The Eighth Man: Winner of the 2004 Percy FitzPatrick Prize for Children's Literature

Assessing Young Learners: Winner of the British Council Innovation Awards

Not the End of the World: Winner of the Whitbread Children's Award 2004

The Highwayman: Kate Greenway Award

Tightrope: Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 1999

Devil in the Fog: Guardian Children's Fiction Award

Chandra: Writer's Guild Children's Award & Lancashire Children's Book Award

A Pack of Lies: Carnegie Medal & Guardian Children's Fiction Award

Forever X: Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal

The Lantern Bearers: Carnegie Medal

Jigsaw: Shortlisted for the Angus Book Award

Red Velvet: Shortlisted for the South Lancashire Book Award

Thanis: Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award & the Angus Book Award

The Night After Tomorrow: Winner of the Angus Award

The Great Elephant Chase: Winner of the Whitbread Children's Novel Award & the Smarties Grand Prix

A Little Lower than the Angels: Winner of the Whitbread Children's Novel Award

Tom's Midnight Garden: Winner of the Carnegie Award

Cold Tom: Winner of the Branford Boase Award

Adult and young adult books

The Heart of Redness: Winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize: Africa 2001 & the Sunday Times Fiction Award 2001; shortlisted for the M-Net Book Prize 2001

Ways of Dying: Winner of the M-Net Book Prize 1997 & the Olive Schreiner Prize 1997; shortlisted for 1996 Noma and CNA literary awards

River Boy Carnegie Medal 1998

Shadows Angus Book Award 1999, Lancashire Libraries Children's Book Award 1999

A Country Unmasked: Shortlisted for the Alan Paton Award 2001

Lore of Running: Winner of the UCT Book Award 2003