Younger Readers (8-11) shortlist
DarkIsle
by D. A. Nelson
About the book
For 10-year-old Morag, there's nothing magical about the cellar of her cruel foster parents' home. But that's where she meets Aldiss, a talking rat, and his resourceful companion, Bertie the dodo. She jumps at the chance to run away and join them on their race against time to save their homeland from the evil warlock Devlish, who is intent on destroying it. But first, Bertie and Aldiss will need to stop bickering long enough to free the only guide who knows where to find Devlish: Shona, a dragon who's been turned to stone.
Together, these four friends begin their journey to a mysterious dark island beyond the horizon, where danger and glory await - along with clues to the disappearance of Morag's parents, whose destiny seems somehow linked to her own...
What the shortlist judges said:
"The young reader is quickly transported into an exciting Scottish world where fantasy and reality mix but where will it all end? A captivating read for Junior readers."
About the author
D A Nelson was born in Glasgow and started her career as a journalist on local newspapers, going on to work for some national newspapers before jumping ship into PR. Dawn's first novel, DarkIsle, is an exciting children's fantasy set in the West of Scotland and ending up on the mythical island of Murst. The book was inspired by the dragon on Irvine Beach - a sculpture by artist Roy Fitzsimmons - and one that Dawn has always loved.
The novel has also caught the imagination of publishers worldwide, selling - along with its sequel - to major publishing houses in the USA, Germany, Italy, Spain, Korea and Japan. She is currently working on the sequel to DarkIsle, which is due out in autumn 2008 and later on this year will start the third in the DarkIsle trilogy (due out next year). Read more about Dawn here ...
