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 Acclaimed
children's author and former teacher Philip Pullman has
been made a CBE in the Queen's New Years Honours list.
His book The Amber Spyglass - part of the His Dark Materials
trilogy - was the first book aimed at younger readers to
win the Whitbread prize in 2002.
Pullman was also the first children's author to be on the
long list for the Booker Prize.
Although aimed at children Pullman's books have gained
wide popularity amongst adult readers. The trilogy has even
sold more than each of the four Harry Potter books and is
the best-selling book on the BBC's Big Read list.
Pullman joins a number of people working in children's
literature to be awarded an honour including Anne Fine,
who was made an OBE last year, and Quentin Blake, who was
made an OBE in 1988.
Benjamin Zephaniah caused controversy towards the end of
last year when he rejected an OBE claiming that "OBEs
compromise writers and poets, and laureates suddenly go
soft - in the past I've even written a poem, Bought and
Sold, saying that."
Other notable recipients of the award this year include
the guitarist Eric Clapton and songwriter and former frontman
of the Kinks Ray Davies.
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