The most prestigious prize for children’s books is to hold an online poll to find readers’ all-time favourite.
The Carnegie medal, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, has produced a shortlist of the top 10 winners in its history and is asking readers to vote for the best at www.ckg.org.uk.
The award is organised in conjunction with librarians’ institute CILIP.
The shortlist’s best-known books include Philip Pullman’s modern classic “Northern Lights” (1995) and Melvin Burgess’s “Junk” (1996).
Older favourites include “The Borrowers” (1952) by Mary Norton, and Philippa Pearce’s “Tom’s Midnight Garden” (1958).
But judges from CILIP ruled out works from heavyweight contenders CS Lewis and Arthur Ransome, who have won the award in the past but not for their most famous books.
CS Lewis, who is enjoying renewed popularity with the release of the film adaptation of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, won in 1956 for the lesser known “The Last Battle,” the concluding volume in his “Chronicles of Narnia.”
The results of the poll will be announced alongside the 2007 winner of the Carnegie medal at the British Library on June 21.
