Relashio! Wimpy Kid prises the top spot from Harry Potter to be crowned the Best Children’s Book of the Last 10 Years
Werewolf thriller also claws its way to victory to be revealed as the Blue Peter Book of the Year 2012
The nation’s children have voted Diary of a Wimpy Kid by American author Jeff Kinney as Blue Peter’s Best Children’s Book of the Last 10 Years, beating J K Rowling’s boy wizard to the top
spot in a special online vote.
The comic story of hapless Greg and his quest to survive Middle School, published in an illustrated diary format, started life online on FunBrain.com in 2004. The book has gone on to enjoy
phenomenal success, both stateside and in the UK, with five additional titles now in the series and two feature films based on the books also released.
Young voters were asked to log on to bbc.co.uk/bluepeter to choose their favourite book from a shortlist of ten iconic titles that included Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and books by
former Children’s Laureates Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo and Quentin Blake as well as comedian David Walliams.
South London author Gareth P Jones will also be howling with excitement to learn that his werewolf mystery The Considine Curse has triumphed to win the accolade of Blue Peter Book of the Year. His spooky novel, which features a shocking twist near the end, was up against a tale of time travel, a guide to the 2012 Olympics and a book packed full of extreme facts. Over 300 school pupils between age eight and 12 from across the UK read the four books and voted for Gareth’s as their
favourite.
The winners were announced this evening (Thursday 1 March, 5.45pm, CBBC) and receive their trophies on a special World Book Day edition of the programme which will be broadcast live from the John Rylands library in Manchester.
Jeff Kinney comments on his Best Children’s Book of the Last 10 Years win:
‘I'm thrilled and honestly stunned that kids in the UK voted Diary of a Wimpy Kid as the best children's book of the past ten years. When I saw the terrific books on the Blue Peter shortlist, I thought mine didn't stand a chance. I'm so grateful to all of the Wimpy Kid fans in the UK who have supported my books right from the beginning. I've had the pleasure of meeting a lot of them over the past year and I can't wait to come back to say 'thank you' for this great honour in person!’
Gareth P Jones comments on his Blue Peter Best Book of the Year 2012 win:
‘I am beyond thrilled to have won the Blue Peter Book of the Year for The Considine Curse. Blue Peter is a national institution which I have watched since I was a child and so this is a tremendous
honour. Getting a positive response to a book from just one person feels like a pat on the back, so winning a national award like this is like being whacked between the shoulder blades by an entire
army... in a good way.’
Blue Peter Editor Tim Levell comments on the winners:
‘I am delighted with our two winning books. They are very different in terms of subject matter: one about school life, one about a creepy family with a secret. But they're both funny, well-observed and well-written books that do exactly what Blue Peter tries to do: treat children as grown-ups. The awards even contained a bit of a shock, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid beating hot favourite and top-seller Harry Potter. The accident-prone American upstart has snatched a bit of the boy wizard's magic.’