Two of Michael Morpurgo's novels, Shadow and Private Peaceful, were voted the best books read by Salford school children over the last ten years this week in the Salford Community Leisure/Libraries Annual Book Awards.
Over three hundred children were asked to choose their `Winner of Winners' from a list of previous Award winners from the last decade, and Morpurgo's best selling novels got the majority of votes.
Shadow is the story of a dog, a boy, Afghanistan and a bid for freedom, while Private Peaceful is about war and the bond between brothers when heroism and `cowardice' collide. Not the sort of usual material that might appeal to kids…
Accepting his Award via video-link, Michael Morpurgo, who also wrote War Horse, told school children who packed The Lowry…
"I don't write to win prizes. My books are troubling. Literature is troubling. A book should make you think, as my books make me think when I am writing them."
Sarah Spence, Head of Libraries in Salford said that over ten thousand people had borrowed Morpurgo's books in the city.
"He is a superb role model and gave such a passionate and inspirational acceptance speech" she added "I am sure this will encourage more of the children from our area to read and maybe even write books in the future."
Other authors up for the Winner of Winners Award were…
• Cliff McNish – Breathe A Ghost Story
• Paul Adam – Escape From Shadow Island
• Angie Sage – Magyk
• Georgia Byng – Molly Moon's Incredible Book Of Hypnotism
• Gill Lewis – Sky Hawk
• Siobhan Dowd – The London Eye Mystery
• Robert Muchamore – The Recruit
• Sally Nicholls – Ways To Live Forever