the Booktrust Teenage prize, the 2007 Catalyst Award, and has been shortlisted for several major awards.
http://anthonymcgowan.com/ -
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Walker Books
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness
Shortlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
The first in a series, this enthralling sci-fi/fantasy novel grips readers throughout, presenting them with tough questions about identity, ethics and the nature of truth.
Publisher: Walker Books
Patrick NessPatrick Ness
Patrick grew up in the US and studied English Literature at the University of Southern California. He moved to London in 1999. Since then he has published four novels. The Knife of Never Letting Go won numerous awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Prize, the Guardian Award, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. In January 2010 he won the 2009 Costa Book Award for the category children's book for The Ask and the Answer. He has also written a novel and a collection of short stories for adults, although he prefers not to categorise his writing in this way.
He taught creative writing at Oxford University and has written and reviewed for The Daily Telegraph, The TLS, The Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian.Patrick Ness was Booktrust's first-ever online writer in residence.
Read an interview with Patrick
http://www.patrickness.com/ -
Creature of the Night
Bodley Head
Creature of the Night
Kate Thompson
Shortlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
A teenage tearaway from tough downtown Dublin is unwillingly relocated into a rural County Clare which still believes in the Little Folk.
Publisher: Bodley Head
Longlist
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Black Rabbit Summer
Puffin
Black Rabbit Summer
Kevin Brooks
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Addictive, complex and incredibly compelling
Publisher: Puffin
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Dirty Angels
Hodder Children's Books
Dirty Angels
Andrew Clover
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Reads mostly like a really bad dream where nothing happens as you expect and nothing is under your control
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
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Before I Die
David Fickling Books
Before I Die
Jenny Downham
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Stunning in its beauty and honesty, this is an exceptional and utterly compelling read
Publisher: David Fickling Books
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Ingo
HarperCollins Children's Books
Ingo
Helen Dunmore
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
In Cornish legend, the Zenor mermaid fell in love with Mathew Trewhella and enticed him away to live in the sea with her forever...
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
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Incarceron
Hodder Children's Books
Incarceron
Catherine Fisher
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
A rich complex fantasy about two very different worlds
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
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The Red Necklace
Orion Children's Books
The Red Necklace
Sally Gardner
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Gardner skilfully sets the scene, in which extra-sensory abilities can be turned to many uses, and where good and evil, identity and destiny are not as clear cut as we might think.
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
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Newes From The Dead
Definitions
Newes From The Dead
Mary Hooper
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
This intriguing novel is based on the case of maidservant, Anne Green, 'hanged for infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650. Restored to the world and died again in 1665'.
Publisher: Definitions
Mary Hooper Photo: BloomsburyMary Hooper
Mary Hooper has been writing professionally for over 20 years. She started by writing short stories and serials for teenage and women's magazines when her children were small. Having done a few hundred, and thinking it would be good to see something more permanent on the shelves, she wrote and had published 15 teenage novels. Following this, she wrote another 15 novels or so for younger readers, all humorous. She is perhaps best known for her historical fiction, which captures the atmosphere of the past perfectly and mixes it with romance and adventure. At The Sign of the Sugared Plum was her first historical novel for Bloomsbury. She has since written seven more including Fallen Grace. Mary left school at 15 with no qualifications. She worked as a secretary for some years, then got married and had two children. She took an English degree at Reading University as a mature student and graduated in 1990. She now divides her time between writing more serious books for teenagers and funny stuff for ages seven to twelve.
http://www.maryhooper.co.uk/ -
Alex Rider Mission 7: Snakehead
Walker Books
Alex Rider Mission 7: Snakehead
Anthony Horowitz
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
The latest instalment in the adventures of Alex Rider, in which he re-enters earthly events from outer space - and gets tangled up in the criminal world of the Snakehead organisation in south-east Asia.
Publisher: Walker Books
Anthony HorowitzAnthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz is a screenwriter and children's novelist. Born in 1955 in North London, he was educated at Rugby School and York University, and published his first book, Enter Frederick K Bower, in 1978.
