Charlie Higson’s Double or Die lost out to Leaving Poppy by Kate Cann in the 2007 Southern Schools Book Awards. However, the student judges “Highly Commended” the third Young Bond thriller (which I’m guessing is equivalent to second place).

Now in its fourth year, the organizers say that the Southern Schools Book Award is “proving to be a highly successful mechanism for bringing together students from across the region to celebrate that pleasurable commodity the book.”

For more information on the SSBA, visit the official website.