Chris O'Dowd's Wife Dawn O'Porter Up For Major Children's Book Prize

Dawn O'Porter, the wife of actor Chris O'Dowd (who called X-Factor fans racist this week), has been nominated for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2014 for her debut teen novel Paper Aeroplanes. Best known for her documentaries on body image, O'Porter's book was inspired by her experienced growing up in Guernsey.

Other nominees include Call the Midwife actress Emerald Fennell and performance poet Laura Dockrill for their books Shiverton Hall and Darcy Burdock. The 'age 5-12' category - which also includes Piers Torday, Sandra Greaves and Katherine Rundell - is led by the director and screenwriter Soman Cainani who will surely be considered the favourite for The School For Good and Evil, a New York Times bestseller that has already been picked up by Universal Pictures.

The prize, which rewards the winner with £5,000 (all nominees receive £2,000), will be announced on April 3.

"Our children's departments have always been the heart of our bookshops, for there, of course, book lovers are made," said James Daunt, Managing Director of Waterstones.

"In the prize we capture the passion and engagement of our booksellers as they champion emerging children's authors and illustrators."

Daunt added: "Given the success of former winners, we can be sure they have once again identified the stars of the future."

The full list of nominees is below. Head over to Waterstones' blog for more information on those selected.

Best Picture Book

Open Very Carefully by Nick Bromley and Nicola O'Byrne

Harold Finds a Voice by Courtney Dicmas

Weasels by Elys Dolan

Penguin in Peril by Helen Hancocks

Time for Bed, Fred! by Yasmeen Ismail

The Crocodile Who Didn't Like Water by Gemma Merino

Best Fiction for 5-12's

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Darcy Burdock by Laura Dockrill

Shiverton Hall by Emerald Fennell

The Skull in the Wood by Sandra Greaves

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

The Last Wild by Piers Torday

Best Book For Teens

The Bone Dragon by Alexia Casale

Butter by Erin Lange

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Geek Girl by Holly Smale