October 24, 2013

Congratulations to Rebecca Stead, who has won the 2013 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. Her book Liar & Spy impressed the judges with its sensitive depiction of teenagers facing difficult situations in life.

Liar & Spy has as its main character seventh-grader Georges. He is adjusting to moving to an apartment, his father’s efforts to start a new business, his mother’s extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and a boy who wants his help spying on another resident. The story contains strong language and adult themes.

Liar & Spy | Andersen Press | 978-1-84939-507-6 | MY | BL 3.8 | Quiz #223237

Other shortlisted and longlisted titles

Book covers for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize shortlist

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green has been very popular with AR users. Sixteen year old Hazel, who has cancer, meets Augustus at a kids-with-cancer support group and as they fall in love they both wonder how they will be remembered. The text contains strong language and sexual references.

The Fault in Our Stars | Penguin | 978-0-14-134565-9 | UY | BL 5.5 | Quiz #223636

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas is by David Almond. When Stan’s Uncle Ernie develops a fascination with canning fish, Stan has to keep a close eye on his beloved goldfish. Instead of canning fish, Stan finds himself swimming with piranhas!

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas | Walker | 978-1-4063-2076-3 | MY | BL 3.7 | Quiz #223479

After Tomorrow, from Gillian Cross, sees a shortage of food in the UK, forcing Matt and his little brother escape to France. But life in a refugee camp is hard and they have to call on their own resourcefulness to survive.

After Tomorrow | OUP | 978-0-19-275626-8 | MY | BL 4.1 | Quiz #224591

A World Between Us, by Lydia Syson, is a love story set in the Spanish Civil War. Nurse Felix is faced with a tough decision between George and Nat, after they are all drawn into the melting pot of war.

A World Between Us | Hot Key Books | 978-1-4714-0009-4 | UY | BL 4.2 | Quiz #223785

Maggot Moon is by Sally Gardner. Under the ruthless regime of the Motherland, Standish Treadwell, a dyslexic teenager, realises that he must risk everything to expose the truth about a heralded moon landing. Standish’s heroism is the defining theme of the book, as a small rag-tag band of rebels stand up against a crushing authority.

Maggot Moon | Hot Key Books | 978-1-4714-0004-9 | UY | BL 4.5 | Quiz #223740

The Wall by William Sutcliffe is set in an isolated town that closely resembles the West Bank. Thirteen-year-old Joshua discovers his world may not be at it seems. His people may be aggressors rather than the victims and he must forge his own sense of right and wrong.

The Wall | Bloomsbury | 978-1-4088-3745-0 | UY | BL 6.0 | Quiz #224208

A quiz for Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell is forthcoming.

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