Shortlist announced for children’s fiction prize

Kids read the darndest things. Judging by the Guardian children’s fiction prize shortlist, which was announced over the weekend, young readers are enjoying books about cloning, art history, subversive printing presses, and environmental devastation. These heady subjects are, of course, explored through captivating characters and thrilling story lines. It’s quite the list of outstanding juvenile lit:

• Blown Away, by Patrick Cave
• Framed, by Frank Cottrell
• Fly By Night, by Frances Hardinge
• A Darkling Plain, by Philip Reeve

If you’re like me, you’ll want to share these intriguing books with the kids in your life—and maybe one or two with that part of yourself that enjoys the Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl books.