PUPILS at a Durham school are being given the chance to play a part in the judging of two of the country's leading children's literature awards.

Students at Durham High School for Girls have been selected to shadow the judging of the Carnegie Medal for literature and the Kate Greenaway Medal for book illustration.

Their selection comes as the Carnegie Medal celebrates its 70th year and the Kate Greenaway Medal its 50th.

To mark the milestones, students across the country have been chosen to play their part in the awards.

At Durham High School, 15 pupils from year eight are all taking part in the Carnegie Shadowing scheme. They will read all six shortlisted titles at the same time as the national judging panel, and email their reviews to the experts.

The whole of year seven are also being given the chance to be Greenaway judges. They will be required to analyse, discuss and judge this year's shortlist and vote for their favourite, which will then be named the Durham High School winner.

The Carnegie Medal is one of the leading awards for children's literature and the UK's longest running. Previous winners have included Philip Pullman, CS Lewis and local authors David Almond and Anne Fine.

A school spokeswoman said: "Reading is always high on the political agenda, and it is often said that young people no longer read. At Durham High School For Girls, there is living proof that this is not true. Reading for pleasure is alive and well.

"We await expectantly until that date to see if our choices are the same as the national judges."

The medals will be awarded on Thursday, June 21.