I will restrain myself this year. The Stockport Schools’ Book Award event was on last night at the Plaza. I had spent some weeks trying to find out the date, again, because the council is not very active in updating its website. It has also not yet published the results, which is a shame when they go to so much trouble to organise the whole thing and get the children reading and voting.
So, I can tell you that the Key Stage 4 category was won by Tabitha Suzuma, for From Where I Stand. She is right now swanning around the local schools and chatting to her fans.
My detective work yesterday also led me to Siobhan Dowd, who won the Key Stage 2 category with The London Eye Mystery. I’m busy thinking how lovely it would have been if Siobhan could have been here too. I gather from my informant that David Fickling wrote a nice speech to be read out last night.
And that’s it. There are several more categories, but my detective skills didn’t tell me who won those. And it shouldn’t really require sleuthing in the first place. A press release next year, perhaps? (And SMBC, I am on your side really. We all want to promote good reading, so please join the 21st century.)
That’s fabulous news! I wonder what the organisers felt about NONE of Tabitha’s books being there for the occasion or for her school visits? She was so upset about this – very reasonably I thought.
That’s her second award in a week because she won the Young Minds one earlier – with From Where I Stand, also.
The book is FROM WHERE I STAND….a.nd I second Mary’s views about books not being available for sale. But well done to Tabitha…two prizes in a week is good going.
Sorry about that, Adèle. I had a kilo of quinces that needed peeling and was in a hurry. Now I have a blister instead.
You mean no books were available? That’s madness.
The head of the library service has been in touch, pointing out that the information was there all the time. He’s right; if I’d managed to work out where I should have clicked. I do feel the date belongs on the main page. The results are up now, but they weren’t when I blogged this morning. Seeing as the results have been known for months, it would not have been difficult to have it ready and waiting and posting it immediately after the awards.
Siobhan’s sister Denise was here to receive her award, which is good to know.
SO glad that LEM won the Key Stage 2 award – and that Denise was there to receive it. And delighted for Tabitha too – though what a dreadful shame about the books.
According to Lauren at Random it was WHS who got the books all wrong, for everyone. Perhaps the council should try someone else next time?
Have they no independent bookshops in Stockport? Or a Waterstone’s at the very least? Even Amazon would have been a better choice than a firm of stationers who stock some – very limited choice – books. Madness!
Yes, there are one or two independents. One of them did the books a few years ago, and I have no idea why they weren’t asked again. Though I understand that the council had doubts about them beforehand, on the basis that tiny shop equals the ability to sell only a handful of books. And that is of course ridiculous.
WHS is geographically very close to the Plaza, but then so is Waterstone’s. I gather last year’s questionnaire after the event highlighted the poor performance of the bookseller, so I don’t know why they were asked to return.