AN award-winning author was in town to launch the Bolton Children’s Fiction Book Award.

Brit Writers’ Award Winner, Sufiya Ahmed, was at Bolton School to announce the books shortlisted for the award.

They will now be read by more than 100 year seven and eight children in and around Bolton, who will then vote for their favourite.

The award replaces the Bolton Children’s Book Award, which was organised by Bolton Council, the University of Bolton and other organisations.

The shortlist was drawn up over the summer by librarians from schools across the region, including Linda Frew from Bolton School.

Mrs Frew said: “I was so disappointed when the Bolton Children’s Book Award stopped.

“Having a focus for reading, topics for discussion and feeling that they had a real influence on the outcome of the award, meant the pupils got so much out of it. We are hoping the new award ceremony will be a bigger event than ever.

“We librarians are all looking forward to seeing how our hard work of shortlisting books will enable pupils to have a great time being involved in discussions, voting, blogging, acting, making films and, let’s not forget, reading books.”

Sufiya, the author of Secrets of the Henna Girl, added: “All the books on the shortlist sound amazing.

“I am very pleased to launch the Bolton Children’s Fiction Book Award and I hope the event will carry on for years to come.”

Thirty one schools are involved.

Safia Kapadia, aged 11, from Bolton School, said: “I love reading because it is like having a TV in your head.”

The winner will be announced at an event at Bolton School in June 2014, attended by pupils from the schools and compered by previous Bolton Book Award winner Joe Craig.

The shortlisted books are: After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross; Young Knights of the Round Table by Julia Golding; Chase the Dark by Sam Hepburn; Constable and Toop Gareth P Jones; Moon Bear by Gill Lewis and No Where by Jon Robinson.

Children will post comments here.