Author Keren David was this week named the winner of the 2011 Angus Book Award for her novel When I Was Joe.
Tuesday’s Arbroath Academy award ceremony was hosted by third-year pupils Danielle Dickson and Danny Ford, who presented the delighted writer with her prize of £500 and the Angus Book Award trophy of the Aberlemno serpent stone.
When I Was Joe is published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and has been shortlisted for many of the teenage book competitions that follow in the footsteps of the Angus Book Award the first UK teenage book award of its kind.
Before launching her career as a writer of teenage novels, Ms David worked as a journalist. When I Was Joe is her debut teenage novel, and a sequel, Almost True, was published in the UK last September.
The other shortlisted titles were, Auslander, by Paul Dowswell (Bloomsbury), Wasted, by Nicola Morgan (Walker Books), and Luke and Jon, by Robert Williams (Faber and Faber).
Angus Council education convener Peter Nield said, “I’m delighted to congratulate Keren on winning this award. I am also pleased that, once again, young people in third year of our secondary schools have been enthusiastically reading the books shortlisted for the award, and then voting for the winner.
“I hope that this award will continue to flourish, and I commend the Arbroath Academy pupils for their good organisation of this year’s event.”
Film presentations showcasing pupils’ skills developed through the council’s Moving Image Education initiative were screened at the event. The winning film about Luke and Jon was made by pupils at Forfar Academy, who won £100 worth of books for their school for the third year in a row.
Arbroath Academy was awarded the runner-up prize of £60 worth of books for their film animation of Luke and Jon.
There were also prizes for the best alternative book jacket, which was won by Allanah Hendry of Carnoustie High School for her version of Wasted, and for the winning book review of When I Was Joe by Corey Paton of Montrose Academy.