Maureen Johnson is crowned Queen of Teen

During a glitzy and glamorous awards ceremony, teen fiction author Maureen Johnson was crowned Queen of Teen on Friday 6th July.

The Queen of Teen award is one of the most sought-after accolades for teen and tween fiction authors and the shortlist was packed with some of the biggest and best in the genre. The shortlist featured SC Ransom, James Dawson, Hayley Long, Cathy Cassidy, Cathy Hopkins, Joanna Nadin, Sarah Webb, Samantha Mackintosh, Chris Higgins and Maureen Johnson, who is this year's winner.

The Queen of Teen award was originally set up in 2008 and is designed to pay homage to the best tween and teen authors in the business and celebrate the best in teen fiction. Every year, the shortlist is nominated by children aged 9-18 who then vote for their favourite author from the list.

Maureen Johnson is the incredibly talented author of eight young adult novels, her latest being 'The Name of the Star', an edgy novel following a Jack the Ripper-style killer loose on the streets of London and its effects on Rory, a Louisiana girl that's recently moved to a boarding school in the city.

The awards ceremony itself was planned to perfection, with a number of the shortlisted authors' super fans getting a chance to meet their favourite writers on the day. The fans were all picked from those that helped to nominate authors for the shortlist and they got to be paired with their favourite author on the ride over to the awards venue in a stylish pink limo, which matched the dress code of 'Fierce in Fuschia'.

After being crowned Queen of Teen, the USA-born Maureen Johnson said: "I am thrilled to be crowned Queen of Teen UK. I look forward to bringing some American blood to your royal line. It is true we rebelled against the very idea of a crown, but I am prepared to put that aside and rule with a fair and temperate hand, and not to fire a few triumphant rounds in the air during the ceremony.

"And as my first official words as Queen, I would like to say, YEEEEEHAAAAW!"

Maureen also jokingly asked if being crowned Queen of Teen meant she would now be able to have her own money and stamps printed.

Online book store the Book People, which stocks all kinds of cheap fiction including great books for kids and teenagers, currently has stock of the shortlisted authors’ works, as well as Maureen Johnson’s latest novel.

Visit www.queenofteen.co.uk to find out more about the award. Those interested in buying the books can head to www.thebookpeople.co.uk now.

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About the Book People:
The Book People is one of the UK’s fastest growing online retailers of affordable books for all, selling an extensive collection of travel books, books for children, autobiographies, cheap fiction, reference books and more. Founded in 1988, the Book People has rapidly grown into the virtual bookshop of choice, offering discounts of up to 75 per cent on the best books online.

Customers can buy books online, by mail order, at the Book People’s book events and through their distributor network, which delivers to schools, organisations and offices all over the UK – bringing the best books directly to you each week.


For further information, please contact:
Donna Stevenson
Public Relations & Events
The Book People Ltd
Tel: 01483 412 612
Mob: 07747 440 587