The winner of the Blue Peter Best Children’s Book of the past decade is?…NOT “Harry Potter”

We previously mentioned a contest that was taking place to determine the Best Children’s Book of the past decade by the viewers of the BBC series Blue Peter. The results are in and you may be shocked to find out who won, or maybe it’s really not that shocking at all.

The only book up for consideration from the Harry Potter series was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is this editor’s favorite book (besides Deathly Hallows), but is certainly not a favorite of many fans of the Harry Potter series. Additionally, in comparison to the age level of material between most of the selections given, Harry Potter is certainly considered a higher age bracket for Order of the Phoenix. Now perhaps if Philosopher’s Stone was the one in the contest, the result could be different. So it may not surprise you that the Best Children’s Book of the past decade went to Diary of a Wimpy Kid by author Jeff Kinney.

The Guardian reported that Blue Peter editor Tim Levell admitted that Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s triumph was “A bit of a shock“: Rowling usually tops every children’s book poll going. “The accident-prone American upstart has snatched a bit of the boy wizard’s magic,” he said. More than 15,000 children voted in the poll.

From winner Jeff Kinney:

“When I saw the terrific books on the Blue Peter shortlist, I thought mine didn’t stand a chance. I’m so grateful to all of the Wimpy Kid fans in the UK who have supported my books right from the beginning. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a lot of them over the past year and I can’t wait to come back to say ‘thank you’ for this great honour in person.”

Are you surprised by this result? Let us know in the comments below.