Book awards

The winners of the 'Younger Children' award were Giles Andreae and Nick Sharratt with Pants (David Fickling, 10.99). Giles Andreae is the creator of Purple Ronnie and Nick Sharratt is a well-known children's illustrator. Pants is a celebration of every type of knickers imaginable - large, small, bejewelled or baggy, all told in the style of playground rhyme that is sure to be loved by its target audience.

The winner of the Books for Younger Readers category was Blitzed by Robert Swindell, (Doubleday, 8.99). This story focuses on a young boy called George who has a passion for World War II models and, while on a school outing to a war museum, finds himself thrown back in time to wartime London where he is on a spy-chasing escapade. The winner of the Books for Older Readers category and the overall award-winner is Anthony Horowitz for his book Skeleton Key (Walker 4.99). This action-packed, James Bond-style story centres on a teenage spy who falls foul of a Chinese triad gang trying to sabotage the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Alex then becomes part of a surveillance team in pursuit of an arch-criminal with plans to take over the world. Just the sort of thing to add to the out-of-school club book collection!