Posted: Wednesday 26 October 2011
High School pupils cast vote in Science Book Prize
Pupils from the High School of Dundee are helping to choose the winner of this year’s Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious awards for science writing.
Schools and youth groups across the UK are currently voting for their favourite book from a shortlist of six, chosen by an expert adult panel of educationalists and scientists.
Twelve pupils from L6 (P6) to F2 (S2) read the six shortlisted books, and presented their findings to an audience of parents and staff at a special event in the High School’s library.
The panel of pupils said: “We really enjoyed judging all the books because they were so interesting. It was difficult to choose a winner because they were all really fascinating but working in a group gave all of us the chance to say what we thought and pick out the bits that we liked best.”
The book selected by the High School of Dundee panel was What Goes On In My Head by Robert Winston, published by Dorling Kindersley.
Professor Michael Lockwood FRS, Chair of this year’s judges, who selected the shortlist, said: "These books cover a huge range of science - from the science of the human body to the stunning story of the universe - but they all have one thing in common, making science exciting, fun and accessible to younger readers. We can't wait to see what the real experts - the young people who will be choosing the winner - make of them."
The Royal Society is the UK’s national academy of science. Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as a provider of independent scientific advice, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency.
The six books shortlisted by the judging panel are:
· The Icky Sticky Blood and Snot Book by Steve Alton and Nick Sharratt (Bodley Head)
· What's the Point of Being Green? by Jacqui Bailey (Franklin Watts)
· How the World Works by Christiane Dorion and illustrated by Beverly Young (Templar Publishing)
· What Mr Darwin Saw by Mick Manning and Brita Granström (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
· The Story of Astronomy and Space Published by Usborne
· What Goes On In My Head by Robert Winston (Dorling Kindersley)
The Prize is worth £10,000 to the winning author and £1,000 to the author of each shortlisted title. The winner of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize will be announced towards the end of the year.
The attached photograph shows members of the judging panel and the shortlisted books with (back row, L – R): Catherine Owens, School Librarian, Rob Petrie, Deputy Head of the Junior School, and Sarah Fletcher, Head of Physics at the High School, who organised the event.