Shortlist Announced

Pupils from 19 schools cast their votes on the 12th September.
There was a tie for sixth place, and so the seven books nominated for the shortlist are:

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean
The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World by Eoin Colfer
The Bad Spy's Guide by Pete Johnson
Ivan the Terrible by Anne Fine

The grand finale will be held on the 28th November.

Boyne, John - The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Usually books give a clue as to what they are about on the cover, but in this case, to say anything will be to spoil the reading of the book. As the cover says “it is important to start to read this book without knowing what it is about.” Suffice to say it is about nine-year-old Bruno and is set in the Second World War.

French, Vivian - The Robe of Skulls

In the crumbling castle high above the mountain village of Fracture the sorceress Lady Lamorna has her heart set on a very expensive new robe. To get the cash she will stop at nothing, including kidnapping, blackmail and more than a little black magic. But she reckons without the heroic Gracie Gillypot, not to mention a gallant if rather scruffy prince, two chatty bats, the wickedest stepsister ever, a troll with a grudge - and some very Ancient crones.

Landy, Derek - Skulduggery Pleasant

Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. When he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source -- the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead.

McCaughrean, Geraldine - Peter Pan in Scarlet

Neverland is calling again, and something is wrong in. Dreams are leaking out -strangely real dreams of pirates and mermaids, of warpaint and crocodiles. For Wendy and the Lost Boys it is a clear signal that Peter Pan needs their help, and so it is time to do the unthinkable and fly to Neverland again. Back in Neverland, everything has changed, and the dangers they find there are far beyond their dreams...

Colfer, Eoin - The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

Marty sees red when Gran starts giving younger brother Will a giant jelly baby when they go to visit – there’s not room for two giant jelly baby eaters in the house – so one of them has to go and Marty decides that it is better for Will to go and live somewhere else…

Johnson, Pete - The Bad Spy's Guide

Tasha wants to be a private investigator, and is proud of her ability to notice things, so when she sees new boy Henry lurking about in the bushes and hears his feeble excuses, she is sure something is up that needs her expert attention.

Fine, Anne - Ivan the Terrible

Ivan doesn’t speak English when he arrives at his new school and so Boris is roped in to translate for him – but is horrified when Ivan starts insulting the teachers and threatening to make all his new schoolmates slaves. He can’t repeat these nasty things, so he has to think fast to keep everyone happy.

The rest of the best...

They may not have made the shortlist but they're still good reads. The rest of the longlist are still available from the Schools Library Service and to purchase as a set from Eastside Books.
See www.towerhamlets-sls.org.uk for more details.

Cassidy, Anne - The Bone Room

An empty cottage with a skeleton. This is what Jack finds when he is caught out in the rain. And then there is the cold, and the creak of a rocking chair, and a scruffy girl from Russia. What does it all mean? Are there ghosts, or is this the work of a bunch of criminals? What is the real secret of the Bone Room?

Connolly, John - The Book of Lost Things

'Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his mother!' As 12-year-old David grieves, he finds the real world and a fantasy world begin to blend and the books in his room start to whisper to him. Bad things start to happen, the Crooked Man comes, and David is violently propelled into a land populated by heroes, wolves and monsters. His quest is to find the legendary Book of Lost Things.

Crossley-Holland, Kevin - Outsiders

Thought-provoking retellings of six strange and haunting folk tales about how the people of isolated villages and islands cope with the outsiders who venture into their communities – the sea woman forced to stay with the fisherman who stole her seal skin, the wild man who one day walked out of the sea, and the lady of the lake forced to return there because of the actions of others.

Divakaruni, Chitra - Victory Song

Bengal in 1939, and father left a week ago to join the protest marches in Calcutta to send the British back. He could have been delayed for so many reasons, but Neela has a bad feeling and decides to set out by herself to find him.

Fletcher, Charlie - Stoneheart

When George breaks a small dragon carving from the Natural History Museum he awakes an ancient power and is plunged into a world beneath London where sculptures and stone carvings move and fight and nothing is what it seems. The first of an exciting trilogy.

Funke, Cornelia - Ghosthunters & the Muddy Monster of Doom!

To earn his ghosthunting diploma, Tom has to nab the deadly Twelfth Messenger, but while on the hunt in the haunted town of Bogpool, he stumbles into the mucked-up lair of a mud-loving minotaur who has an entire army of ghosts at his command. Suddenly there is more at stake than Tom’s graduation… One of a series

Gavin, Jamila - Walking on My Hands

This is the story of Jamila Gavin’s teenage years. She came to London in the 1950s aged 13 and settled there with her mother and sister, leaving her father and brother in India. In this new environment and land of strange customs, Jamila often felt that things were upside down or back to front – as if she was walking on her hands.

