I am delighted that Beetle Queen has been nominated for the 2018 Carnegie Medal.
The Carnegie Medal is special because to be nominated is to be chosen by librarians up and down the country for this prestigious prize.
The second book in a trilogy often gets very little attention, rather like a middle child, and I love my middle child. She may be villainous and frightening in places, but I'm proud of her.
It means a great deal to me that librarians rate the book, as my reading world was built in libraries, and my taste developed by librarians. I owe them everything, including my career.
So hoorah for Beetle Queen and all librarians everywhere.