Children's books dominate lending

Children's writers are just the ticket as new figures show they dominated library lending in the past year.

Wordsmiths such as Jacqueline Wilson and the money-spinning team who write under the name Daisy Meadows were among the seven children's writers who figure in the top 10 most-borrowed authors.

Adult novelist James Patterson tops the list for the fourth year running, with his work Swimsuit - a collaboration with Maxine Paetro - also the UK's most borrowed book.

Last year also saw seven children's writers in the most borrowed author list, although this year Lucy Cousins - famed for her Maisy books - has lost her place in the top 10, replaced by Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary. He shot up from 27 the previous year as his books were given extra attention thanks to a spin-off BBC series.

"Daisy Meadows" has been one of the most astonishing success stories figuring at number two in the most borrowed writer list. A pseudonym for four prolific authors, the team - including writers Linda Chapman and Narinder Dhami - has written dozens of books.

Figures released for the year 2009-10 by library royalty body Public Lending Rights show children's borrowing has been on the rise for the past few years.

The UK's most borrowed children's title was The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler.