Shortlist 2014

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Author: Elen Caldecott

Title: The Great Ice-Cream Heist

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's | ISBN: 9781408820506

You Said: This is a warm, funny adventure about sticking up for your friends.

What's it about? 'Those McIntyres are nothing but trouble!' When the McIntyre family moves in next door, Eva is intrigued - it is the first interesting thing to happen for ages. But her ever protective Dad - even more protective since Eva's mum died - does not agree. And the McIntyres are certainly noisy! But Eva is curious about Jamie, who she often sees on the roof of his garden shed, escaping the family chaos.

Then Eva gets to know Jamie a bit better. And when he is accused of vandalising the local park, Eva is sure he didn't do it. It is up to Eva to stick up for him - but then Jamie disappears. Eva is now in a race against time, which snowballs into a helterskelter race with a 'borrowed' ice cream van, lots of irate keep-fit enthusiasts and lashings of ice-cream!

Author: Katherine Rundell

Title: Rooftoppers

Publisher: Faber Children's | ISBN: 9780571280599

You Said: This is a beautiful story about pursuing your dreams.

What's it about? Everyone tells Sophie she was orphaned in a shipwreck. But Sophie is convinced her mother also survived. When no one believes her, Sophie sets out to prove them wrong. On the run from the authorities, Sophie finds Matteo and the other rooftoppers - children who live in the sky. In a race across the rooftops of Paris, will they help her find her mother, before it's too late?

Author: John Boyne

Title: The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket

Publisher: Random House Children's | ISBN: 9780857531469

You Said: This is a warm, moving and imaginative tale of an unusual boy struggling to be accepted for his differences.

What's it about? There's nothing unusual about the Brockets. Normal, respectable, and proud of it, they turn up their noses at anyone strange or different. But from the moment Barnaby Brocket comes into the world, it's clear he's anything but ordinary. To his parents' horror, Barnaby defies the laws of gravity - and floats.

Desperate to please his parents, Barnaby does his best to keep both feet on the ground - but he just can't do it. One fateful day, the Brockets decide enough is enough. They never asked for a weird, abnormal, floating child. Barnaby has to go...

Betrayed, frightened and alone, Barnaby floats into the path of a very special hot air balloon - and so begins a magical journey around the world, with a cast of extraordinary new friends.

Author: Megan Rix

Title: The Bomber Dog

Publisher: Puffin | ISBN: 9780141347899

You Said: This is a gripping and heartwarming story about a brave puppy who joins the paratroopers during the Second World War and becomes a heroic war dog.

What's it about? GREY is just a puppy when he arrives at the War Dog Training school. NATHAN, his trainer, is a brave young soldier. WOLF is a war dog who's seen it all. Grey and Nathan soon become inseparable. Until the day a parachute jump goes tragically wrong...

As the Second World War rages, Grey faces his most important mission yet: to find his best friend. With Wolf at his side, he must journey across France and behind enemy lines. His path is fraught with danger.

Can he reach Nathan before it's too late?

Author: Anne-Marie Conway

Title: Forbidden Friends

Publisher: Usborne | ISBN: 9781409561903

You Said: This is an enchanting tale of love, betrayal, and most of all, friendship.

What's it about? When Lizzie and Bee meet on holiday, it feels as if they were always meant to be friends. Escaping their parents and exploring, everything seems perfect in the hot summer sun. As the two girls grow closer, however, strange questions rise to the surface. Is Lizzie an only child? Why has Bee's dad disappeared? And why, as the holiday comes to an end, are the two girls forbidden from seeing each other again? Could one dark secret from the past hold the answer? Could one fateful night keep Lizzie and Bee apart... forever?