Wizards of Once wins Blue Peter Book Award

Cressida Cowell's book about wizards, warriors and magic has won the Blue Peter Book Award 2018 for the Best Story. The winners are announced today, World Book Day, and will be featured in a special Blue Peter programme tonight.

Children from 12 schools across the UK have been busy reading and helping to choose the winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards, which includes the Best Story and the Best Book with Facts. The 2018 Blue Peter Book Awards shortlisted titles included some of our favourite authors - Cressida Cowell, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Dara O'Briain were among those shortlisted for the awards (and possibly a special Blue Peter badge...). The winners will take part in a special Blue Peter programme featuring the book awards this evening. The Winner of the Best Story is The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell (published by Hodder Children's Books). Cressida said, "I am delighted, grateful and proud to have won this year's Blue Peter Award for The Wizards of Once. Blue Peter was a huge part of my childhood, and I'm thrilled as nine-year-old me, as well as the grown-up author... Thank you so much to the kids who took the time to read and vote [and] the teachers and librarians who do so much to support the award in schools...' Also shortlisted for this award were: The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (published by Chicken House) Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans (published by David Fickling Books) The Winner of the Best Book with Facts is Real-Life Mysteries by Susan Martineau, illustrated by Vicky Barker (published by b small publishing)! This book is full of evidence about mysterious unsolved cases and encourages you to make up your own mind: from mysteries such as Shackleton's ghostly companion to the Loch Ness Monster. The other two shortlisted titles were: Corpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists by Adam Murphy and Lisa Murphy (published by David Fickling Books) Beyond the Sky: You and the Universe by Dara O Briain, illustrated by Dan Bramall (published by Scholastic)