What's being said results Well, what a sharp lot you are! And given that many of you are no longer in the first bloom of youth, your cynicism in the face of the grave is most impressive. We had such a good time judging the competition that we thought we'd share the whole shortlist. There was much squabbling, as usual, about the winner. But since the votes ended up shared equally between Clare, Rita, G Baluch and Paul, we tossed for it in the end. Clare won, which pleased Anne Fine a lot (although she herself was agonising between Rita and G Baluch) because Clare's the only one of the top four we know can't yet be earning her own living. Clare will shortly be receiving her book token prize for: "I wouldn't recommend reading it whilst you're driving, though." Clare Falconer (14) The shortlist comprised: "I'm afraid the plot is a little too deep for my liking." Rita Pirouet (48) "I see the Gideons have been." G. Baluch (28) "Vicar, This is Your Life!"   Paul Bennett (?) "This new diet book certainly worked for me." Marc Falconer (13) "Well, what did you expect a ghost writer to look like?" Simon (31) "Excuse me, but I prefer the Living Bible translation, not the King James. Please, use mine." Greg Redman (?) "I've finally finished War and Peace, so could you take it back to the Library, please!" Hazel (55) "Can you take this back to the library for me? It's dead late!" John  (34) "Signed copy of my biography, Vicar?" Paul Foreman - (38) "Finished! Not a bad read, but far too many 'begats'!" Jill Garratt (?) "I've heard of hand-me-downs, but hand-me-ups?? I'm at a grave disadvantage!!!" Helen Willers (25) "Have you read "Six Feet Under", by Doug A. Grave?" David Bailey (30) "Dead men tell no tales!"  Michelle (25) "It's only in skeleton form at the moment." Michael  (73) "I thought it was a book to die for, but I was gravely mistaken!" Susie Schofield (42) "There's no body to the plot." C Higgins  (39) The Book I won't be taking on holiday Well, you certainly spilled out your bile on this one, and when it came to the chosen few we're afraid we gave in to the trend. With such a startling number of Harry Haters, we thought the prize really ought to go to Amy. "I will not be taking the new Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince because wherever I went someone else would already have a copy for me to borrow and would be brandishing it and bragging at how they had camped outside a bookshop for 3 weeks in order to get their hands on it first." (Amy, 37 and a tiny bit) But we were also much taken by two other fine literary grumps: Karl, who wrote: "Anything by Charles Dickens. Yeah, yeah, literary master, yada yada yada... He can't even describe blinking without taking up four and a half paragraphs." And Steve's was so heartfelt, we've had to translate it into something suitable for our family website: "About a Boy - 'cos it's (absolutely) (rubbish)!"   LUNAR LIBRARY COMPETITION RESULTS Which five books would you place in a home library on the moon? We had some really peculiar entries this month, and when it came to doling out the prizes, we almost came to blows. A lot of us loved Hannah (19)'s  choices. Others thought they were a bit off-beam and would give any Martian a very strange view of our planet. We all agreed that Simon ("Quite old")'s choices are tremendous reads that would keep someone going for quite a long time in the lunar wastes. So we're certainly giving him a prize. But the top prize this time is going to Bernadette (40) - possibly because those of us who are older were outvoted by a host of child judges. (Be sure that won't happen again!)  They sympathised more with her younger reads. (However, Anne wants it on record she voted for Simon.) Bernadette's choices were: Peepo! by Janet and Allan Ahlberg because, if you were on the moon, you might want something cosy and the beautifully detailed pictures are nostalgic and comforting; The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett, because she read it over and over as a child and the family's adventures stuck in her mind;The Flambards Trilogy by K M Peyton, which transported her to another world. She and her friend Nina were both in love with the boy hero (though Bernadette can't even remember his name now, so the sooner she's sent to the moon to reread it, the better.); Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson, because it's so wittily written, and like all Eva Ibbotson's novels for adults or children. a really terrific story with a tender heart; and Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. Bernadette thinks this would be perfect to fill her lonely hours of solitude. "There's so much to ponder and Lyra is such a wonderful heroine." Congratulations to everyone. And because we can't tell you all the suggestions,  here, for the very curious, are the first ten of the suggestions for both adult and children's reads picked out of a hat: Snow White, by the Brothers Grimm. Translated by Paul Heins, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman; Aquila, by Andrew Norriss; The Judge, by Harve Zemach (picture book); The Seeing Stone, by Kevin Crossley-Holland; Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel (early reader); Alan Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking; All Passion Spent, by Vita Sackville West; Time Will Darken It, by William Maxwell; Have the Men had Enough? by Margaret Forster; and The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, by Joseph Bédier.

