A record-breaking 9,541 young readers from across Scotland – over twice as many as last year – have voted for their favourite books as part of the 2008 Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books, making this year’s Royal Mail Awards the most successful to date.
Scotland’s largest children’s book award (each prize winner receives £3,000 and runners-up all get £500 each), the Royal Mail Awards recognise excellence in Scottish writing and illustration for children across three age categories: early years (0-7 years), younger readers (8-11 years) and older readers (12-16 years), with the winners decided by Scottish children themselves, who will have read and voted for their favourite books.
The winners were announced at a special award ceremony in Aberdeen on Tuesday 18th November.
The 2008 winning books are:
Early years (age 0-7): Billy Monster’s Daymare by Alan Durant and Ross Collins (Published by Oxford University Press)
Younger readers (age 8-11): Dark Isle by D A Nelson (Published by Strident)
Older readers (age 12-16): Bunker 10 by J A Henderson (Published by Oxford University Press)
This year, a total of 9,541 votes were cast from all Scottish education authorities. Overall, and in all three age categories, voters were roughly 50% boys and 50% girls, a surprising figure which challenges the usual preconception that girls read more than boys!
This year most votes were cast in the Early Years (0-7 category), judged this year in a paired reading scheme, whereby 10-12 year-old primary school pupils read the books to classes of 5 and 6 year-olds in their school. Support for the paired reading initiative came from a generous donation of over £25,000 from Crerar Hotels.
Anna Gibbons, Children’s Programme Manager, Scottish Book Trust, said: “The Scottish Book Trust is delighted by the fantastic response to the 2008 Royal Mail Awards. Thousands of children from every corner of Scotland have read and reviewed the shortlisted books. The number of votes doubled this year – proof of the huge appetite for reading good quality fiction in Scottish school and libraries”.
Julie Morrison, Head of External Relations for Royal Mail, said: "Royal Mail is extremely proud to be associated with these awards. The response from children across Scotland has been quite exceptional and this is a real tribute to all the schools and the teachers who encouraged their pupils to get involved.
"It is extremely encouraging for Royal Mail that so many children are taking such a keen interest in reading. Promoting literacy is a fundamental goal of Royal Mail Not only is good literacy vital for society in general, it is crucial to the future of our business that the next generation can read, write and send letters, cards and postcards. If the evidence provided by these awards is anything to go by, the future is very bright indeed."
Maureen Watt, Minister for Schools and Skills, said:"I want all young people in Scotland to discover the enjoyment that can be gained from reading, and help them to acknowledge that reading for pleasure can help to enrich their vocabulary, develop their literacy skills and broaden their imagination. The Scottish Government greatly appreciates the role played by businesses in sponsoring important educational initiatives, such as the Royal Mail Book Awards, which help contribute to the learning and development of our young people.”
Gavin Wallace, Head of Literature at the Scottish Arts Council, said:"The Scottish Arts Council would like to offer thanks to all the young people who took part in the judging process and congratulate the winners of the third year of The Royal Mail Awards. The enthusiasm, energy, and sense of ownership we have seen from the young readers is equally exciting and salutary – testimony to the fantastic quality of children's literature in Scotland, and why books and reading are the foundations of their, and our, future.”
Paddy Crerar, Managing Director of Crerar Hotels, said, “As a reluctant reader myself in childhood – I read my first novel, willingly and slowly, at the age of 22 – I am delighted that the Crerar Hotels’ donation has been able to support this important initiative. With so many distractions facing children today, initiatives such as the Royal Mail Awards for Scottish Children’s Books that encourage children to pick up a book and open their imagination can only be a good thing. My father used to say we all have to learn to think, books help kids do just that.”
The award winners were presented with their prizes by Maureen Watt MSP, Minister for Schools and Skills and MSP for North East Scotland, at a special ceremony in Aberdeen on Tuesday 18th November.
The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster Kirsty Wark and attended by hundreds of children of all ages and from over Scotland, some of whom are winners in the book review competition. The winner of the Gaelic writing competition, Rachel Kate Macleod, from Barvas School on Isle of Lewis, also flew to Aberdeen specially to receive her award at the ceremony.
The Royal Mail Awards are managed by Scottish Book Trust in partnership with Scottish Arts Council, and supported by Crerar Hotels, Times Educational Supplement Scotland (TESS) and Waterstone’s.
