Overall Winner -
Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
After learning about asylum-seeking families being cruelly confined to quarters inside an immigration removal centre, Michael Morpurgo was inspired to write Shadow, his story about an Afghan boy and a Springer Spaniel. Their hazardous flight from war-torn Afghanistan to the safety of Uncle Mir’s home in Manchester is told simply and readers become deeply involved with their fate. Aman and his mother do find freedom again and learn to live happily in an adopted country until... The clever combination of Christian Birmingham’s powerful and atmospheric, black and white illustrations with lyrical writing, blends into a single ‘cinematic’ narrative.
Winner in the Older Readers Category -
Time Riders by Alex Scarrow
This fantastic adventure gripped both boy and girl readers from the first page. Three teenagers who should have died at different times - Liam in 1912, Maddy in 2010 and Sal in 2026 - didn’t. Moments before their death someone appeared and said, “Take my hand...” But they were not saved, they were recruited to destroy the past. Disbelief is suspended as we move through narrative that remains clear and fast paced. Exciting and ingenious, the changes in time and perspective intensify the action creating lots of twists and turns to keep the pages turning. A terrific read.
