YA Book Prize Shortlist Announced

The ten books are:

- A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond 
- Salvage by Keren David
- Say Her Name by James Dawson
- Lobsters by Tom Ellen and Lucy Ivison
- Half Bad by Sally Green
- Finding a Voice by Kim Hood
- Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill 
- Goose by Dawn O'Porter 
- Trouble by Non Pratt
- The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick 

Hot Key publishes both Dawn O'Porter and James Dawson, who are shortlisted for Goose and Say Her Name respectively. Also on the shortlist are books by respected children's authors Marcus Sedgwick (Orion) and David Almond (Hodder Children's), and debut titles by Non Pratt (Walker), Lucy Ivision and Tom Ellen (Chicken House) and Sally Green (Penguin). The prize is open to UK and Irish authors and publishers. Louise O'Neill, who has just won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, is shortlisted for Only Ever Yours (Quercus). Kim Hood, who hails from Canada but now lives in Ireland, is published by Irish independent, O'Brien Press. Completing the shortlist is Keren David, published by Atom, an imprint of Little Brown. 

The Bookseller's children's previewer, Fiona Noble, said: "UK and Irish YA has been a fast-growing trend in the past few years, so whittling down more than 90 submission to a shortlist of just 10 felt like a daunting task. However, every titles on the shortlist had a passionate champion, and a really exciting and diverse list quickly emerged. It's a list that truly demonstrates the strength and unique nature of YA writing in the UK and Ireland, from contemporary to literary fiction and dystopia to horror, written by debut authors and established named." 

A team of 10 judges, comprising teen readers and industry insiders - including author Philip Reeve and World Book Day director Kirsten Grant - will decide the overall winner of the prize. The winning author will be presented with the prize at a ceremony at Foyles in March.