Annabel Pitcher scoops children's book award

Annabel Pitcher has scooped the 2012 Branford Boase Award, which recognises the best debut children's novel published in the UK, with her acclaimed book My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece.

The novel had been shortlisted for a number of children's book awards, including the CILIP Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and was described as 'practically perfect' by the Branford Boase judging panel.

It tells the story of a young boy's struggle to come to terms with the death of his sister in a terrorist bombing and was a deserved winner, according to Julia Eccleshare, chair of the judges and children's books editor at the Guardian.

'The judges felt that My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece is a practically perfect novel. The writing is excellent, the difficult premise is handled with great skill and Pitcher absolutely captures the voice of ten-year-old Jamie,' she added.

Pitcher, who held a number of jobs after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English before finally settling on writing, said she was 'beyond thrilled' to win.

'My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece started off as scribbles in a notepad and to see it now as a published book, winning this prize, makes me very proud indeed,' added the author, who picks up a cheque for GBP 1,000, as well as a unique, hand-crafted, silver-inlaid box.