Donnelly is 2003 Carnegie Medal winner

A Gathering Light, Jennifer Donnelly, os a moving and unforgettable story of life in the Adirondack Mountains, in upstate New York at the turn of the 20th Century. The central character, Mattie struggles to choose between family duty and her burning desire for education and a better life. Her story is cleverly interwoven with a murder mystery which unfolds after the mysterious death of a woman guest at the hotel where Mattie works. This captivating novel is beautifully structured and perfectly captures the mood of time and place with many varied and vivid characters.

Those that nearly made it:

David Almond The Fire Eaters, ISBN: 0340773820 (Age range: 10+). Set at the time of the Cuban missile crisis, Bobby Burns tells the story of two transforming months of his life. Months when the world appears to be on the brink of a third world war, his home life seems to be falling apart and he meets the Fire-Eater. Almond’s writing is seamless, and evokes a strong sense of time and place. He cleverly juxtaposes world issues with domestic ones, and the characters and images live with you long after the last page.

Mark Haddon The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, ISBN: 0099456761 (Age range: 12+). This is a book of great originality and conviction, about Christopher, a teenager who has Asperger’s Syndrome. The reader is completely sucked into his world, and experiences all his strange fears and obsessions, and total recall of detail. An outstanding use of visual images, and a vivid sense of what is going on in Christopher’s head enables the reader to understand the emotional turmoil which he cannot make sense of for himself.

Elizabeth Laird The Garbage King, ISBN: 0330415026 (Age range: 10+). This story of two homeless boys in Ethiopia - one rich one poor - who join a street gang explores loyalty, friendship and family relationships. The clarity of the prose, and quality of the storytelling make this an utterly compelling read. With its convincing descriptions Laird’s writing evokes a strong sense of place and characters the reader really cares about.

Michael Morpurgo Private Peaceful, ISBN: 0007150067 (Age range: 10+). This is a moving, sensitively told story which follows the Peaceful brothers Tommo and Charlie from their early village childhood to the trenches of the First World War. A beautifully written novel, which contrasts bittersweet childhood memories with the horrors of war. Told in the first person it alternates between past and present, creating both humour and heartache and building tension for its dramatic and thought-provoking conclusion.

Linda Newbery Sisterland, ISBN: 038560470X (Age range: 13+). This substantial novel moves skilfully and smoothly between Germany just before the Second World War and contemporary England, exploring issues of identity, secrets and betrayal. It offers a multi-stranded plot that is beautifully held together through the quality of the writing.