4 FEBRUARY 2009 - Andre Crowe, author of many award winning books for children including The Dalai Lama Story - The Making of a World Leader published by Longacre Press, has won the country's top children's literature prize, the Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal. Andrew Crowe, who is a writer of mainly natural history books, has won the LIANZA Children's Book Awards and the New Zealand Post Book Awards many times. He is the first non-fiction writer to win this prestigious award.

Wellington writer, Fleur Beale is the 2009 winner of the Gaelyn Gordon Award for a much-loved book with her tense psychological thriller I Am Not Esther. The award goes to a book which, though not a winner at the time of publication, has proved itself in the market place and with readers. With over 15,000 copies sold I Am Not Esther has shown itself to be a firm favourite with teenage readers and with schools.

We are very pleased for both of these writers - the recognition of their work is richly deserved," said Barbara Larson of Longacre Press.