Younger Readers (8-11) Shortlist
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The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French, illustrated by Ross Collins
About the book
All is not well in the crumbling castle high above the mountain village of Fracture. The sorceress Lady Lamorna has her heart set on a new robe. It is a very expensive new robe. To get the cash she will stop at nothing, including kidnapping, blackmail and more than a little black magic. But she reckons without the heroic Gracie Gillypot, not to mention a gallant if rather scruffy prince, two chatty bats, the wickedest stepsister ever, a troll with a grudge - and some very Ancient crones.
What the shortlist judges said:
"This modern day gothic fairytale is a real treat, I absolutely loved it!"
About the author
Vivian French is a visiting lecturer at the University of the West of England, and has been a writer in residence in schools reaching from the Orkney Islands to Oklahoma. She was also a regular reviewer for The Guardian for five years.
Vivian worked in children's theatre for ten years as both an actor and writer, and has had plays performed in venues such as the Young Vic Studio in London and the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon. She is now a children's author and story teller; she has been telling stories for more than twenty years in schools, community centres, theatres - wherever there are people to listen.
Her first three stories were published in 1990 and since then she has written more than a hundred books, both fiction and non-fiction. Just recently she has been writing plays again. Read more about Vivian here ...
About the illustrator
Ross Collins was born in Glasgow in 1972 and graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in 1994 with a First in Illustration. In the same year he won the MacMillan Children's Book Prize, an achievement that opened many doors. Ross then spent two years in London before returning to Glasgow, where he spends his time writing and illustrating children's books, and doing animation character development, He has illustrated over thirty children's books and his awards include the Blue Ribbons Award, Scottish Arts Council Book Award, Wild Raven Award and Oppenheim Award. Read more about Ross here ...
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