Nicola Davies' HOME has been shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award for the best debut children's novel.

The winner will be announced on 29th June 2006.

The eagerness of publishers to find new talent is apparent from the high number of entries with 48 debut novels being submitted for consideration this year - a staggering increase since this prize was established in 2000.

The seven titles on the shortlist are:

Home by Nicola Davies, edited by Caz Royds (Walker)
A Dog Called Grk by Joshua Doder, edited by Audrey Adams (Andersen Press)
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge, edited by Ruth Alltimes (Macmillan)
The Burying Beetle by Ann Kelley, edited by Jennie Renton (Luath Press)
Century by Sarah Singleton, edited by Venetia Gosling (Simon & Schuster)
Hellbent by Anthony McGowan, edited by Shannon Park (Doubleday)
Barkbelly by Cat Weatherill, edited by Yvonne Hooker (Puffin)

The annual Branford Boase Award celebrates the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first-time novelist, and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new authors. The author may have published other books in another genre - for example, poetry or a picture book - but eligibility for the prize requires that this is her or his first children's novel. In addition to drawing attention to fresh talent in the field of children's books and encouraging publishers to find and promote new writers, the Award sets out to alert readers of all ages to the work of an interesting newcomer. The contribution of the Editor in the writing process is also acknowledged and promoted in this Award.

The Branford Boase Award was set up in memory of the outstanding children's writer Henrietta Branford and the gifted editor, Wendy Boase, Editorial Director of Walker Books. They worked together on a number of books, a partnership they greatly enjoyed. They both died of cancer in 1999.