IT may not be the Pulitzer Prize but for bookworms at one after-school club it's the next best thing.

Children from The Arts and Crafts Kids' Club are some of the lucky ones chosen to vote on this year's Nestle Smarties Book Prize, the UK's biggest children's book award.

Eight to 15-year-olds were asked to read three books in the category for six to eight-year-olds and declared Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman to be their favourite.

Now they must wait and see if the other young judges picked from 150 schools and 50 clubs came up with the same choice.

Co-ordinator Sandrine Maugy who runs the club from her studio in Manor Farm Road, Bitterne Park, said it was the fifth year running children had judged the books. She said:

"We discussed them before the children made their decision."