He created the television series Foyle's War, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders, Crime Traveller and Menace, and has written episodes for many more, including Agatha Christie's Poirot, Murder Most Horrid and Robin of Sherwood. He has also written a horror film, The Gathering, starring Christina Ricci.
His books for children include the Alex Rider series about the teenage secret agent. There are nine books in the series including Snakehead (2007), shortlisted for the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize. He has also written The Power of Five series, Diamond Brothers series of mystery stories and the Groosham Grange series.
http://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/about/ -
Apache
Walker Books
Apache
Tanya Landman
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Siki already has a fierce hatred for the Mexican warriors but when her little brother Tazhi is brutally slain in front of her, she vows to become an apache warrior and avenge his death.
Publisher: Walker Books
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Bad Blood
Oxford University Press
Bad Blood
Rhiannon Lassiter
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Now a new family has come to the house. Soon they will discover themselves in a game of terror and suspense.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
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The Declaration
Bloomsbury Childrens Books
The Declaration
Gemma Malley
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
A chilling story of a future where Longevity drugs have made sections of the population almost immortal
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
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The Knife That Killed Me
Definitions
The Knife That Killed Me
Anthony McGowan
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
Paul is not one of the tough kids, nor is he one of the 'freaks' who exist on the fringes of the school, eschewing the casual violence and bullying that colours life there.
Publisher: Definitions
Anthony McGowan
Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. He went to school in Leeds. He has an M.Phil in philosophy and a PhD on the history of the concept of beauty. He has worked as a nightclub bouncer, civil servant, and Open University tutor in philosophy. He now lives in London. He is married to the fashion designer and novelist Rebecca Campbell. They have two children.
His debut thriller, Stag Hunt, was published in 2005 and a sequel, Mortal Coil, came out in 2005. In the same year, Random House published Hellbent, his first novel for teenagers, and a second young-adult book, Henry Tumour was published in 2006. Henry Tumour won the Booktrust Teenage prize, the 2007 Catalyst Award, and has been shortlisted for several major awards.
http://anthonymcgowan.com/ -
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Walker Books
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
The first in a series, this enthralling sci-fi/fantasy novel grips readers throughout, presenting them with tough questions about identity, ethics and the nature of truth.
Publisher: Walker Books
Patrick NessPatrick Ness
Patrick grew up in the US and studied English Literature at the University of Southern California. He moved to London in 1999. Since then he has published four novels. The Knife of Never Letting Go won numerous awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Prize, the Guardian Award, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. In January 2010 he won the 2009 Costa Book Award for the category children's book for The Ask and the Answer. He has also written a novel and a collection of short stories for adults, although he prefers not to categorise his writing in this way.
He taught creative writing at Oxford University and has written and reviewed for The Daily Telegraph, The TLS, The Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian.Patrick Ness was Booktrust's first-ever online writer in residence.
Read an interview with Patrick
http://www.patrickness.com/ -
What I Was
Puffin
What I Was
Meg Rosoff
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
As ever, Meg Rosoff writes beautifully, drawing the reader in with slow, languid prose
Publisher: Puffin
Meg RosoffMeg Rosoff
Meg Rosoff was born in Boston, USA in 1956, the second of four sisters. She attended Harvard University in 1974. After three years at Harvard she moved to England and studied sculpture at Central St. Martins in London, England. She returned to the United States to finish her degree in 1980, and later moved to New York City for nine years, where she worked in publishing and advertising.
