About The Hampshire Book Award

An annual award for the best paperback fiction title published in the previous year for the 11-14 age group.

The judges of the award are Year 8 students from participating schools (secondary schools subscribing to the School Library Service). The students are involved in every stage of the award, from selection of both the long and short lists to the final vote for the winning author.
Many schools participate in regional HBA events during the voting period and representatives from all schools are invited to the final voting and discussion day in June.

The shortlist of six titles is announced in March with the winner announced in June.
The winning author is then invited to a presentation at Winchester Guildhall in the Autumn.

Aims of the award

• To promote the enjoyment of reading
• To foster a reading ethos within the school
• To draw attention to the most rewarding and accessible fiction for the age group
• To challenge students to critically assess books and to make a reasoned argument in group discussions.

Shortlisted titles 2012

• Burning Secrets - Clare Chambers
• Outlaw - Stephen Davies
• Reckless by Cornelia Funke
• Theodore Boone - John Grisham
• Half Brother - Kenneth Oppel
• Angel - L.A. Weatherly

Previous Winners

• 2011 Time Riders by Alex Scarrow
• 2010 Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• 2009 Dogfight by Craig Simpson
• 2008 Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
• 2007 Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• 2006 The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
• 2005 Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
• 2004 A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird
• 2003 Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz