The countdown has begun to the Angus Book Award for 2007. More than 500 S3 pupils gathered at Montrose Academy at the begining of December to see last year’s winner, Graham Joyce, kick-start the event.
Over the coming months, pupils will read their way through the shortlist of books before voting for their favourite in a secret ballot.
This year, the shortlist features three novels by authors new to the Angus Book Award and a return by two authors previously shortlisted - Alan Gibbons, 2004, and Theresa Breslin, 1996.
The shortlist is: Divided City by Theresa Breslin, which explores loyalty, prejudice and the ugliness of sectarianism.
Candy by Kevin Brooks, a walk on the wilder side through the dark world of drug addiction and prostitution.
Hold On by Sue Mayfield, which exposes the raw emotional wounds of those who are scarred by the events of one winter night.
The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgwick, which takes the reader on a journey through the gift of foresight and its consequences in a dark novel of Gothic spirit.
The 2007 winner will be announced on May 15.
