Irish Book Awards
Of the many awards categories in the Irish Book Awards, the Children’s Book of the Year (Senior) is the one of most interest to us. Which is not to say that the other categories shouldn’t be investigated. There are some terrific titles there, including Sebastian Barry’s The Secret Scriptures (Barry was a charming guest at the Perth Writers Festival earlier this year). Nominated in the same category (People’s Choice) is a page-turning non-fiction book, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (Kate Summerscale) – a true-life mystery that investigates the country-house murder that captivated Britain in the 1860; the murder said to been the genesis of the modern detective story.
Speaking of detective stories takes us back to the Irish Children’s Book of the Year for the 9+ age group. Yes, it’s Skulduggery Pleasant : Playing with Fire. Derek Landy is on a winner with that skeletal sleuth.
