Pupils at St Mary’s College in Crosby have been involved in a major reading initiative inked to one of the country’s leading awards for children’s literature.

The students have been taking part in the ‘shadowing’ scheme run by the organisers of the annual Carnegie Medal competition.

This award is presented by children’s librarians to the writer of the year’s outstanding new book for young readers.

The competition - which has been running for more than 70 years - was established in memory of Scottish-born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who set up more than 2,800 libraries across the English speaking world.

The shadowing scheme involves groups reading and discussing the books on the Carnegie Medal shortlist and deciding who they think should win the coveted prize.

These discussion groups were held within St Mary’s and with pupils from other schools prior to the announcement of the 2010 award which has been presented to Neil Gaiman for The Graveyard Book.

This novel - described as ‘a fantastic story full of humour, humanity and wonderfully- drawn characters’ - is about a boy who would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a cemetery, being raised and educated by ghosts!

St Mary’s Librarian Cath Howard commented: “The Carnegie Medal shadowing scheme is a very worthwhile exercise. It helps to get pupils reading the best new books and encourages debate and dialogue about children’s literature.”

Page turners - some of the St Mary's pupils involved in the Carnegie Medal project pictured with a selection of the shortlisted books.

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