YOUNG people from Haslemere Educational Museum will help choose the winner of this year's Royal Society Junior Prize for Science Books, one of the world's most prestigious awards for science writing. The winning book will be picked from a shortlist chosen with the help of Brainiac's Jon Tickle and Newsround presenter Sonali Gudka. The Haslemere youngsters will be among more than a thousand children from schools and youth groups across the UK who will help choose a winning science book. The winner will be selected entirely by the young people. The museum judges were members of the Junior Club and Haslemere Young Person's Exhibition team (HYPE). For the seventh year running, the Royal Society Prizes for Science Books has teamed up with Ecsite- uk, the UK network of science centres and museums, to run the judging process. Each Junior Judging Panel, including Haslemere Educational Museum, will choose a winner from six shortlisted books and submit their vote. The votes are then collated by Ecsite-uk and the book with the most votes will win the prize. Keith Chambers, chair of this year's Junior Prize judges, who selected the shortlist, said: "As a judging panel we wanted to choose books that would break down complex science in an enjoyable and novel way for young people. "We looked to pick the books that were accessible and showed, not just the theory of science, but how it can be applied in everyday situations. Our job was difficult because of the high standard of entries but the six books we have chosen all encompass the wonders and excitement of science." The six books shortlisted by the judging panel are: Ask Dr K Fisher about animals, by Claire Llewellyn, illustrated by Kate Sheppard (Macmillan), Big book of Science things to make and do, by Rebecca Gilpin and Leonie Pratt (Usborne), How the incredible human body works by the Brainwaves, by Richard Walker and illustrated by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar (Dorling Kindersley), It's Elementary! Putting the crackle into chemistry, by Robert Winston (Dorling Kindersley), Serious Survival How to poo in the Arctic and other essential tips, by Marshall Corwin (HarperCollins), Why is snot green? Science Museum question and answer book, by Glenn Murphy (Macmillan). A £10,000 prize goes to the winning author and £1,000 to the author of each shortlisted title and the winner will be announced at a Royal Society ceremony on June 16. The Junior Club meets at the High Street museum on Saturdays and during school holidays for activities such as drawing live chickens, tie-dying, learning about blue plaques and making model buggies.
