Our avid book readers,  Chris Eaves and Caitlin Sly,  represented LSA at the Lancashire Book of the Year judging and, of course, did brilliantly.  Famous childrens' Author,  Adele Geras,chaired the debate.  She was obviously impressed because she actually tweeted about the pair of them whilst the debate was still raging.!

Jump in .... and read

And the winner is .....

He's after me by Chris Higgins

13 and 14 year olds from across Lancashire have come together to vote for their top ten books published last year. Following the announcement of the shortlist, our panel of Year 9 young judges read and critiqued the ten shortlisted books ready for the nail-biting final voting meeting which took place on May 25 2012. Chris Higgins will be presented with the award on June 30 2012.

It's an excellent list that dispels the idea that young people do not read and that includes an impressive breadth of genres, styles, of new and established authors.  There is something to match all tastes so whether you’re a fan of gritty realism, up-to-the-minute-thrillers, fantasy novels, brooding horror or romance, why not jump in....and read one of the ten shortlisted titles now?

The Lancashire Book of the Year award has been running for 26 years, making it the longest running regional book award.  It is administered by Lancashire County Council through its Library Service and is sponsored by the University of Central Lancashire. 

The first winner of the award in 1987 was Philip Pullman, an author who has since gone on to receive great critical acclaim. It remains one of the few book awards in which young people themselves are solely responsible not only for choosing the overall winner, but also for selecting the shortlist from which it is decided.