The final judging panel for the 2006 Costa Book Awards was announced today. The panel selects the overall winner from the category winners announced last week.

The five category judges:  Adele Geras (Children's Book), Sophie Kinsella (First Novel), Elaine Feinstein (Poetry), Francis Wheen (Biography) and Kate Adie (Novel) are joined by Erin O'Connor (fashion model), Carol Thatcher (journalist and author), Clive Anderson (lawyer and writer) and Simon Mayo (radio presenter).

John Derkach, Managing Director, Costa said: " The Costa Book Awards celebrate the best of British writing and aim to select books that can be enjoyed by everyone. Costa is delighted to have a final judging panel of such distinguished personalities, all of whom share a passion for excellent writing."

The judges will meet on Wednesday 7th February 2007, to select the winner of the Award, which will be announced at a ceremony later that evening. The prize for the overall winner is £25,000

The winner of the Children's Book Award is Linda Newbery, for her novel Set in Stone.

Adele Geras, representing the Children's Book Award panel, was born in Jerusalem in 1944 and her early child childhood was spent in Nigeria, North Borneo and the Gambia. Her first book was published in 1976, and since then there have been more than 90 titles for children and young adults including Troy, which was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children's Book Award.