The inaugural year of the Award took place in 2008-2009, when children from all over the county voted for the best children's book of the last 10 years.
A longlist of 20 titles was chosen by Schools Library Service, with help from schools. Children then voted for their favourites, to produce a shortlist of the 5 most popular. Groups of children then read these five books and voted for their overall favourite, which was announced at a celebration event in July.
Born to Run
by Michael Morpurgo
When Patrick saves a litter of greyhound puppies from the canal, he can't bear to hand them all over to the RSPCA. He pleads with his parents: couldn't he just keep one of them? But nothing will convince them and Patrick cries himself to sleep -- only to be woken by a greyhound puppy licking his face! Patrick christens his puppy Best Mate, and that's what he becomes. Patrick's favourite thing is to watch Best Mate running at full stretch on the heath, a speeding bullet, a cheetah-dog. Until one day Best Mate is kidnapped by a greyhound trainer, and begins a new life as a champion race dog. Suzie, the greyhound trainer's step-daughter, loves Best Mate on first sight and gives him a new name, Bright Eyes. But what will happen when he can't run any more?
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3rd - Stormbreaker
by Anthony Horowitz |
2nd - Harry Potter
and the prisoner of Azkaban
by J.K.Rowling
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4th - Vicky Angel
by Jacqueline Wilson |
