Contrasts the complacency of prewar Britain with the nastiness of what was brewing on the Continent. It remains effortlessly readable

Brilliant

One reads it with a feeling of increasing respect for his mastery of the trade. One has the same delight as in watching a first-class cabinet-maker cutting dovetails

A deeply affecting story ... Rooney confidently moves between two narrators and shifting times, vividly recreating Blitz-torn London and the Africa of the same period

This heartfelt debut novel offers a witty twist on a WWII romance

Packed full of warm, spirited prose that captures the mood of doodlebug London, this is a total joy of a debut novel

Wonderful debut novel ... Guaranteed to sweep you away

It is funny, deceptively ambitious, robustly detailed and extremely sad

Add this to your list', 'this vivid story of lost love is tender, funny and hugely entertaining

A work of a singularly outlandish and compassionate imagination...the novel has one shouting its praises to anybody who is within earshot

Written in a pitchy, crystal-sharp prose, this is a compelling read that uses the Australian landscape to mirror its characters' equally unforgiving emotional terrain

Manages to create a confidently uneasy and gripping atmosphere

Its richness of prose is evocative

It is every inch the assured and stunning debut that everyone suggests

Wyld is a languorous writer with great skill in characterisation...will delight

This is a young writer with talent to burn

Told with quiet, characterful poise, the noel succeeds in evoking not only Australia's epic geographical landscape, but its literary terrain too summoning echoes of some of that country's finest writers,

This is a highly accomplished first novel. Evie Wyld is not a show off writer. She has a clean, clear prose style which is exactly right in the service if her story, and the best ear for dialogue in a long time.

Wyld's debut novel dissects the misery that seeps inexorably from one generation to the next

Wyld can write very well, in a vivid descriptive style reminiscent of Tim Winton's.

Wyld's superb skills at portraying a hot, dusty landscape and her psychological insight will pull you inexorably in.

Superb assured first novel about fathers and sons. Pitch-perfect prose

A very impressive first novel. Wise and wry, it uses its Australian bush setting to great effect, Wyld's protagonists fleeing there from wars, both literal and familial. She writes great characters and makes you love them as she nails them.

This is a sad yet beautiful story of fathers and sons, their wars and the things they will never know about each other

A serious work, but one written with humour and a lightness of touch that embraces big questions...it is a book about the faith of our times.

Terry Pratchett's use of language here is funny and exciting. This book delivers adventure, philosophy and satire. Pratchett has written of a very different world from his Discworld series. This is one of the cleverest novels I have read in years.

Nation is a modern tale of enlightenment that can be enjoyed by teenagers and aduls alike. An exceptional read, highly recommended.

An ebullient and entertaining novel of ideas.

Nation, published in 2008 (this year's award catchment runs from August 2008-September 2009), is an extraordinarily complicated tale about God, tradition and loss. Yet it is told with beautiful simplicity and rollicking readability.

Funny and profound, Nation is much more than an adventure story, pitting reason against religion and offering an alternative perspective on world history and culture.

As Pratchett says: "Thinking. This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you." His wit is on every page; his world surpasses ours, his writing is weird and wonderful. No, weirdly wonderful. It is gripping but put the book down to ponder the thoughts inside to unearth a parallel universe. Terry Pratchett is worth more than his idiom; his teachings contain more philosophical thought than I would have ever thought possible.

Thought-provoking as well as fun, this is Pratchett at his most philosophical, with characters and situations sprung from ideas and games with language. And it celebrates the joy of the moment

Nation has profound, subtle and original things to say about the interplay between tradition and knowledge, faith and questioning. . . . It's funny, exciting, lighthearted and, like all the best comedy, very serious

Pratchett's immensely entertaining new young adult novel, manages to be both thought-provoking and sweet. . . . At times Nation reads like Philip Pullman but with less anger and more jokes, and a bit more ambiguity. . . . It's a wonderful story, by turns harrowing and triumphant

Terry Pratchett is an indisputable one-off . . . Nothing he writes is ever predictable - except that it will always be gloriously readable

An ebullient and entertaining novel of ideas

An enchanting novel . . . Terry Pratchett is one of the most interesting and critically under-rated novelists we have

In this first novel for young people set outside of Discworld, Pratchett again shows his humor and humanity. . . . The main characters are engaging and interesting, and are the perfect medium for the author's sly humor. Daphne is a close literary cousin of Tiffany Aching in her common sense and keen intelligence wedded to courage. A rich and thought-provoking read

A searching exploration of good and evil, fate and free will, both as broad and as deep as anything this brilliant and, happily, prolific author has produced so far

It's witty and wise, but it leaves its young readers enough room for a newly formed opinion or two as they think about its themes of love, loss, loyalty, courage, religion and nationhood

bursting with fun

A hilarious and clever book