The awards season is now in full swing, with the revelation of the finalists in the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children & Young Adults.

According to the judges, the quality and diversity of titles submitted for the awards was better this year than ever before. Glenn Colquhoun, convenor of the judging panel, commented that the junior fiction category in particular had grown stronger.

Colquhoun said that books with a good combination of text and pictures aimed at readers in this age group were becoming more prevalent. He also observed that themes based around historical events and biography were more popular across all categories, with far less of the previous years' focus on 'apocalyptic' stories.

The winners will be announced on 13 May 2004 at a ceremony in the Grand Hall at Parliament. The winner of each category is awarded $5,000 and the opportunity to win the supreme award, the New Zealand Post Book of the Year, worth an extra $5,000.

The finalists are:

JUNIOR FICTION

• Juggling With Mandarins by V M Jones (HarperCollins)
• The Serpents Of Arakesh: Book One - The Karazan Quartet by V M Jones (HarperCollins)
• My Story: Journey To Tangiwai - The Diary Of Peter Cotterill, Napier 1953 by David Hill (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Evil Fred by Kylie Begg illustrated by Jacob Leaf (Scholastic New Zealand)
• Fred The (Quite) Brave Mouse by Murray Ball (Scholastic New Zealand)

NON FICTION

• To The Max: A Teen Reader's Version Of No Mean Feat by Mark Inglis (Random House New Zealand)
• A Bird In The Hand: Keeping New Zealand Wildlife Safe by Janet Hunt (Random House New Zealand)
• The Life-Size Guide To New Zealand Wildflowers by Andrew Crowe (Penguin Books)
• Pick Up A Pack: A Guide To Tramping And Camping The New Zealand Way by Keith Olsen (Reed Publishing)
• I Am An Insect by Dr Simon Pollard (Reed Publishing)

PICTURE BOOK

• Selafina by Catherine Hannken, illustrated by Trish Bowles (Mallinson Rendel)
• Cuthbert's Babies by Pamela Allen (Viking)
• Grandpa And Thomas by Pamela Allen (Viking)
• Enough Is Enough! by Scott Willis, illustrated by Jenna Packer (Scholastic Australia)
• Oh Hogwash, Sweet Pea! by Ngareta Gabel, illustrated by Ali Teo and Astrid Jensen (Huia Publishers)

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

• Lin And The Red Stranger by Ken Catran (Random House New Zealand)
• Watermark by Penelope Todd (Longacre Press)
• Thunder Road by Ted Dawe (Longacre Press)
• No Safe Harbour by David Hill (Mallinson Rendel)
• Tiggie Tompson's Longest Journey by Tessa Duder (Puffin)