Each year the top Carnegie medal is awarded to the author of an outstanding book for children and young people.

As part of the nationwide process of deciding on the winner, since the beginning of the summer term Year 7 to Year 10 students of Holsworthy Community College, along with their contemporaries throughout the country, have been reading and discussing eight books on a shortlist selected by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.

Last Wednesday, 17 of them joined with students from other North Devon schools at the Roundswell Centre in Barnstaple where they gave a presentation on a book selected by librarian Christine Wade, 'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman.

The story is about a boy named Nobody Owens who, after his family is killed by a mysterious man, is adopted and raised by the occupants of a graveyard.

Preparations for the presentation were under the guidance of student teacher Oliver Brown and involved discussing the book, visiting the parish church cemetery and acting out characters in the novel while dressed in Victorian costume.

Well known young people's author Kevin Brooks also attended and spoke about how he found inspiration for his plots and characters. Finally, all the students voted for the book and author they wished to receive the medal.

Last Thursday lunch time they gathered in the college library where the moment came for English teacher Jean Pitt to open an envelope containing the title and author of the winning book.

There was great excitement when they learnt that 'The Graveyard Book' had won even though for the majority it was not their favourite. All the students received certificates and Rosalind Sharp was awarded a special prize, a pre-publication copy of Kevin Brooks' latest novel 'iBoy' for having written reviews of seven of the eight books on the list.