Prestigious Children’s Book Awards Finalists

News Release –Tuesday 1st June, 2010

Prestigious Children’s Book Awards Finalists 2010 Announced by LIANZA

A spunky, hanky-panky cranky stinky dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey (breath….), a beetle, a crooked man, a mouse and a charity shop worker have all endeared the LIANZA Children’s Book Award Judges this year and have been selected as finalists in this years LIANZA Russell Clark Children’s Book Awards!

Belynda Smith, Panel Convenor and the Children’s & Young Adult Services Librarian at Takapuna Library says that “we have a wonderful line-up of finalists for this year’s LIANZA Children’s Book Awards and are particularly delighted with the finalists for the inaugural LIANZA Young Adult Award. The Young Adult finalists are all books with strong storylines and the ability to transport the reader to different places and ways of life. While a few of the authors of this years finalists have been nominated or won LIANZA awards previously, the majority are finalists for the first time. It’s exciting to see all this talent emerging from New Zealand authors and illustrators”.

The finalist line up includes The Bone Tiki by David Hair winner of the NZ Post Best First Book 2010 and The Crossing Blood of the Lamb: Book One by Mandy Hager previous winner of the LIANZA Esther Glen Award for Smashed in 2008. But all the finalists are serious contenders and the judges are currently rereading all the finalist books and are looking forward to lengthy discussion when they meet again, to determine the winners.

Alice Heather Panel Convenor for the te reo Maori category says that "This years entries for Te Kura Pounamu were again really difficult to judge because for the wide range of genres and the quality of books that were entered. The short list includes a graphic novel, picture book, non fiction and a novel."

Prerequisite to selection as a LIANZA Judge is being a Librarian, along with passion to promote children’s experiences in the literary world; the Judges firmly believe reading and good books are the code to unlocking any child’s hidden potential. The Awards including New Zealand's longest-running book award, the LIANZA Esther Glen Award, are for excellence in literature, illustration, non-fiction and te reo Maori.

The Judges for the LIANZA Esther Glen, LIANZA Young Adult, LIANZA Elsie Locke, and LIANZA Russell Clark Award are: Belynda Smith (Panel Convenor), Takapuna Library Auckland; Adrienne Hannan, CYA Specialist Wellington City Libraries; and Susan Dodd, Pre School Outreach for the Programs, Learning and Events team of the Christchurch Public Libraries.

The Te Kura Pounamu Award judges are: Alice Heather (Panel Convener); National Library Auckland, Margaret Ngaropo, Library Assistant Maori Services Manurewa Library and Haromi Williams, a commissioner on the Library and Information Advisory Commission and CE of the Tuhoe Education Authority.

The Full list of the LIANZA Children’s Book Award 2010 Finalists are:

LIANZA Esther Glen Award (Fiction)

FRIENDS: SNAKE AND LIZARD by Joy Cowley, Illustrated by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)

The Loblolly Boy by James Norcliffe (Longacre Press)

Top Secret: Pass it on by Jaqueline Chapman (Longacre Press)

Glory by Fifi Colston (Scholastic)

The Billionaires Curse by Richard Newsome (Text Publishing)

LIANZA Young Adult (Fiction)

The Bone Tiki by David Hair (HarperCollins Publishers (NZ) Ltd)

Banquo’s Son by Tania Roxborough (Penguin Group NZ)

The Crossing by Mandy Hager (Random House New Zealand)

About Griffen’s Heart by Tina Shaw (Longacre Press)

Brainjack by Brian Falkner (Walker Books)

LIANZA Russell Clark Award (Illustration)

Rhinehold the Mouse by Di Batchelor (Di Batchelor/ Fraser Books)

There was a Crooked Man by Gavin Bishop (Gecko Press)

Old Hu-Hu by Kyle Mewburn/ Rachel Driscoll (Scholastic)

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith/ Katz Cowley (Scholastic)

Tiny Miss Dott and her Dotty Umbrella by Michelle Osment/ Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson (Scholastic)

LIANZA Elsie Locke (Non Fiction)

Nic’s New Zealand Nature: Invaders by Nic Valance & Rod Morris (New Holland Publishers (NZ) Ltd

Dear Alison by Simon Pollard (Penguin Group NZ)

Ben and Mark: Boys of the High Country by Christine Fernyhough & John Bougen (Random House New Zealand)

E3 Call Home by Janet Hunt (Random House New Zealand)

Get Growing: A NZ Step-by-Step Guide by Helen Cook (Random House New Zealand)

Te Kura Pounamu (te reo Maori)

Pūao Series: Te Kahikatea, Te Miro, Te Tutu, Te Horopito by Keri Pewhairangi (Huia Publishers)

Hū-Hū Koroheke by Kyle Mewburn, Rachel Driscoll translated by Kāterina Te Heikōkō Mataira (Scholastic)

Te Wāhi me te Taiao Series: Hauraki, Waipā, Kāwhia Moana, Takaparawhau by Huia Publishers

Hewa by Darryn Joseph (Pearson (NZ) Ltd)

Hautipua Rererangi by Huia Publishers/ Andrew Burdan (Huia Publishers)

The 2010 Award Ceremony will take place in Wellington on Monday August 16th at Caffe L’affare, College Street.

The LIANZA Children’s Book Awards 2010 are supported by Fishpond.co.nz and Caffe L’affare.

Ends

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