Debutant Irish author wins children’s book prize

First-time Irish children’s author Erika McGann has won this year’s Waverton Good Read Children’s Award.

McGann scooped the award for her deliciously spooky debut novel, The Demon Notebook (O'Brien Press), beating 17 other shortlisted titles for the top spot.

McGann said: "I'm so excited The Demon Notebook has won this year's Waverton Good Read Children's Award. It was a fantastic surprise, and I can't wait to visit Waverton and meet all the kids who got reading and voting!'

McGann's magical debut tells the story of Grace and her four best friends who are failed witches but who one night stumble upon real magical powers. But they soon have to battle powerful magical forces beyond their control before tragedy strikes. More young readers will soon fall under the spell of The Demon Notebook as it has been selected as a recommended read in the fantasy/sci-fi category for this year's Read for my School campaign run by Booktrust.

The story continues in the sequel, The Broken Spell, which is out now and the third book in the series, The Watching Wood, will be published in Ireland and Britain in September. US rights for both The Demon Notebook and The Broken Spell have been sold to Sourcebooks, with The Demon Notebook set for publication in the US next month.

Managing director of The O'Brien Press, Ivan O'Brien, commented: "It's always a particular honour to win an award when the selection is made by the readers themselves, and the children of Waverton had a great selection of books to choose from. We are delighted that they selected The Demon Notebook, and immensely proud of Erika McGann, whose great characters and storytelling are very impressive for a debut author.'

The Waverton Good Read Children’s Award was established in 2010 and is awarded to a debut British or Irish author. It is judged by 9- to 11-year-olds from local schools in Waverton.

McGann grew up in Drogheda, Co Louth, and now lives in Dublin. She has a respectable job, very normal friends and rarely dabbles in witchcraft.