De Goldi wins top children's book award 

Source: ONE NewsKate De Goldi's book The 10PM Question has won the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award

Kate De Goldi has won New Zealand's highest accolade in children's and young adult writing, taking out the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award for her novel, The 10PM Question.

The tale of Frankie Parsons and his somewhat eccentric family and friends enchanted the judging panel, just as it captured readers throughout the country who have kept it on the bestseller lists for months.

The judges convenor, Bill Nagelkerke says the judges predict The 10PM Question will become an enduring classic.

The 10PM Question also took the Young Adult Fiction category prize at a gala ceremony in the Auckland Museum on Wednesday night.

The judging panel which also included career-bookseller, Jenni Keestra and children's writer and reviewer, Rosemary Tisdall, said they thoroughly relished the opportunity to read nearly everything that was published for New Zealand children and young adults in 2008.

The winners in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:

Picture Book
Roadworks written by Sally Sutton and illustrated by Brian Lovelock. (Walker Books).

Honour Award
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig written by Diana Neild and illustrated by Philip Webb. (Scholastic New Zealand).

Non-fiction
Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious by Gregory O'Brien (Auckland University Press).

Junior Fiction
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby. (HarperCollins Publishers).

Best First Book Award
Violence 101 by Denis Wright.  (Penguin Group New Zealand).

Young Adult Fiction and New Zealand Post Book of the Year
The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi. (Longacre Press).

Children's Choice Award
The Were-Nana written by Melinda Szymanik and illustrated by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson (Scholastic New Zealand).

The winner of each category was awarded with $7,500.  The winner of the New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award took home an extra $7,500.  The winner of the Best First Book and the Children's Choice Award received prize money of $2,000 each.

An honour award was presented in the picture book category this year.  This award is discretionary and is awarded in recognition of particular features in a book.  The honour award recipient received a monetary award of $500.