Children's book favourite to win Whitbread

Bookmakers have suspended betting on the Whitbread Book Of The Year after a flood of bets for the children's entry - before anyone even knows which novel is in the running.

Judges have still to announce which children's title will go forward to compete for the overall prize, but it is now the 7-4 favourite regardless according to William Hill.

Among the books in the running for the younger readers' book prize is the acclaimed The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman and a story by Monty Python star Terry Jones.

Winners from several different Whitbread categories - novel, first novel, biography and poetry - go forward to the Book Of The Year although all except the children's entry are already known.

Last year a novel won the prize but poetry had dominated for the previous four years.

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "We've decided to take this step because we've ended up with a completely lop-sided betting situation now with no one betting on anything other than the children's winner.

"No children's book has ever taken the overall prize, so the law of averages suggests it is long overdue."

Apart from Pullman the other contenders for the children's book are Jones's The Lady and the Squire, Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl and Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea.

The winner, and the winner of the book of the year, will be announced on January 22.

The previously announced category winners are Selkirk's Island Diana Souhami (biography), Twelve Bar Blues by Patrick Neate (novel), Something Like A House by Sid Smith (first novel) and First Bunny by Selmia Hill (Bunny).