Authors win awards

Julia Golding, of North Oxford, picked up a gold medal in the nine to 11 years category of the Nestle Children's Book Prize for her first novel, The Diamond of Drury Lane.

Set in London's theatreland in the 1790s, the book tells the story of an orphan who becomes involved in a diamond mystery.

Ms Golding, who started her career working for the Foreign Office in Poland and then lobbied on war-related issues for Oxfam, had been researching the period for her Oxford University doctorate and used what she did not include in the doctorate in her book.

She said: "I think it's a very exciting period in history and not one that children probably do at school. I'm just fascinated by how people used to live."

She said children could also relate to the characters, especially the lead. She added: "I had huge fun writing the character - she's feisty and rude and always getting into trouble, but also quite loveable too."

On winning a gold medal, she said: "There's only a shortlist of three, so you go there knowing you're going to win something, but I didn't expect to get gold. It was very exciting."

Mini Grey, from East Oxford, won a bronze medal in the six to eight years category with her book, The Adventures of the Dish and The Spoon. Ms Grey won a gold two years ago and said she was delighted to pick up another award.

She added: "What was really exciting was that the children had done projects on the book and they were so fun and so inspired."

The book tells the story of what happened after the dish ran away with the spoon - as in the popular fairy tale. In Ms Grey's book, she imagines them crossing the Atlantic to New York where they start working in showbusiness before losing all their money and being forced to rob a bank.

But she added: "They get reunited in the end, so it has a happy ending."

The awards were judged by a panel of schoolchildren on December 13 at the British Library in London.

Denise Kennedy, of Nestle, said: "At the heart of the Nestle children's Book Prize are the children involved, with over 37,000 taking part this year.

"Good children's books fire the imagination and we are proud that the prize has, for 22 years, helped children to develop a lifelong love of books, reading and learning."

CITY AUTHORS WIN NATIONAL AWARDS WRITE STUFF By Nione Meakin f=85 Helvetica Heavy l=8.5q=lWINNING WORDS: Julia Golding, right, and Mini Grey, below, with some of their ardent fans of=Helvetica s=6Picture: Name Order No. XXXXo Pics of authors emailed to newsdesk and pic desk s=9BOOKS by two Oxford children's authors have scooped prizes in a national competition.o Julia Golding, of North Oxford, picked up a gold medal in the nine to 11 years category of the Nestle Children's Book Prize for her first novel, The Diamond of Drury Lane.

Set in London's theatreland in the 1790s, the book tells the story of an orphan who becomes involved in a diamond mystery.

Ms Golding, who started her career working for the Foreign Office in Poland and then lobbied on war-related issues for Oxfam, had been researching the period for her Oxford University doctorate and used what she did not include in the doctorate in her book.

She said: "I think it's a very exciting period in history and not one that children probably do at school.

"I'm just fascinated by how people used to live."

She said children could also relate to the characters, especially the lead.

She added: "I had huge fun writing the character - she's feisty and rude and always getting into trouble, but also quite loveable too."

On winning a gold medal, she said: "There's only a shortlist of three, so you go there knowing you're going to win something, but I didn't expect to get gold.

"It was very exciting."

Mini Grey, from East Oxford, won a bronze medal in the six to eight years category with her book, The Adventures of the Dish and The Spoon. Ms Grey won a gold two years ago and said she was delighted to pick up another award.

She added: "What was really exciting was that the children had done projects on the book and they were so fun and so inspired."

The book tells the story of what happened after the dish ran away with the spoon - as in the popular fairy tale. In Ms Grey's book, she imagines them crossing the Atlantic to New York where they start working in showbusiness before losing all their money and being forced to rob a bank.

But she added: "They get reunited in the end, so it has a happy ending."

The awards were judged by a panel of schoolchildren on December 13 at the British Library in London.

Denise Kennedy, of Nestle, said: "At the heart of the Nestle children's Book Prize are the children involved, with over 37,000 taking part this year.

"Good children's books fire the imagination and we are proud that the prize has, for 22 years, helped children to develop a lifelong love of books, reading and learning."

q=cnione.meakin@nqo.com