Member Article

NEWCASTLE BASED AUTHOR A FINALIST IN NATIONAL PEOPLES BOOK PRIZE

A North East based author of children’s literature has become a finalist in the prestigious 2018 People’s Book Prize. Mark Carton, from Newcastle, has been nominated as a finalist after 4 months of public voting to select the national finalists.

The People’s Book Prize is the only national literature awards which is decided completely by the general public, and so carries the additional credibility of being a book selected purely by the readers of the books. The Children’s literature award has had several significant previous winners including best-selling children’s author and TV celebrity David Walliams for his first book Mr Stink, and so is a major stepping stone for new authors.

‘The Book Spy’ is Mark Carton’s second novel, and is a series of short stories spanning 80 years, telling the tales of a secret childrens network of spies called the ‘Children’s Reading Intelligence Agency’. The Book Spies originated in World War II, and is set at Bletchley Park, with other stories taking place across the world and each featuring children from different generations. The stories recount the missions of children who are enlisted to join the CRIA and how they shaped world events.

The People’s Book Prize is a national competition and The Book Spy faced stiff competition, with hundreds of titles nominated nationally this year by their publishers, and then a long-list of 20 children’s books being put to the public vote.

Commenting on the finalist nomination for the award Mark Carton said: ’I was delighted to get the initial nomination, and having spent the early part of this year touring almost 40 schools in the North East with a ‘Book Spy Roadshow’, it was a real thrill to find out I have been shortlisted as a finalist.’

’The school visits showed the passion young people have for literature and great stories, and the purpose of ‘The Book Spy’ is to encourage young people to share their love of reading. The school visits were wonderful, as the reception in every school was overwhelming.’

The Book Spy was published by Candy Jar Books, and managing publisher Shaun Russell commented: ‘Mark had a real passion for this story and the idea of the Children’s Reading Intelligence Agency was genius. as the children love the idea of becoming spies in their own secret network. The book is a great read for 8-12 year olds and is a worthy finalist in these outstanding book awards. Everyone at Candy Jar is very proud of Mark and The Book Spy.’

The Book Spy has its own dedicated website www.bookspy.co.uk and Mark Carton has his own author site www.markcarton.co.uk which features his other work, and his availability for author sessions.

The People’s Book Prize winner will be announced in May 2019 following a further public vote, at the Stationers Hall in London, with patron of the foundation Frederick Forsyth CBE presenting the awards.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Carton .