And in the most Exciting and Pinch-me-please Brilliant News Ever…….

…..last night’s award ceremony was also an opportunity to announce that Takeshita Demons has been selected to be part of Booked Up, an awesome program that gives free books to children.

Booked Up is a national programme that aims to give a free book to every child starting secondary school in England.

Booked Up’s goal is to encourage reading for pleasure and independent choice. Year 7 pupils choose their free book from a list of specially selected titles.

How FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And can you believe? Takeshita Demons is one of those specially selected titles!!! (I am shooting around the room with sparks coming out of my ears as I write this…it’s utterly, utterly brilliant and exciting and wonderful!)

Also on the list are fabulous fellow Aussies Shaun Tan (with The Lost Thing) and the hilarious duo Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton (with The Big Fat Cow That Went Kapow). And check out the list: every one’s a winner. There are utter legends of children’s literature on this list: I feel woozy just thinking about it.

The best thing is, thousands of Year 7 kids will have the chance to read Takeshita Demons for free. Which is SO COOL because hopefully it’s a story that will get kids reading and encourage all kids to race through an entire book, sometimes laughing, sometimes trembling, but always having fun. YAY!

Many thanks to the selection panel for Booked Up 2010…

This year the panel included:

Nikki Gamble (Chair)
Nikki Gamble has worked in education and reading promotion for over 25 years, Formerly a teacher and teacher educator, she is a lecturer, writer and education consultant. Nikki is Director of Write Away UK and Associate Consultant at the University Of London Institute Of Education. She is currently a member of International EC of IBBY and Director of the 2012 IBBY World Congress. She is also on the current Executive Committee of United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA).

Sean Edwards
Sean Edwards, Head of Children’s & Youth Libraries, for the London Borough of Haringey, has worked in Children’s Libraries for twenty years. He is passionate about reading and books for all ages and thoroughly enjoyed the whole decision making process for the ‘Booked Up’ panel. He thinks that the whole range of titles available for both boys and girls reflects the continuing need to provide material that not only extends the reading experience but also enhances reading for pleasure.

Irene Marillat
School Librarian and Booked Up Coordinator, Tolworth Girls’ School, Surrey. (You can follow Irene on Twitter.)

Karen McCombie
Karen McCombie is a best-selling author whose novel An Urgent Message Of Wowness was on the Booked Up list for 2010. She worked on teenage magazines before becoming a full-time writer, and now has more than sixty titles to her name. Originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, she lives in leafy North London (the setting of her hit series ‘Ally’s World’) with her husband, small daughter and two dopey cats, who all provide her with inspiration, whether they like it or not.

Carol Webb
Carol Webb is a librarian working at Forest Hill School in Lewisham, London. She has extensive experience in creating a positive school reading culture and of developing boys’ reading abilities and interests. Carol is currently studying for a Doctorate in Education and recently co-authored The innovative school librarian: thinking outside the box.

Rebecca Wilkie
Rebecca Wilkie is the editor of Booktrust’s children’s books website and produces the annual Best Book Guide. She also works on The Big Picture campaign, which aims to promote and reawaken public interest in picture books. Rebecca read English at University College London and has worked in children’s books for the last eight years.

Alexandra Strick (Consultant on accessible titles)
Alex works as a freelance consultant/project manager on a range of activities around children, books and disability. These include:

• Bookmark, the online resource regarding books and disability
• Bookstart, as the scheme’s disability consultant
• Outside In, children’s literature in translation
• In the Picture, a campaign to encourage publishers, illustrators and writers to embrace diversity

More on Booked Up…

What an awesome idea! Thanks to funding from the UK Department for Education (DfE) and support from children’s book publishers, the programme is run by Booktrust, an independent charity dedicated to encouraging people of all ages and cultures to engage with books.