The Waterstones Children's Book Prize for 2010 has been won by Katie Davies for her first novel The Great Hamster Massacre. This prize is awarded for new writing for children, most of the authors on the shortlist have published only one or perhaps two books so you may not have come across them before.
The Great Hamster Massacre is a story about family and friendships, and the pitfalls of pet ownership. When Mum gives in to the pleading for a pet, two girl hamsters take up residence in the house. Only, they are not two girl hamsters, and soon there are little baby hamsters too. That's when things start to go horribly wrong, and the children are determined to track down the culprit with the help of their neighbour, a retired detective. This is a very funny story, with some sad sections too, but our readers have enjoyed it so far.
Some of the other shortlisted titles are available in the library Seven Sorcerers, and The Crowfield Curse. More information on the award and the full shortlist may be found at www.waterstones.com
