It has been a very good, though not outstanding, year for children's books. There has been a welcome return to powerful stories, whether original or as retellings; the best young adult fiction reaches new heights; picture books, increasingly sophisticated, become an art form. Here, in alphabetical order of titles, is my Top 20 for 2000
1 Arthur: The Seeing Stone, by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Orion, £10.99 UK). It is 1199 and 13-year-old Arthur de Caldicot is drawn into the misty times of his celebrated royal namesake: clever, earthy, with a marvellous cast of characters. (Age group: 11)
2 Call of the Whales, by Siobhan Parkinson (O'Brien, £4.99). An atmospheric and poetic novel of Arctic whaling becomes a story of father-son relationships, beautifully tracing the evolution from "blue-lit dreamy childhood" to adult experience. (9)
3 Dirt Tracks, by Martina Murphy (Poolbeg, £3.99). Contemporary Dublin and its criminal underworld serve as background for this well-paced novel of youthful dreams and disappointments: Murphy's ear is well tuned to the inequalities of social division and the tensions they provoke. (11)
4 Flame Angels, ed. by Polly Nolan (Mammoth, £4.99 UK). Eight short stories by Irish writers capture the volatile moods of early adolescence, in both its local and universal manifestations: excellent plots and some superb writing. (13)
5 Frenchtown Summer, by Robert Cormier (Puffin, £4.99 UK). 12-yearold Eugene, growing up in his small American town in the 1940s, has his first inklings of the adult realities which hide below apparently tranquil surfaces. (11)
6 From Two Islands, ed. by Emer Ryan and Clive Newman (Wolfhound, £5.99). Six new short stories from Ireland and six from Australia provide imaginative insights into the similarities and differences in young people's concerns in their respective countries. (10)
7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K.Rowling (Bloomsbury, £14.99 UK). Ignore the continuing hype and enjoy instead the developing adventures of Harry, his Hogwarts friends and enemies: the fun, games (and first romances) are still around but, somewhere in the cosmos, darkness threatens. (9)
8 Heaven Eyes, by David Almond (Hodder, £4.99 UK). Three young friends embark on a mystical journey down river on their roughly constructed craft, the prelude to their discovery of the hidden Black Middens and their eccentric inhabitants. (11)
9 Holes, by Louis Sachar (Bloomsbury, £5.99 UK). Accused of stealing a pair of trainers, young Stanley Yelnats is sentenced to 18 months of hole digging at the horrific Camp Green Lake in Texas: stunningly brilliant plotting and rich characterisation combine to make this the children's book of the year. (12)
10 Izzy and Skunk, by Marie-Louise Fitz patrick (Blackwater, £8.99). A little girl, with the help of her glove-puppet skunk, learns to defeat her childhood fears: Fitzpatrick's play with picture size, textual placing and typography cleverly accentuate the notion of psychological growth. (4)
11 Jigsaw Stew, by Conor McHale (O'Brien, £3.99). This is the totally madcap and highly inventive tale of the misfortunes of the MacAnoolie family, and a warning to all of us about what not to do with jigsaw puzzles: hilarious! (5)
12 Madlenka, by Peter Sis (Allen & Unwin, £9.99 UK). A little girl discovers she has a wobbly tooth and rushes to tell her neighbours, giving Sis the opportunity to describe, in text and picture, her colourful journey around her multicultural New York environment. (6)
13 Tales from Old Ireland, by Malachy Doyle, illustrated by Niamh Sharkey (Barefoot, £14.99 UK). The "magic and simplicity, depth and passion" of seven folktales are given sharp, witty retellings and idiosyncratic stylised art: watch for the joke on the final page! (7)
14 The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman (Scholastic, £14.99 UK). In his creation of his alternative world Pullman provides landscapes and characters - gay angels included - of enduring fascination, fuelled by issues of philosophical and theological significance: his control of his lengthy narrative is an amazing achievement. (12)
15 The Names Upon the Harp, by Marie Heaney, illustrated by P.J. Lynch (Faber, £14.99 UK). Some of our oldest Irish stories are brought dramatically to life, in a prose which maintains their original idiom and in vibrant full-colour pictures. (10)
16 The Oldest Girl in the World, by Carol Ann Duffy (Faber, £4.99 UK). Duffy's collection of poems ranges from the flippant to the thoughtful, wryly recalling memories of her childhood and adolescence, many of them "red and gold, magic and strange". (11)
17 The Stretford Enders, by Trevor J. Colgan (Praxis, £4.99). This ambitious novel (partly spoiled by poor editing) is primarily a compelling football story, but moves beyond this to include consideration of class, immigration and familial tensions in today's Dublin. (12)
18 Troy, by Adele Geras (Scholastic, £14.99 UK). In this spellbinding story of the ancient world, men, women, gods and goddesses co-operate and compete in pursuit of their goals and destinies: their loves and losses, tragedies and triumphs, are hauntingly re-created. (13)
19 24 Hours, by Margaret Mahy (Collins, £10.99 UK). 17year-old Ellis, trying to cope with a friend's suicide, is given one day to find the adventure for which he yearns: what ensues is a remarkably versatile feat of storytelling. (14)
20 Willy's Pictures, by Anthony Browne (Walker, £10.99 UK). The paintings of Willy the chimp, one per page, turn out to be Browne's own variations on some of the masterpieces of classical art: illuminating, mischievous and great fun! (All ages)