OTHER PAST COMPETITIONS . . .

"The book that turned me into a reader" Competition

It really is interesting what sort of books turn people into passionate readers. All the entries this time were so different that we were astonished. So, as an experiment, get your teacher (if you're not one yourself) to give up just five minutes of a lesson to trying this brilliant trick to spread enthusiasm:

Turn to the person beside you. Tell your partner about the book you've most enjoyed; after two and half minutes, you shut up and your partner tells you about their favourite for the rest of the five minutes.

That's it. That's all there is to it. But you'll be astonished at the enthusiastic buzz. (Some classes do this so often, it now starts as: "The best book I read last week was....")

Anyhow, here are this month's winners, each of whom receives a signed Anne Fine book. Simon (in third place) shouldn't really be in the list at all. But we couldn't resist giving him his prize for sheer cheek. Don't forget to enter next time. And keep reading, everyone!

Winner Number 1
I'd always read when people made me, but one day my teacher gave me a book called Harry and the Wrinklies, about Harry, who's an orphan. He's rescued from his cruel governess by two mad aunts, and it turns out that they're a gang of old age pensioner bank robbers called The Wrinklies. Harry is brave and tries his hardest to be good, but he sort of gets all swept up in it, and the book gets soooooo exciting that I carried on reading it while I was washing up and even while I was in the bath. It's was written by Alan Temperley. And I enjoyed it so much that now I read all the time.
by Richard Molloy, age 11.

Winner Number 2
Jennings Goes to School
When I finished the Harry Potters, I wanted to read more about boarding school and my granny sent grandpa up in their attic and he fetched down all her old books about Jennings and his friend with spectacles Derbyshire, and they were so funny and like people I know at school, and he has a different adventure in each one, and now I've found about five of them of my own with much newer covers in the Oxfam shop because my granny lets me read hers with red covers when I'm at her house but she won't let me take them to my house because she loves them so much. They're a tiny bit easier than Harry Potter, but they are brilliant. And I think they're even funnier.
Sophie, age 11

Winner Number 3
I was 13 and the book was Magician by Raymond E Feist. I received this book as a bribe off an ex-boyfriend of my mother's when she was having an affair so that I wouldn't tell my dad, because my old man would have kicked the fellow's head in. It was so good, I made the lad cough up for the sequel too...and then told my dad who ran him out of town.
Simon, 28

And, just in case you're wondering, here's Anne Fine's (though we didn't give her a prize - she has enough books of her own):

The Once and Future King by T H White
Around twelve, I discovered this huge book (it's five books put together) telling the story of King Arthur. T H White knew about almost everything: falconry, nature, biology, sports. The woman who wrote his biography said 'he wore his flicker of learning so lightly' and certainly you come out from reading this riveting story knowing so much more about everything.

There's everything in this book, but what I swept me off my feet was his account of the great love triangle between King Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere. These three people all loved each other, and seeing how, through the book, they tried so hard to be true to themselves yet still kind to one another opened my eyes to a whole new world of emotional subtleties. It's a masterpiece. I was so glad I found it when I did.

Punctuation Competition

It was so cheering to see how many of you ended up punctuating the passage correctly. Sadly we can't give everybody prizes, so we put all the correct entries in a hat and got Anne Fine to pick out ten. These lucky winners are being contacted for a delivery address for their book token prizes.

Design a Bookplate

Congratulations to Naomi Hinds, aged 10, the winner of this competition. Naomi's prize is on its way to her. Click here to view Naomi's winning bookplate.

Thanks to everyone who entered this competition: the judges had a hard time picking the winner from amongst some excellent entries, not least Naomi's twin brother, Jacob!

Last Lines Competition

This was the hardest competition to judge. It's not that there were too many entries. In fact, we've decided that a good number of our website visitors must be real slackers on the writing front because far more of you go in for our picture competitions than ones where we ask you to make with the words.

