Selection Panel Biographies
Booked Up 2009
Selection Panel Biographies
The Booked Up books were chosen by an independent panel of experts, who spent months reading lots of books before deciding on the final list.
Find out more about the panel members below.
John McLay (Chair)
John McLay is an international literary scout for children’s and young adult books, working with publishers throughout the world advising them on the best books to acquire and translate. He is also Director of the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature, an anthologist, reviewer and lecturer at Bath Spa University on their MA in Writing For Young People.
Catherine Johnson
Catherine Johnson is a writer for young readers who had a book on the Booked Up list in 2008. She has written fourteen books, including A Nest of Vipers, and she lives in London with her nearly grown up children. Catherine also presents this year's Booked Up DVD.
Rebecca Wilkie Rebecca Wilkie is the editor of Booktrust’s children’s books website and produces the annual Best Book Guide. She also works on The Big Picture campaign, which aims to promote and reawaken public interest in picture books. Rebecca read English at University College London and has worked in children’s books for the last six years. Check out the Booktrust Children's books website
Rosalind Waite-Jones
Rosalind Waite-Jones has been teaching at the Littlehampton Community School since 1990 and thinks it is the best job in the world! She has extensive experience in teaching across the age groups. Now she works specifically with Year Seven and Year Six students and was delighted when her school received the millionth Booked Up book in 2008. She is particularly interested in supporting reading as children move from primary to secondary school.
Karen Robinson
Karen is originally from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire but has lived in West London for 9 years, after getting a job with Westminster Libraries. Karen studied for a MA in Librarianship part time at UCL. She is currently the Children and Young People's officer for Tower Hamlets Idea Stores and Libraries with responsibility for coordinating services for 0-19s. Karen is an active member of YLG a special interest group of CILIP and is currently Chair of YLG London. In her spare time, which is the two hours spent on the tube every day, Karen reads as many novels as possible, the rest of her time is spent taking her 2 young sons to various clubs and activities.
Booked Up is a Booktrust bookgifting programme.
