I love Derek and I love Skulduggery, so the win was no surprise. But it would have been nice if it had gone to one of those authors who were present in Bolton Town Hall on Saturday morning. It was a friendly affair, with lots of children and parents and teachers in the audience.

A lively Liverpudlian poet by the name of Terry Caffrey looked after things, and engaged even the Mayor in musical style poetry. The children talked about their favourite books, and introduced the authors, and generally did a good job. Some of them also won prizes for book cover designs and for a writing competition.

After the prize ceremony all five authors present signed books, and they all had nice long queues, and I really approve of the piles of books some of the children were clutching. As the unofficial entourage of Nick Green, I have to say how pleased I am that all his Lulu printed copies of Cat's Paw sold, and that's not counting the ones I had bought. I'm still counting on those paying for my pension one day.

Did I set up that club for authors' wives that I was talking about months ago? I feel Mrs Gatti will do well there.

The other shortlisted books are Colin Bateman, Titanic 2020; Will Gatti, The Geek, the Greek and the Pimpernel; F E Higgins, Black Book of Secrets; Jill Hucklesby, Deeper Than Blue; Derek Landy, Skulduggery Pleasant; Jenny Valentine, Finding Violet Park; and Cat Weatherill, Wild Magic.

Some of the other authors had also made it to Bolton, and we ended up sitting in the sunshine in the beautiful hotel garden over cups of tea. I never like admitting to people that I've not read their books, but this time I had to. Luckily they had just spent the day with school children who had read all the shortlisted books, and they had aching arms from all the book signing they'd had to do.

Nice bunch of people, and it's always interesting to hear what different experiences writers have had. The eagle eyed among you will have spotted that two of the authors are called cat in one form or other. And the hotel cat kept sauntering across the lawn where we were sitting.

It would be good, if somewhat confusing, if they all won the award this morning. Can't be done, I suppose.

The whole story starts with Violet Park. An old lady in a box on a cab office shelf.

This book was hard to put down, as new mysteries were being solved in each chapter. It’s a dramatic story with an interesting start, an exciting end and an over-blast of confusion in-between.

This book gets you involved in the story. It made me feel I was part of the mystery. I hope there is a sequel… I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a bit of drama in their lives. This is a book I will never forget.

Emily, Oakgrove School

KEVIN CROSSLEY-HOLLAND: GATTY’S TALE Orion (Age range: 10+)

LINZI GLASS: RUBY RED Penguin (Age range: 12+)

ELIZABETH LAIRD: CRUSADE Macmillan (Age range: 10+)

TANYA LANDMAN: APACHE Walker (Age range: 12+)

PHILIP REEVE: HERE LIES ARTHUR Scholastic (Age range: 12+)

MEG ROSOFF: WHAT I WAS Penguin (Age range: 12+)

JENNY VALENTINE: FINDING VIOLET PARK HarperCollins (Age range: 12+)

What do people think?

8.Helena Pielichaty-Simone's Letters

A very sweet children's book of letters a young girl sends to an actor in local theatre,who ends up becoming a close friend of her family.This reminded me a little of the younger Jacqueline Wilson books in that it was sweet and believable and touched on family problems and how they impact upon children.It also has cute illustrations and I always enjoy books written in the form of letters.

9.Batman-The Collected Adventures Vol.1

My first foray into the world of Batman(my favourite comic book/superhero character) graphic novels.This series is based around the cartoon of the same name and is generally the cheesier side of Batman,which I wholeheartedly embrace as I adore the original TV series in all its technicolour glory.The stories in this novel were greatly enjoyable and entertaining,particularly the one featuring the Scarecrow and the disease which leaves people illiterate.I have since purchased'The Dark Knight'graphic novel which seems to be the holy grail of Batman books so no doubt I will discuss that at a later date.

10.Ruth Thomas-Things to Make and Mend

This book revolves around a middle aged seamstress who from the outset is a rather dull character with no easily definable characteristics.She is fixated on the past and the deterioration of the relationship with her high school best friend.This novel sets up the premise of an explosive secret that tore the two women apart,but this 'secret'is never given a chance to deliver as it becomes obvious very early on what will happen.The 'clues'the author leaves are transparent and the actual secret itself amounts to little more than a cliche.The 'blurb'also discusses the events which will bring the women to meet again in middle age,but when this happens the book has only a few pages left,meaning their is little real discussion of the dynamics of their relationship as adults and how this unfolds.Overall I found this book tedious and difficult to continue with as the characters were so poorly drawn that I didn't care about them at all as they just didn't seem real.

