A futuristic thriller about human cloning has been named by school pupils in Cumbria as their favourite book at an event near Penrith today.

Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie topped the poll at the seventh annual Spellbinding Award Day, where pupils aged 11-14 from 36 secondary schools across the county were asked to vote for their favourite from three shortlisted novels and discuss their experiences of the books. The two other finalists were The Declaration by Gemma Malley and Ways To Live Forever by Sally Nicholls.

The event, which is organised by Cumbria County Council’s Library Services for Schools and sponsored by the University of Cumbria, took place at the Penrith campus of the University of Cumbria. It was attended by around 80 pupils and compered by Niall de Burca, one of Ireland’s finest traditional storytellers. 

Cllr Roger Bingham, recently elected Chairman of Cumbria County Council, also attended the event. He said:

"I'm delighted that so many young people in Cumbria have taken part in this event. It has reaffirmed my faith that young people today are often wrongfully dismissed as computer game-playing TV addicts who are far too busy Twittering and texting to read a proper book. The levels of enthusiasm and interest I have seen generated today confirms that books are still very much a part of youth culture. The readers of today are the writers of tomorrow."

ENDS

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