Library: Red Dot Books: 2010-2011: Winners & Shortlists

Two unseen characters argue about whether the creature they are looking at is a rabbit or a duck.

"Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well!" Chloe sees Mr Stink every day, but she's never spoken to him. Which isn't surprising, because he's a tramp, and he stinks. But there's more to Mr Stink than meets the eye (or nose) and before she knows it, Chloe has an unusual new friend hiding in her garden shed. As Chloe struggles to keep Mr Stink a secret, and her dad tries to hide a secret of his own, the stage is set for an epic family confrontation. But there's one other person with a an extraordinary secret -- Mr Stink himself!

Luke is having a rough year. When his parents split up, his mum drags him to Phoenix, a brand-new town in the middle of nowhere.

But Phoenix is no ordinary town. There are no cars, no phones and no internet. Luke thinks this is as weird as it gets.

Then he discovers that someone is plotting to wipe out the human race. Phoenix is suddenly the safest and most dangerous place on earth.

And the clock is already ticking.

There are 100 days until the end of the world.

The author details how he ignored naysayers and was able to bring electricity and running water to his Malawian village when he built a makeshift windmill out of scrap metal and spare parts.

In the searing heat of an unnamed South American city, a gang of child-thieves runs wild. Demi has the gift of speed – he can pick a pocket and be gone before his victim has even noticed he was there. Baz is his lookout – no one sees her unless she wants them to. It’s like a game: dodging the law, keeping one step ahead, being the fastest, the cleverest, the best. But one day, almost by accident, they steal a dazzling, beautiful, priceless jewel - and make a very dangerous enemy.