11.Tom Reynolds-Touch Me,I'm Sick

My second non-fiction book of the year,'Touch Me,I'm Sick'is a countdown of the 50 creepiest love songs ever,at least in the opinion of the author.It is in turn amusing,infuriating and grating,largely due to the often smug tone of the author.Clearly considering himself quite the comedian he continually berates artists such as Tori Amos for having too many songs about angels and butterflies,at times passing far beyond supposed humour and instead presenting himself as a thinly veiled misogynist.Although this book is entertaining at times after a while I found the style annoying and unoriginal,like lad-lit with a better record collection.Another letdown as good books about alternative music don't come along very often so it's a shame that this couldn't be one of them.

12.Sally Gardner-The Strongest Girl in the World

I tend to read children's books when I either need to be comforted by the thought of being a child again or if I've read a couple of dissappointing adult books and want a short reprieve.The latter happened with the previous two books which lead me to 'The Strongest Girl in the World'.It reads like a fable and has a very obvious moral at the end but was a sweet read and would probably make a nice children's film if the plot could be padded out a little.

13.Jenny Valentine-Broken Soup

The first book that I'm sure will be in my end of year list,this is an absolutely wonderful book and one that rescued me from a reading slump.The lot revolves around a teenage girl who is approached by a boy in a shop.He hands her a negative he is certain she just dropped.Knowing she did no such thing but feeling embarassed she takes the negative and a new friend later helps her to develop it.I don't want to say too much as it could ruin the suspense of the book which builds gradually throughout.The book is tight with tension and although technically a young adult book the characters and the plot are so well observed and developed I can't imagine there are many adults who wouldn't enjoy it,I read it over the course of an afternoon and it's definitely a book I would read again in the future.

14.Miranda July-No One Belongs Here More than You

A collection of short stories from the spoken word artist/writer,director and star of the wonderful film 'Me,You and Everyone We Know',the stories are exactly what I'd anticipated,beautiful and beguiling as well as shocking,coarse and sometimes seedy.All of the stories seem to link together in a natural flow as the book progresses and although I found that I liked the last couple less than some of the earlier ones this was nevertheless a thoroughly absorbing and enchanting book and written in a very beautiful,near poetic style.Another I expect to see on my end of year list.

15.Diablo Cody-Candy Girl

Although I do enjoy reading memoirs now and then the main reason I was drawn to this particular book will no doubt be the same reason this book suddenly has more orders on Amazon,the superb sassiness which is 'Juno'.The author the screenplay also penned this memoir about her year spent working in strip clubs.The writing is as spikey as you would expect if you've seen 'Juno'and particularly considering the explicit nature of the books contents.This is definitely a gripping book and one that makes you feel uncomfortably like a voyeur throughout much of it.My only criticism would be how detached the writing style seems at times and the vagueness of some aspects of the story leading me to feel that despite making the decision to write the book Cody wasn't quite comfortable revealing everything.Still I will look forward to any future projects by the enigmatic Ms Cody.

16.Jenny Valentine-Finding Violet Park

Luckily I had the foresight to buy both of Jenny Valentine's books at once in a 2 for 1 offer,meaning that after thoroughly enjoying 'Broken Soup'I couldn't bring myself to wait very lond before devouring her debut novel.It unfolds in a similarly suspense tinged style to her other book,and again deals with the impact that absent family members have on those left behind.As with 'Broken Soup'it was touching and thought provoking if not quite so gripping.It's perhaps my own fault though that I chose to read the debut first,but nevertheless the book was original and thoughful and developed at a gripping pace.

So that's me up to date for now,I just hope I get some readers for my efforts!

I'm not surprised Jenny Valentine won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize with her first book, Finding Violet Park. It's not just a good story, it's different and special.

Violet Park has been dead a long time when Lucas comes across her ashes in the office of a taxi company. With the help of his grandmother and other family members, as well as friends, Lucas finds out who Violet was and what happened to her.

It's a journey of discovery, which also helps Lucas understand his own life, and that of his missing, or possibly dead, father. Finding Violet Park is both funny and sad. A really good read.