Book Trust

Junot Diaz won The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2013 for his story 'Miss Lora'. Booktrust web editor and author Nikesh Shukla spoke to Junot about the story, about his hangdog protagonist Yunior and about the film Red Dawn. An unnerving story of grief and high-school sex has won the world's most valuable short story prize. The American author Junot Díaz was presented with a cheque for £30,000 by novelist and prize judge Joanna Trollope at a ceremony last night at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival for 'Miss Lora', a tale set in 1980s New Jersey. Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and prize judge, said that the story 'has the feel of a contemporary classic' and that it 'echoes in the heart as well as the mind.' Junot Díaz - a 2012 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, or 'Genius Grant' - becomes the fourth winner of the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award. He saw off competition from a shortlist that included Booker shortlistees Sarah Hall and Ali Smith, and Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. They - and fellow shortlisted authors Toby Litt and Cynan Jones - each received £1,000. Junot Díaz joins a winners' circle of Kevin Barry, who won the Award last year with his story 'Beer Trip to Llandudno', American Anthony Doerr, who won in 2011 for his story 'The Deep', and New Zealander C K Stead, who won the inaugural Award in 2010 with 'Last Season's Man'. Junot Díaz is the author of Drown (1997) and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 2008. His most recent publication (in which 'Miss Lora' appears) is This Is How You Lose Her (2012), a collection of linked narratives about love told through the lives of New Jersey Dominicans, as they struggle to find a point where their two worlds meet.He is the recipient of a PEN/Malamud Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. Born in Santo Domingo, Díaz is also a professor at MIT.

Bestselling author James Patterson talks about why it's so important to get dads reading

'We need to do more - parents especially - to get our kids reading. It's our job, not the school's job. If kids don't read their chances to grow and develop and have choices later in life are reduced significantly.' James Patterson, bestselling author, supports Booktrust's Children's Reading Fund. For too many children, life seems mapped out with no hope of educational, social or economic improvement. We want to change the story... This year Booktrust is launching the Children's Reading Fund, which is all about improving the life chances for disadvantaged children in the UK. Specifically targeting children aged between 4 and 11, the new fund will use books and e-books, CDs, games and performance to inspire children to engage more with reading and writing and thus to change their own story. http://www.childrensreadingfund.org.uk http://www.booktrust.org.uk http://www.jamespatterson.com

Roald Dahl Funny Prize awards ceremony, 6 November 2012, The Unicorn Theatre, performance by the children of Hawkes Farm Primary School

Roald Dahl Funny Prize awards ceremony, 6 November 2012, The Unicorn Theatre, winner announced - the funniest book for children 0-6

Roald Dahl Funny Prize awards ceremony, 6 November 2012, The Unicorn Theatre, winner announced - the funniest book for children 7-14

Find out from the Bookstart Bear why stories and rhymes are so much more fun when you share them with your baby or toddler.

Graphic novelist and Booktrust online writer in residence Hannah Berry invites us into her studio to talk about why she perfers graphic novels, where her love for French cartoons came from and just what exactly is 'Adamtine'. Hannah is Booktrust's seventh online writer in residence and the author of the books 'Britten and Brulighty' and 'Adamtine'. Booktrust is an independent reading and writing charity that makes a nationwide impact on individuals, families and communities, and culture in the UK. Find out more on www.booktrust.org.uk

In this video from Julia Donaldson's Picture Book Plays website, author Kristina Stephenson helps children to act out her book Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Really Big Adventure.

Kevin Barry won The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2012 for his short story 'Beer Trip to Llandudno'. Hours after winning, author and Booktrust web editor Nikesh Shukla met Kevin in an Oxford beer garden to discuss his win, how he writes short stories and what the best ale he's ever had is. http://www.booktrust.org.uk/sundaytimesefg http://www.twitter.com/booktrust

We asked The Short Story Book Club to form a shadow jury for this year's The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award 2012. They discussed the shortlist and elected their own winner of this year's Award. Steve Wasserman from the book club led proceedings. The official winner will be announced on Friday 30 March 2012. Check out www.twitter.com/shortstoryaward and www.twitter.com/booktrust.

Eric Carle talks about the inspiration for his story book "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," Said the Sloth.

Pupils George Heriot's Junior School in Edinburgh discussing their favourite shortlisted books

Watch performances with children from St Joseph's Infant School and The Littlehampton Academy, who won a place at the ceremony, performing a scene from First Week at Cow School and a poem about the 7-14 shortlist.

Watch the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2011 ceremony including an introduction by Michael Rosen and the winners' speeches.

Part two of the debate at Stationers' Hall featuring Mary Ann Kernan, City University; Meike Ziervogel, Peirene Press; Bobby Nayyar, Dipnet; Amanda Ridout, Phaidon; Alison Baverstock, Kingston University and Nicholas Lovell, GamesBRIEF.