A surreal take on an alien visitation and a tale of a toddler's day of terrifying tantrums have triumphed at the Roald Dahl funny prize.
Dark Lord: the teenage years, by Brighton-based games developer Jamie Thompson, is the first in a series in which Dirk Lloyd, a "dark lord" from outer space, unwillingly inhabits the body of a teenager from Whiteshields in a bid to be taken seriously as an evil force on Earth. It beat off competition from a strong shortlist, including David Walliams with Gangsta Granny and Olympic scriptwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, to take the prize in the seven-to-14 category.
"This is a wonderfully absurd take on beings from another planet or another world and like all books with this theme it makes us think about how odd and crazy we are. The book also makes us do several 'double-takes' as we find ourselves asking whether this Dark Lord is a boy's imagination or if he's really from outer space," said Michael Rosen, chair of judges.
"It's funny-clever as well as funny-silly," added fellow judge, broadcaster Mel Giedroyc, of Great British Bake-Off fame.
Rosen set up the prize five years ago as part of his children's laureateship, and seeks to celebrate the books that make children laugh. He described a "ker-ching! moment" when, judging a children's book prize, he realised that funny books tend to be overlooked in favour of more serious reads and yet children consistently say that funny books are the ones that they enjoy reading most.
As well as the seven-to-14 prize, the award also recognises books in a six-and-under category, this year won by My Big Shouting Day by Cambridge based author/illustrator Rebecca Patterson. The book follows the trials and tribulations of toddler Bella on a day in which she finds something to shout about in every activity, from the too minty toothpaste to too itchy ballet.
Among the shortlisted titles the book triumphed over in the younger category were multiple award-winner Oliver Jeffers with Stuck, about a boy who gets his kite caught in a tree, and the chaos that ensues when he tries to retrieve it; and Jonny Duddle, an Aardman Animations artist who has already won the Waterstones children's book prize, with The Pirates Next Door.
Patterson admitted that the shouty two-year-old was based on her own daughter, now aged 10, and publicly thanked her during the award ceremony "for not suing me over it".
For the second year running, the votes of children were counted, alongside the judging panel's votes, to find the winner, with more than 500 pupils in England selected to read, discuss, and pick their favourite from the shortlists.
The winner of each category was awarded their prize of £2,500 in a ceremony in London. The prize has been previously won by Andy Stanton (of Mr Gum fame), Philip Ardagh with Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky, Louise Rennison with Withering Tights and Liz Pichon with The Brilliant World of Tom Gates. The Roald Dahl funny prize is managed by independent literature charity Booktrust.
