Inspired? Get writing! Creative Writing Competition 2009

Entries are invited for the fourth year of this highly successful writing competition run in partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland, the English-Speaking Union and the Scottish Poetry Library.

Poetry or prose must be inspired by something from across the National Galleries permanent collection and be no more than 1,000 words in length. Images of many of the works can be accessed through the Online Collection at http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/online_home/4:315.


There are five categories: under 12 years; 12-15 years; 16-18 years; unpublished adult; published adult.

For full details visit the National Galleries of Scotland website at http://www.nationalgalleries.org/education/competition/6:3740/5913/.


The closing date is Friday 23 January 2009.

Twilight Film Tops US Box Office

The film of Stephenie Meyer's book Twilight , directed by Catherine Hardwicke, has set a new record for the biggest opening weekend for a female- directed film in the US. It made $70.6m (£46m)!

Producers Summit Entertainment have already announced a follow-up to Twilight, based on the second in the series New Moon.

Find out more at http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

Britain's Funniest Book

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend has been named as Britain's funniest book in a recent survey of over 2000 people, by Reader's Digest.

Find out which other books made the Top 10 at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3490952/Adrian-Mole-beats-Bridget-Jones-to-top-poll-of-funny-books.html

Booktrust Teenage Prize Winner 2008

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness has won the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize.

The award celebrates contemporary fiction for teenagers, and is judged by a mixed panel of adults and teenagers.

Amanda Craig, chair of the judging panel commented that "it made the judges laugh, cry and debate its contents with passion; a striking mixture of thriller, science fiction and literary tour de force, it's influenced by writers as diverse as Laurence Sterne and Ursula le Guin, and should appeal to a wide readership."

The book has also won the Guardian Children's Fiction prize this year.

Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlists

The shortlists are:

Best Book With Facts
Archaeology Detectives by Simon Adams (Oxford University Press)
100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne (A&C Black)
Horrible Geography Handbooks: Planet in Peril by Anita Ganeri, illustrated by Mike Phillips (Scholastic)

Book I Couldn't Put Down
Abela by Berlie Doherty (Andersen Press)
Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Corgi)
Foul Play by Tom Palmer (Puffin)

Most Fun Story with Pictures
Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton, illustrated by David Tazzyman (Egmont)Fleabag by Helen Stephens (Alison Green Books)
Lost! The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong (Puffin Books)

The winner of the Blue Peter Book Awards will be announced in the spring of 2009, to coincide with World Book Day.