Judging alongside Rosen were Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and illustrator Tony Ross, Yes Man author and journalist Danny Wallace and author Grace Dent.

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Julia Donaldson, Jacqueline Wilson, Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon and the authors behind the Rainbow Magic series, all clocked up more than a million loans last year.

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In any case, it felt like a king's ransom, and along with the fine crystal and china, Simon's flowing Hebrew and Henry's starlet, the evening always felt somewhat magical.

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