Waterstones Children's book prize List 2009



This is the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize shortlist for 2009.
This is a hard one to call and best of luck to you all as you are all winners in my eye's..................



The books on the list are:


How Kirsty Jenkins Stole the Elephant by Elen Caldecott (Bloomsbury) 5 Jan 2009

Kirsty Jenkins adores the allotment her grandfather lovingly tends and, just before he dies, he asks Kirsty to look after it for him. But when horrible Mr Thomas from the council insists it must go to the next person on the waiting list, Kirsty is determined to find a way to keep her promise. After pleading with Mr Thomas and demonstrating at the council offices, Kirsty and her half-siblings undertake their most daring plan of all: to 'borrow' the stuffed elephant from the museum that Mr Thomas loves so much, in a last-ditch attempt to gain his attention and understanding. Perhaps this risky ruse might also shake Kirsty's dad from the quiet sadness he has fallen into ever since her grandfather died. A warm, funny and moving novel about family relationships, dealing with bereavement, green beans and marrows.




Zelah Green Queen of Clean by Vanessa Curtis (Egmont) 5 Jan 2009

My name is Zelah Green and I am a Cleanaholic. I spend most of my life on Germ Alert. Or Dirt Alert. It's a miracle I ever get to school.My life was going OK despite that - you know, school, best friend, bad hair days - until four weeks ago. That's when Dad vanished.Now my stepmother has packed me off to a place with some crazy people. So I'm stuck with the Doc and Alice, Lib, Caro and Sol.Sol, who doesn't speak. Sol, who has brown eyes and olive skin. Sol, who I actually want to touch. Now I'm on Flirt Alert!Maybe, just maybe, something good could happen...This is a moving story of one girl's attempt to come to terms with her grief, told with humour and real insight.






Changeling by Steve Feasey (Macmillan) See Review by Mr Ripley Five out of Five

Trey thought he was an ordinary teenager. Then he meets a mysterious stranger, Lucien Charron - luminously pale, oddly powerful, with eyes that seem flecked with fire and skin that blisters in sunlight. Somehow Trey finds himself in a luxury London penthouse, like a Bond villain's lair. It's the heart of a sinister empire, built on the powers of the netherworld - werewolves, vampires, sorcerers, and djinns. And Trey himself has a power that's roaring to break free. Is he a boy or is he a beast?



Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison (Simon and Schuster) See Review by Mr Ripley Five out of Five......................

While visiting her grandmother's house, an old photograph leads Tanya to an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker's son, is tormented by the girl's disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive, and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see fairies. And, after disturbing an intruder in the night, it emerges that someone else shares her ability ...The manor's sinister history is about to repeat itself ...





Gnomes Are Forever by Ceci Jenkinson (Faber) 25 Dec 2008

Burglar trouble! Oli and Skipjack have a plan: to punish mean old Mr Grimble by kidnapping all his garden gnomes. The World's Best Jewel Thief also has a plan: to become very rich by stealing the Black Star diamond from the town museum. When these two plans collide, it's trouble! "Gnomes are Forever" is full of twisty plots, wacky characters and calamitous comedy.





The Lady in the Tower by Marie-Louise Jensen (Oxford University Press) 1 Jan 2009

Spring 1540 I am afraid. You are in grave danger. Mother, will you run away with me if I can free you? The servants call it the Lady Tower: the isolated part of the castle where Eleanor's mother is imprisoned after a terrible accusation. For four years Eleanor's only comfort has been their secret notes to one another. A chance discovery reveals a plot to murder her mother. Now Eleanor must free her before it is too late. But with danger and betrayal at every turn, she can trust no one. Especially not her father. Eleanor must use all her cunning to survive. For she soon realises that it is not just her mother she needs to save . . . but also herself.




The Mapmaker’s Monster by Rob Stevens (Macmillan) I have also read Four out of five

When Christopher Columbus-wannabe Rupert Lilywhite decides to set sail and discover a new land - it's all the rage in the fifteenth century - Walter Bailey and his twelve-year-old nephew Hugo are employed as the ship's mapmakers. And when the sailors do eventually spot a mystery island, it is Walter and Hugo who are dispatched to investigate (nobody else can be bothered). Arriving on a beach of purple sand, the intrepid pair believe that they have found paradise ...until Walter is picked off by a giant flying rat. But with the help of some weird and wonderful talking creatures, including Pigasus the flutterhog, Delphina the water-breathing merphin and Savage, the tiny but fearless mouse, Hugo is given a chance to save his uncle and put his mapmaking training to the test.





Numbers by Rachel Ward (Chicken House) 5 Jan 2009

Since her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Jem has kept a secret. When her eyes meet someone else's, a number pops into her head - the date on which they will die. Knowing that nothing lasts forever, Jem avoids relationships, but when she meets a boy called Spider, and they plan a day out together,

Please let me Know what you think!!!

Comments

Anonymous said…
no particular favorite? btw, i appreciate this blog, keep it up! i don't post because most of these books come out months later (i think). i am reading a great book now, voss by david ives, i'm not sure if you've read it, but i am loving it atm!
Thanks Royalty for the kind words.

Yes, most of the listed books have only just been published so not many people will vote, it will be good to see who gets votes at this early stage.I will also check Voss
out as it is a new one on me!!

Many thanks.