Nearly a marathon on sprint efforts, so it was no wonder when he eventually ran the distance competitively he took it in his stride, asking the pre-race favorite, Jim Peters of Britain, if they were running fast enough as they contested the lead.

CNN: Man of the people

Palacio's acclaimed story of a boy born with a facial deformity will compete in the 5-12-year-old category against Jim Smith for his novel Barry Loser: I Am Not A Loser, Helen Peters' The Secret Hen House Theatre, as well as Rodkey's tale about cut-throat pirates.

BBC: Beavis and Butthead writer up for children's book prize