The best children's books, in the words of young readers who voted for them

Young bookworms in west London have spoken and these are officially the best children's books, complete with reviews from young readers themselves.

Awards for children's authors are all well and good but they count for little if not voted for by the intended audience.

Children from primary schools across Ealing, Hounslow and Richmond had their say in the Hounslow Junior Book Award 2016, with David Baddiel's The Parent Agency taking the plaudits.

Librarians had selected a shortlist of six books for pupils in years five and six to read and vote for their favourite.

More than 100 pupils gathered at Hounslow Arts Centre on Wednesday, June 15 to hear the results announced by last year's winner Lara Williamson.

Below are the winning books, together with reviews by young readers, courtesy of Hounslow School Library Service, which runs the annual competition.

WINNER

The Parent Agency, by David Baddiel

"I really enjoyed this book because it is funny and make you want to finish the book in one go"

"I really enjoyed reading it. It’s very funny and filled with unexpected twists and turns. It's such a different idea for a book, there's nothing else like it"

"Every time I picked up the book for a 5 minute read, I found myself reading for 45 minutes… I was truly hooked"

"The story was so exciting, unbelievable that I was literally on the edge of my seat"

RUNNER-UP

The Dreamsnatcher, by Abi Elphinstone

"This book is awesome as there are loads of twists and turns… I have never read anything so adventurous"

"In my opinion it is the best book… because it's really mysterious and adventurous"

"I really enjoyed this book. I found it really intense and it had me on the edge of my seat"

"I really enjoyed this book, in some bits it got me really emotional and I started crying and sometime I got scared"

JOINT THIRD

Alfie Bloom and the Secrets of Hexbridge Castle, by Gabrielle Kent

"The reason why this is my number 1 favourite book is because the characters have very different personalities which deepened the story"

"I liked Alfie Bloom because the story is magical and tense… it's the best book in the world!"

"I've never read a book like this where your head teacher turns into a dragon and I’d LOVE my head teacher to turn into a dragon"

How to Speak Spook (and stay alive), by Ally Kennen

"The front cover was really interesting especially the title. It made me want to read on and hooked me right in"

"I thought the stories tension was going up and down like a roller-coaster and the story was excellent"

"When I opened the book and read a chapter it was a BLAST"

ALSO SHORTLISTED

Demolition Dad, by Phil Earle

"Phil Earle is an amazing author who weaves humour into every aspect of this book"

"In my opinion this book is sensationally written and its descriptive writing is stupendous"

Five Children on the Western Front, by Kate Saunders

"This book is fully of love, death and repentance"

"This was my very favourite book. Even though I never read Five Children and IT, I understood the character as the author explained everything"

This year's Hounslow Junior Book Award was sponsored by the charity Beanstalk, which recruits and trains volunteer reading helpers to go into schools and encourage pupils to develop a passion for literature.