Gleitzman, Morris - Doubting Thomas

This really is the most embarrassing secret to have – so much so that Thomas had to fake an arm wound so that he could go and see the doctor. You can’t go admitting to everyone that you have itchy nipples. So when the doctor suggests that the cause might be stress, and Thomas discovers he might have lie-detecting nipples he finds himself in for a big adventure.

Grindley, Sally - Broken Glass

When Suresh and Sandeep run away from home to escape their abusive and bullying father, they do so with the hope that they are going to find something better, but they find themselves homeless on Delhi’s city streets and have to learn very quickly how to survive.

Higgins, Chris - Pride and Penalties

Charlotte doesn't want a lot - just to play rugby and for her Dad to be proud of her. But her brother Will's the rugby star of the family, only he's got very different stars in his eyes. Soon they're both keeping secrets and so is their mum! Plus Gran is acting stranger and stranger...It also doesn't help that her sworn enemy is the one boy she can't stop thinking about...

Iserles, Inbali - The Tygrine Cat

Mati is no ordinary cat...and the mysterious assassin on his trail knows it. Mati looks different, with his golden eyes, large ears and russet coat. He also acts differently - he anticipates danger with bristling whiskers and hears voices from the feline spirit realm. Mati must unlock the secret of his true identity and he must learn to harness an ancient feline power - a power so deadly that it threatens to destroy not only his friends but every cat on earth...

Limb, Sue - On the Prowl

Zoe and Chloe are inseparable, even though they often drive each other crazy. And just at present, they have an immediate problem. Who are they going to persuade to take them to the Earthquake Ball - the event of the year? Being Zoe and Chloe, they have left this important task till one week before the ball. Time is running out. And, being Zoe and Chloe, they don't resort to run-of-the-mill measures

Lott, Tim - Fearless

Behind the smartly painted walls of the City Community Faith School, one thousand girls are forced to labour in the city's laundry, separated from their families and deprived of their freedom. One of these girls is Little Fearless, a courageous spirit who never gives up hope that one day they will be rescued. Unafraid of the punishment she will face, Little Fearless escapes the institute to tell her story to the world. But why does nobody believe she's telling the truth?

Naidoo, Beverley - Burn my Heart

Matthew and Mugo are friends on the Kenyan farm where they live, but this friendship is tested in a country riven by fear and prejudice when the Mau Mau want the white people off their land and the return of their freedom,.

Poskitt, Kjartan - Urgum and the Seat of Flames

Urgum the Axeman is the fiercest barbarian the Lost Desert has ever known, but the gods are worried that he is going a bit soft. To keep him fierce they create a new monster, Orgo the Gorgo, to give him some competition in this comedy sequel.

Reeve, Philip - Larklight

11-year-old Arthur (Art) Mumsby and his irritating sister Myrtle live in the huge and rambling house, Larklight, travelling through space on a remote orbit far beyond the moon. When Art finds out that a visitor is arriving, he hardly expects to be thrust into a frightening adventure of pirates, plates, and a millennium-long conflict upon which the fate of the solar system rests.

Riordan, Rick - Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson - the son of Poseidon - has had an unnervingly quiet school year. But then he discovers that the magical borders protecting Half Blood Hill, a summer camp dedicated to training young demi-gods, are failing. Unless something is done, the camp will be attacked by demons and monsters. The only way to restore power to the camp's borders is to find the mythical Golden Fleece and the only person who can undertake this dangerous quest is Percy.

St. John, Lauren - The White Giraffe

'For a split second their eyes locked, the small sad girl and the slender young giraffe, then the sky went dark. Martine pressed her face to the window, desperate to see the white giraffe again, but it was impossible.' This is the beginning of orphaned Martine’s mysterious and magical adventures - her discovery of her gift of healing and a secret valley that she travels to with the giraffe.

Stewart, Paul - Curse of the Night Wolf

Barnaby is attacked one night by an enormous dog and finds himself swept up in a world of crooked doctors, poor and ill-advised patients, strange tonics and very expensive furs...Could there be more to the seemingly respectable Dr Cadwallader and the tonics he doles out to the poor? Is there a link between the tonic and the huge dogs - or possibly wolves - that are roaming the city at night? When Barnaby's old acquaintance Benjamin goes missing, Barnaby fears the worst for him, and decides to dig deeper...