Bursting with opinion - The Guardian

Bursting with opinion

The Guardian Young Critics Competition 2012 Your chance to be the critic The Guardian is pleased to celebrate the best of this year’s children’s fiction, and invite young readers to take part in a competition to share their views on the nominated books. Anyone aged 17 and under can enter by writing a 200-word review of one of the books longlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2012. Write your review of the book of your choice from our longlist below: A Boy and a Bear in a Boat, by Dave Shelton, David Fickling Books Bullet Boys, by Ally Kennen, Marion Lloyd Books Dying to Know You, by Aidan Chambers, Random House Children’s Publishers UK The Abominables, by Eva Ibbotson, Marion Lloyd Books A Greyhound of a Girl, by Roddy Doyle, Marion Lloyd Books The Unforgotten Coat, by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Walker Books Ltd Soonchild, by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Alexis Deacon, Walker Books Ltd Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos, Random House Children’s Publishers UK

The 10 winning entries will be selected by the Guardian’s children’s books site editor Michelle Pauli and children’s editor Julia Eccleshare.

How to enter There are two ways to enter: 1. Enter on your own by sending your review of your chosen book to the address overleaf. 2. Enter as part of a school group. If you and no fewer than three of your classmates all submit reviews, the school that is judged to have made the strongest overall entry will win the opportunity to spend a day at the Guardian, where up to 30 students will have a chance to edit and print the day’s news at the Education Centre, on Wednesday 24 October 2012. A selection of the winning entries will be printed in the Guardian during September.

The prizes The 10 individual winners will each receive a £20 National Book Token gift card plus a set of the eight longlisted books. The winning class will visit the Guardian Education Centre and receive a set of the eight longlisted books and a £150 National Book Token. Welcomed by booklovers and bookshops everywhere Inspiring Choice

Send us your entry now! Entry form

Get your 200 word review in by 24 September 2012

First name: ........................................................................................................................................ Last name: ......................................................................................................................................... I am ...................................................... years old. My date of birth is .......... / .......... / .......... My parent/carer’s name ............................................................................................................... Contact telephone number: ....................................................................................................... Email: ................................................................................................................................................ My address is: .................................................................................................................................. Town: ......................................................... County: ....................................................................... Postcode: ........................................................................................................................................... Home telephone number: .......................................................................................................... If you are entering on behalf of your school so your class can win a trip to the Guardian Education Centre, ask your teacher to fill in the section below: Teacher’s name: ............................................................................................................................. Class name and school year: ..................................................................................................... School address: ................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................ Contact telephone number: ....................................................................................................... Email: ................................................................................................................................................

Please attach your 200 word review of your selected book securely to this form. Both handwritten and typed entries are accepted.

The deadline for entries is Monday 24 September 2012.

Send us your entry Send it!

By post to: The Guardian Young Critics Competition, Claire Armitstead, books editor, Guardian and Observer, Culture Hub, 2nd Floor, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU

By email: Send your entry to [email protected] : Please write Young Critics Competition in the subject field of the email. If you have not had an acknowledgement within a week please resend your entry. Please state your age and contact details, along with your parent/carer’s contact details clearly in the email if you are aged 13 or under.

The deadline for entries is Monday 24 September 2012 For further information and extra copies of the entry form visit: guardian.co.uk/childrensbooks

Do you love books? Then the Guardian children’s books site is the place for you! Designed and written by kids, for kids, it’s packed full of reviews, interviews with your favourite authors, quizzes, discussions and competitions. You can also join the club to get more involved and receive exclusive member offers and opportunities via our fortnightly newsletter.

guardian.co.uk/childrensbooks

TERMS & CONDITIONS: 1.Entries must be all your own work. 2.The judges’ decision is final. 3.The closing date is Monday 24 September 2012. 4.Winners will be contacted by telephone in October. Only successful entrants will be contacted. 5.The prize for 10 individual winners is a set of the 8 longlisted books nominated for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2012 plus a £20 National Book token gift card for themselves. The prize for the best overall school entry will be a visit for up to 30 students to the Guardian Education Centre on Wednesday 24 October 2012, plus a set of the 8 longlisted books for the class. 6.This competition is not open to employees of Guardian News and Media, their families, or anyone connected with the creation or administration of the promotion. 7.Entrants must be aged 17 and under. Those entrants aged 13 and under must provide Guardian News and Media with contact details for their parent/carer. 8.We regret we are unable to finance travel for the school trip to the Education Centre. 9.The prizes are as stated, and no cash alternative will be offered. 10.Entries will not be returned. 11.By participating in this Competition and submitting an entry, the entrant hereby warrants that he/she owns all rights in such material. You also grant GNM a royalty-free, perpetual, exclusive licence to use and reproduce each entered story without restriction in any and all media, including for the purposes of the Competition, for commercial use, for publication on any websites and Facebook pages of GNM and its related companies, and for use in the promotional and advertising materials of GNM and its related companies. GNM will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek your permission in connection with any use or exploitation of the story and shall be entitled to sublicence the use of the story. By entering this Competition you also, where possible under law, waive any and all moral rights that you may enjoy in connection with the story. The entrant agrees to take all necessary action and sign all necessary documentation to give effect to this section.