Carnegie Shortlist is here!

Yes! Sure, it was announced about three weeks ago but I've been BUSY! Books don't just publicise themselves dontchaknow and in the last six weeks I have been ALL OVER THE PLACE, including *deep breath* all over London (literally from East to West which is genuinely a long way. Just ask poor Barry Hutchison who was in the cab with me) Windsor, Bristol, Berlin (ok, that was a holiday, whatever), Preston, Lancaster, Liverpool, Bath, Southampton and Reading... Phew! No wonder my body has essentially packed it in and left me eating naught but crumpets and ricey broth stuff....

So anyway, whilst all this country spanning travel was going on, I found out the shortlist had been announced, and I was quite surprised by the result...

David Almond
MY NAME IS MINA
Hodder (9+)
READ 

Lissa Evans 
SMALL CHANGE FOR STUART
Doubleday (8+)
READ

Sonya Hartnett 
THE MIDNIGHT ZOO
Walker (9+)

Ali Lewis 
EVERYBODY JAM
Andersen (12+)
READ

Andy Mulligan 
TRASH
David Fickling (12+)
READ

Patrick Ness
A MONSTER CALLS
Walker (9+)
READ

Annabel Pitcher
MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE
Orion (10+)
READ

Ruta Sepetys
BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY
Puffin (12+)

So as you can see, the only two I haven't read are Between Shades of Grey and The Midnight Zoo. At the FCBG conference this weekend I mentioned that I was surprised not to see Blood Red Road or Life: An Exploded Diagram on there, to which the reply was that the list was aimed more towards younger fiction this year. But ay me for teenage fiction! There are so few high quality prizes awarded to teenage fiction now, especially with the cutting of the BookTrust Teenage Prize that I lament this decision! Someone enlighten me if there is some other reason, except Mal being a previous winner...? 

Anyway, I'm THRILLED to see Small Change for Stuart on there, which used to be one of my titles, hurrah for Lissa and her beautiful little tale. Monster Calls was a dead cert really, deservedly but no surprise there... Probably same for My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece. Everybody Jam was an interesting one - I haven't reviewed this yet, but I loved it - only problem was that the small person I know who is half Australian and would've loved it wouldn't be allowed to read it yet, simply down to a few inappropriate topics and swearwords. Difficult to know the age pitch because of that.

Well I better get on with reading the two I haven't read yet (and the rest) and do some reviewing!! I am currently on The Midnight Zoo and it's absolutely beautiful so far - absolutely escaped into it on my commute. Watch this space!

Carnegie catch up

Oh I've gone and blog failed and been away ages! But I have still been reading LOTS but I may have been distracted from Carnegie titles with work ones - I still think I'll make it eventually!!


First up I feel like I should just catch up on the books on the long list I've read so far. At some point I'll do a post about my thoughts on the ones I'd already read when the long list was announced, but for now, here they are in a boring list:
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough (I would do anything to see this on the shortlist!!!)
Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman
Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne
You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans
The Devil Walks by Anne Fine
Moon Pie by Simon Mason
Trash by Andy Mulligan
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Killing Honour by Bali Rai
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

So I was doing quite well already! And since challenging myself to read the rest I've read:
My Name is Mina by David Almond
Flip by Martin Bedford
One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson
Caddy's World by Hilary McKay
Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
Life : An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet
My Sister Lives on the Mantlepiece by Annabel Pitcher
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Annexed by Sharon Dogar
Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis

So, I still have 31 books to read. Ok so I might not manage all of them by the shortlist announcement but I'm still trying for the winner announcement!!

If I had to choose the short list myself at this point I would have:
Long Lankin
One Dog and His Boy
Life: An Exploded Diagram
Boys Don't Cry
A Monster Calls

Then I would have a really tough call between You Against Me, Moon Pie, Small Change for Stuart and The Devil Walks!! But I think Blood Red Road is bound to end up on there.

What's on your list?