But we have chosen a winner. Rebekah takes the prize because, even at ten years old, she's shown really fine judgement about picking up the tone of what came before. She's wrapped the story up without a wasted word. (It's obvious that some of you don't read through before you press SEND or you'd see how you could tighten things up without losing any of the story.) She's used her wits, kept it interesting, and introduced a deliciously macabre twist to her ending. So here's our story, with Rebekah's winning ending in bold.

It all began a week ago. There I was, lying in bed, when the bear from the B in the alphabet frieze that runs round the walls of my bedroom began to growl. No mistake. I wasn't dreaming.

Next night, the tiger peering out from behind the capital T moved forward and bared its teeth. Then the viper that's coiled around the big and little Vs spat at me with real hatred.

I've told my parents. But they're so sure it's all in my head that they won't stay upstairs with me, to watch and listen. "Nonsense! You're just imagining it. You must be worrying about something. Are you unhappy at school? Are you being bullied?"

This evening, when I looked up from reading to see the crocodile open his jaws even wider, I ran down to the living room, screaming my head off. "All right!" my mother tried to comfort me. "At the weekend we'll peel off that old alphabet frieze and paint your room."

But, "Now!" I insisted. "Tonight!" I heard myself yelling at her. "Do it now!"

So I've been sent to bed, of course, for being rude. And I've been trying not to look. But already the wolf seems to be stirring from his long sleep beside the W, and the spider is flexing her legs. And now, and now...................

.......... and now all the animals are parading through the air down to my bed! The alligator, the lion. There is someone or something breathing down my neck. The monster. What happened to the fairy and the Queen? The monster is dragging me to the frieze.

"Free ussssssssss", hissed the viper. "Free usssssssssss".

"No! No!", I scream.

I am stuck in the frieze under D for death.

I went to a Cats Protection League shop in Aberdeen last week and they had a set of 15 children's encyclopaedias for £7.50. I asked the lady if they would let me have them for £5 because that was all I had and she said "Yes"! The only problem was carrying them to the bus. Now my arms are sore.
Alex, 10

Last week I went to a book sale at the local community hall with my mum. It happens every month and is run by volunteers for Arthritis Care. There were lots of books by Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson, Anne Fine, Jill Murphy, Dick King Smith, Roald Dahl and lots more. All the children's books were 10p each. So with my £5, I could have bought 50 books!!! I wish I could have bought them as that would keep me busy for the summer holidays.
Sanam (7)

My mum takes me to the hospice shop to buy all our books. I bought 2 dolphin books and some school revision books and still had change from £5. My mom can buy six comedy romances for £5. Bargain shopping or what?
Emily (11)

I went to a car boot sale recently and found lots of children's early learning books. I bought 20 books altogether for my daughter, who is two. The books cost from 10p to 30p and they were in very good condition. I also bought waterproof short story books which can be read in the bath. I bought all the books as reading is so important these days, and it is something which can be enjoyed with parent and child. With all the new gadgets and changes that are being made in the way that people learn, I'm so glad that books are still a part of everyone's life and that they are still being enjoyed year after year.
M Todd (adult entry)

I went to the charity shop on the high street. I bought three books - one of them was new. I got A Puffin Year of Stories and Poems (this was the new one); Harry Potter - Chamber of Secrets; and finally Caterpillars Dream, which is for little ones, I bought it for my little sister, Shannon. I spent £4.75 altogether. It was fun.
Gabrielle, 6
(Note from Mum: She dictated to me, I typed for her!)

Round the corner to me is the Salvation Army charity shop. I felt a bit nervous about going in as everyone was old (people my nan's age). By the door was a big book display and all the books were 30p. I bought a Simpsons book. The shop people were nice. I will definitely go back.
Matt (10)

Mummy bought my brother Giles (4) and me Walking with Dinosaurs. She got it for £2.50 at Help the Aged and it is brand new!! We love dinosaurs and mummy lets us see the video of it, too and it's our favourite.
Angus (5)

I managed to buy a variety of books, in fact the charity shop was selling five books for £1. This way I bought 25 assorted books which all ages can enjoy.
Sharon Davies (adult entry)