A CEREMONY of children's books had a touch of the Oscars, with a golden envelope revealing the winner.
More than 750 youngsters voted for their best read out of a shortlist of five.
Dominic Barker, author of Blart, made the winners speech at a ceremony in Eaglescliffe.
In its 11th year, the Stockton Children's Book of the Year celebrated the best in children's fiction.
Laurayne Featherstone, libraries and information services manager, said: "It's like our version of the Oscars. We take it really seriously, and the winning name is concealed in a gold evnelope.
"A lot of time and effort has been put into this, and ceremony is the icing on the cake."
Twenty-four schools in Stockton borough took part. The other titles in the shortlistwere:
* The Howling Tower by Michael Coleman
* I Coriander by Sally Gardner
* The Secret Country by Jane Johnson
* The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake
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