About

The idea to organise a Book Award specifically for secondary school children in Grampian was conceived by librarians in school and public libraries in 2004. The aim was to organise a book event for pupils in S1-S3 and in doing so, promote literacy, reading for pleasure, and a love of books. So many children, having been avid readers in primary school, suddenly find other "interesting" activities when they join secondary school. A book award aimed at young people at this particular age gives keen readers, regardless of ability, the opportunity to share their passion for reading with their peers and encourage them to read the shortlisted books on display in their school and public library. Most importantly, the book award is open to readers of all abilities.

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Books published in paperback in the UK from a specific time period are nominated by pupils, librarians and teachers, producing a longlist of approximately 20 books. At the beginning of the new school year, pupils take part in the award by selecting and voting for the 6 books they would like to appear in the short list. This is done through reading and discussion. Each school then puts forward a list of 6 books in order of preference and the results are collated with those in the rest of the region to produce a shortlist of 5 or 6 books.

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It's great to be a part of - so make sure you get your all important vote in for this year's award!