The nominations for this year’s Scottish Children’s Book Awards have been announced.
Of the nine shortlisted books, five of the author’s are from Edinburgh.
With a prize fund of £12,000, the awards recognise Scottish writing and illustration for children between three and 16 years old.
The categories are 3-7 years, 8-11 years and 12-16 years and the winners are decided by the children who read them. Last years saw 23,000 young people cast their vote.
For the youngest readers, the shortlisted books are Jack and the Flum Flum Tree by Julia Donaldson, The Day Louis Got Eaten by John Fardell and Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner.
In the middle section, children can choose from Out of the Depths by Cathy MacPhail, Soldier’s Game by James Kilgore and The World of Norm: may Contain Nuts by Jonathan Meres.
The oldest category sees The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein and The Prince Who Walked With Lions by Elizabeth Laird nominated.
Chris Newton, from the Scottish Book Trust said: "The main aim of the Scottish Children’s Book Awards is to generate a real buzz around reading. It’s a fact that most children these days are pretty comfortable in front of a computer or a TV screen, but if you can get them laughing at a good book or engrossed in a thrilling story, they’re much more likely to see reading as something which is an enjoyable alternative to other activities.
"The books on this year’s shortlist are an excellent reflection of the high quality of writing which is consistently being produced by Scottish children’s authors and illustrators year on year, and with such diverse subjects as crocodiles, combat and comedy to choose from, even the most reluctant readers are sure to find something to tempt them."
