The shortlisted titles for this year's Scottish Book Awards were announced last week by the Scottish Book Trust. There are three categories for the awards: Bookbug Readers (3 - 7 years); Younger Readers (8 - 11 years) and Older Readers (12 - 16 years). The shortlisted books in each category are:

Bookbug Readers

• Solomon Crocodile by Catherine Rayner
• The Day Louis got Eaten by John Fardell
• Jack and the Flumflum Tree by Julia Donaldson

Younger Readers

• Out of the Depths by Cathy MacPhail
• Soldier's Game by James Killgore
• The World of Norm: May Contain Nuts by Jonathan Meres

Older Readers

• The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• The Prince who Walked with Lions by Elizabeth Laird

Accessible Versions of the Books

For the fourth year in a row, CALL will be producing accessible versions of the books in a variety of formats for pupils with a print disability who are unable to access traditional book formats. We plan to make the books available in the following formats:

Bookbug Readers

• Digital files with human narration for Powerpoint and Clicker

Younger Readers and Older Readers

• Accessible PDF
• Microsoft Word files, allowing people to convert them to Large Print or Braille
• Daisy (full text and audio) for iPad
• Daisy (text only for PC with Amis)

We are currently getting copies of electronic files from the publishers of the books and hope to have the accessible format files ready by the end of the summer.

Taking Part in the Awards Scheme

Pupils in schools throughout Scotland are encouraged to take part in the Awards scheme by voting for their favourite book in their age category. Last year more than 23,000 pupils from throughout Scotland voted for their favourite book. Schools are invited to register to take part by 31st December 2012, with the deadline for voting set as 8th February 2013. Further information is available from the Scottish Book Trust.