The short list for the Costa Awards (formerly the Whitbread) has been announced.  The four children’s books shortlisted are:

• The Bower Bird by Ann Kelley
• Crusade by Elizabeth Laird
• What I Was by Meg Rosoff
• Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

Because this is a British award, some of the books are not yet available in the States.  Amazon lists all of the titles, but they don’t seem to have copies of them available.  The Rosoff title is being released in the U.S. in 2008.