Aged 32, Meg returned to London and has lived there ever since. Between 1989 and 2003, she worked for a variety of advertising agencies as a copywriter. She began to write novels after her youngest sister died of breast cancer. Her young adult novel How I Live Now was published in 2004, in the same week she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It won The Guardian Children's Fiction prize, the Michael L. Printz Award in the United States, and was shortlisted for a Whitbread Award in 2004. In 2005 she published a children's book, Meet Wild Boars, which was illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Her second novel, Just in Case, was published in 2006 and won the 2007 CILIP Carnegie Medal and Germany's Jugendliteraturpreis. What I Was was published on August 30, 2007, followed by two additional collaborations with Sophie Blackall: Wild Boars Cook and Jumpy Jack and Googily. She has also published The Bride's Farewell. There is no Dog is her latest novel.
http://www.megrosoff.co.uk/ -
Creature of the Night
Bodley Head
Creature of the Night
Kate Thompson
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
A teenage tearaway from tough downtown Dublin is unwillingly relocated into a rural County Clare which still believes in the Little Folk.
Publisher: Bodley Head
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Broken Soup
HarperCollins Childrens Books
Broken Soup
Jenny Valentine
Longlisted, Booktrust Teenage Prize
When she meets Harper, a traveller from the US, and Bee, a newcomer to her school, Rowan rediscovers a life beyond mourning, a hope for restoring her family’s life, and a life beyond death for Jack.
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens Books
Jenny ValentineJenny Valentine
Jenny Valentine worked in a wholefood shop in Primrose Hill for 15 years where she met many extraordinary people – including the inspiration for character Violet Park – and sold more organic loaves than there are words in her first novel. She studied English Literature at Goldsmith’s College, which almost put her off reading but not quite.
Jenny is married to a singer/songwriter and has two children. She lives in Hay-on-Wye, where she runs another wholefood shop, hoping to find the inspiration for many more novels.
Finding Violet Park, winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, was published in January 2007, followed by Broken Soup in January 2008. The Ant Colony, published in March 2009, is her third teen novel.
For the first time this year, in order to recognise the calibre of the entries, we are releasing a longlist for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.
Now in its sixth year, the Booktrust Teenage Prize has seen a marked increase in the number and quality of submissions, making the judges' task ever more difficult. The panel agreed that this should be officially recognised, and the longlist is as follows:
Judges
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Julia BellJulia Bell is a novelist and lecturer on the MA Writing Programme at Birkbeck. She has published two novels Massive (shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award) and Dirty Work both published in the by Young Picador in the UK. Her work has also been translated into many languages and published in the US. She is the co-editor of the bestselling Creative Writing Coursebook (Macmillan) and has contributed stories to many anthologies and magazines. She lives in London and is working on a new novel.
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Amanda CraigAmanda Craig was born in 1959, and brought up in Italy and Britain. Educated at Bedales and Clare College Cambridge, she worked in advertising and journalism before becoming a full-time novelist. She is the author of five novels, Foreign Bodies (1990), A Private Place (1991) A Vicious Circle (1996), In a Dark Wood (2000), Love In Idleness (2003), Hearts and Minds (2010). She has two children, lives in London and contributes regularly to The Independent on Sunday and The New Statesman. She is also the children's book critic for The Times and a columnist for The Sunday Times.
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John McLayJohn McLay is director of The Bath Festival of Children’s Literature. His anthology for teenage readers, Thirteen, was published by Orchard Books in 2005. He is also a literary scout for children’s books, working with publishers across Europe and in the US. He has written about and reviewed children’s books for publications as varied as The Financial Times, Publishing News and Carousel Magazine. Prior to this he was editor of Puffin Post Magazine, a children’s bookseller in Waterstone’s, an international rights director for a children’s books packager and worked in children’s television at the BBC.
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Matt Sawyer
Matt Sawyer lives in Hardwick, just outside Cambridge and goes to school at Comberton Village College.
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Emma SherriffEmma Sherriff grew up in isolated Devon, where Teenage fiction enabled her to be transported to another world and she has been fortunate enough to work with young people today to promote the best literature on offer. Her working background is in child development research: as a research assistant she was involved in evaluative research projects, managed an extensive database of good practice in children’s services and assisted with the training of children’s services professionals. In 2007 she was announced a Top Ten New Librarian for her work running a programme called 'Literacy with a Twist' for young offenders and young people with acute mental health difficulties for Plymouth Libraries.
About the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008
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