Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2011 – Shortlisted Books

Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2011

Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize is celebrating its seventh year and we have nine amazing books shortlisted for the award (see below).

Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize was created to champion new and emerging talent in children’s writing. Previous winners of the prize include The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding, Sally Nicholls’ highly acclaimed story of a terminally ill 11-year-old, Ways to Live Forever, Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison, and last year’s winner The Great Hamster Massacre by Katie Davies.

The winner will be announced by Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne at an evening reception at Waterstone’s Piccadilly, on Wednesday 9th February.

Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari only £4.19

Twelve-year-old Mira comes from a chaotic, artistic and outspoken family where it’s not always easy to be heard. As her beloved Nana Josie’s health declines, Mira begins to discover the secrets of those around her, and also starts to keep some of her own. She is drawn to mysterious Jide, a boy who is clearly hiding a troubled past and has grown hardened layers – like those of an artichoke – around his heart.

As Mira is experiencing grief for the first time, she is also discovering the wondrous and often mystical world around her. An incredibly insightful, honest novel exploring the delicate balance, and often injustice, of life and death – but at its heart is a celebration of friendship, culture – and life.

The Memory Cage by Ruth Eastham only £4.19

Alex’s beloved grandfather is sick. His memory is failing, and Alex’s parents want to put him in a home. Alex has promised Grandad that he won’t let that happen; but Alex has broken promises before. When he was growing up in the Bosnian War, he swore that he would protect his brother. It was a promise that he couldn’t keep… Alex can’t fail again.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead only £4.19

Miranda’s life is starting to unravel. Her best friend, Sal, gets punched by a kid on the street for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The key that Miranda’s mum keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives:

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realises that whoever is leaving them knows things that no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling only £4.89

You’re the last of the werewolves son. Don’t fight it…Conquer it.’ When the air is clear, sixteen year-old Drew Ferran can pick up the scent of a predator. When the moon breaks through the clouds, a terrifying fever grips him. And when a vicious beast invades his home, his flesh tears, his fingers become claws, and Drew transforms…

Forced to flee the family he loves, Drew seeks refuge in the most godforsaken parts of Lyssia. But when he is captured by Lord Bergan’s men, Drew must prove he is not the enemy. Can Drew battle the werecreatures determined to destroy him – and master the animal within?

A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master only £4.89

An extraordinarily rich debut novel set in India in 1947 at the time of Partition. Although the backdrop is this key event in Indian history, the novel is even more far-reaching, touching on the importance of tolerance, love and family.The main character is Bilal, a boy determined to protect his dying father from the news of Partition – news that he knows will break his father’s heart.

With great spirit and determination, and with the help of his good friends, Bilal persuades others to collude with him in this deception, even printing false pages of the local newspaper to hide the ravages of unrest from his father. All that Bilal wants is for his father to die in peace. But that means Bilal has a very complicated relationship with the truth…

Fantastic Frankie and the Brain-drain Machine by Anna Kemp, only £4.19

When Frankie Blewitt brings home yet another F-for-failure school report, it’s the last straw for his overachieving parents and they decide to send him to the Crammar Grammar boarding school. At first he is just relieved to be away from home, but he soon realises that there’s something really weird going on at Crammer Grammar…

As Frankie tries to find out the secrets of the school, he discovers that the headmaster, Dr Gore, has plans to turn all the students into robot-like super-brains using his Brain-drain machine! With the help of his new friends Neet and Wes, Alphonsine his crazy French nanny and a poodle named Colette, can Frankie save the day before it’s too late and change the F-for- failure to F-for-fantastic?

Mortlock by Jon Mayhew only £4.89

The sister is a knife-thrower in a magician’s stage act, the brother an undertaker’s assistant. Neither orphan knows of the other’s existence. Until, that is, three terrible Aunts descend on the girl’s house and imprison her guardian, the Great Cardamom. His dying act is to pass the girl a note with clues to the secret he carries to his grave.

Cardamom was one of three explorers on an expedition to locate the legendary Amarant, a plant with power over life and death. Now, pursued by flesh-eating crow-like ghuls, brother and sister must decode the message and save themselves from its sinister legacy.

Tall Story by Candy Gourlay only £4.19

Be careful what you wish for …Andi is short. And she has lots of wishes. She wishes she could play on the school basketball team, she wishes for her own bedroom, but most of all she wishes that her long lost half brother, Bernardo, could come and live in London -where he belongs.

Then Andi’s biggest wish comes true and she’s minutes away from becoming someone’s little sister. As she waits anxiously for Bernardo to arrive from the Philippines, she hopes he’ll turn out to be tall and just as mad as she is about basketball. When he finally arrives, he’s tall all right. But he’s not just tall …he’s a GIANT. In a novel packed with humour and quirkiness, Gourlay explores a touching sibling relationship and the clash of two very different cultures.

The Pain Merchants by Janice Hardy £4.89

Nya has a secret she must never share! A gift she must never use! And a sister whose life depends on both. This astonishing debut novel is the first in the epic dystopian fantasy adventure trilogy, THE HEALING WARS. Fifteen-year-old Nya is one of Geveg’s many orphans; she survives on odd jobs and optimism in a city crippled by a failed war for independence.

Nya has a deadly secret. She is a Taker, someone who can extract pain and injury from others, but with unusual differences. Her sister Tali and other normal Takers become Healer’s League apprentices and put their extracted pain into enchanted metal, pynvium. But Nya can’t dump pain in this way. All she can do is shift it from person to person.

When Nya’s secret is revealed to the pain merchants and the Healer’s League she is flung into danger. Then a ferry accident floods the city with injured, Takers start disappearing from the Healer’s League and Nya’s strange abilities are suddenly in demand. Her principles and endurance are tested to the limit when Nya’s deadly powers become the only thing that can save her sister’s life.

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