Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize Shortlist

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The shortlist for the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize 2015 was announced yesterday. And what a shortlist it is! Sally Nicholls, David Almond, Kate Saunders and Frances Hardinge are all nominated for what is, in my opinion, one of the strongest lists ever.
Sally Nicholls latest book, An Island of Our Own tells a treasure-seeking story for the contemporary age in a story of what it takes to make a family.
David Almond is listed for his incredible retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth in A Song For Ella Grey. An intense, moving, all-consuming love story, it is simply amazing.
Kate Saunders has created a wonderful, wonderful sequel to the favourite childrens' classic, Five Children and It with Five Children on the Western Front. Moving and fascinating, the children are a bit older now, but the adventure and magic still grip the reader.
Frances Hardinge's The Lie Tree takes us back to the Victorian era with a creepy, Gothic tale that begs the question, what if lies can you the power to discover other peoples secrets? A finely-crafted, stirring fantasy.
Each of these novels looks back to earlier styles and themes in childrens' literature with exquisite story-telling, memorable charcterisation and deeper meaning that will stick with the reader for a long, long time, creating new classics n the making. My fingers are crossed for all of them!
The winner of the Guardian Childrens Fiction Prize 2015 will be announced on Thursday, 19 November 2015.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/oct/31/the-guardian-childrens-fiction-prize-shortlist-2015

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