David Almond longlisted for Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize

The longlist for the Guardian children’s fiction prize 2013 has been announced and we’re delighted to see that our Guest Artistic Director for the Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival 2013, David Almond, has made the list. David has been nominated for his book The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas, which is also this year’s Kids Big Bath Read!  Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, who joined us for the 2012 festival, this is the thrilling tale of orphaned Stanley Potts, who runs away to join the circus and discover his destiny.

Also longlisted is Sally Gardner for Maggot Moon, which she talked about at the 2012 festival. This year she joins us for two separate events. First up, she’ll be discussing Wings and Co, her quirky new series about a fairy detective agency brimming with mystery and magic and illustrated by bestselling artist, David Roberts. She’ll also join David Almond in conversation about her writing for older children.

The full longlist is:

• The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Walker)
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Penguin)
• After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross (OUP)
• A World Between Us by Lydia Syson (Hot Key)
• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (Andersen)
• Roof Toppers by Katherine Rundell (Faber)
• Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner (Hot Key)
• The Wall by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury)

You can find out more about the titles on the Guardian website.

If you are aged 17 or under and love reading, you could enter The Guardian Young Critics competition 2013. You’ll just need to write a 200-word review of one of the books  and 10 winners will each receive a complete set of eight longlisted books plus a £20 National Book Token gift card. Or, you can enter as a class and up to thirty students in the winning class will have the chance to visit the Guardian Education Centre and edit and print the day’s news at the education centre plus a set of the eight longlisted books and a £150 National Book Token. Find out how to enter the competition here.

We think any one of the longlisted titles would be a deserving winner, but must admit we have our fingers and toes crossed for David! David will be appearing in a variety of events across the festival, so do check the website on Monday 10 June when the full listings go live. The Telegraph Bath Children’s Literature Festival runs from Friday 27 September to Sunday 6 October, with priority booking opening on 21 June and general booking from 1 July. You can enjoy priority booking simply by becoming a friend of the festival. For more information visit our Friend’s page.