The finest authors of contemporary teenage fiction have six months to win the hearts of third and fourth year pupils in secondary schools across North Lanarkshire following the announcement at New Stevenston Library on World Book Day (Thursday 6 March) of the shortlist for the coveted North Lanarkshire Catalyst Book Award 2008.

Thousands of pupils will now have the opportunity to cast their vote for the four popular titles selected for the shortlist by the Catalyst Fiction Group, which comprises school and public librarians working within North Lanarkshire Council.

Now in its fifth year, the Catalyst Book Award was set up by the group in 2004 to promote teenage fiction in North Lanarkshire's secondary schools and community libraries and encourage a higher level of teenagers reading for enjoyment.

And there is no doubt that North Lanarkshire teenagers will thoroughly enjoy the four shortlisted novels:

Zenith by Julie Bertagna (Young Picador)

Zenith is the incredible story of three teenagers with the will to make their own beginnings in the harshest of worlds. It continues the stunning journey begun in Exodus.

From Where I Stand by Tabitha Suzuma (Bodley Head Children's Books)

Raven is a disturbed teenager placed in foster care after witnessing the death of his mother. Meanwhile, at school, bullies are making his life a living hell. However, an unexpected companion comes in the form of Lotte, a classmate bored by her 'ordinary' friends. Together, they plan to track down Raven's mum's killer.

Abela: The Girl Who Saw Lions by Berlie Doherty (Andersen Press Ltd)

Abela lives in Tanzania. Her mother and sisters are dying of AIDS. Rosa lives in Sheffield with her mother — and she is devastated for another reason. Her mother announces that she wants to adopt a little girl from Tanzania, the country that Rosa's father was from.

Nemesis: The Beast Within by Catherine MacPhail (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)

Ram has cheated death - four times. Who is so desperate to kill him? And why? On the run, Ram finds himself on desolate moorland. He knows he is being stalked, but this time by something less than human.

Pupils from all 25 North Lanarkshire secondary schools can participate in the Catalyst judging process and have the opportunity to come along to the award ceremony, which takes place in October.

Previous winners of the Catalyst Book Award include Bali Rai (2004), Theresa Breslin (2005), Alan Gibbons (2006) and Anthony McGowan (2007) and this year's shortlisted authors are all delighted to be in the running for the 2008 award.

Julie Bertagna (Zenith) said: "It's a real thrill to be shortlisted for the Catalyst Award. Firstly, because it's Scottish and so am I! But also because the people who read the books and decide on the winner are the most important people of all – the young readers the books are written for. For me, this makes the Catalyst Award very special."

Tabitha Suzuma (From Where I Stand) said: "I am absolutely delighted at being shortlisted for this year's Catalyst Book Award. I think this award is very special as it is the teenagers themselves who will be voting. This is very important to me as my books are for teenagers, so their opinions are the ones which count.

"I think it's brilliant that this award has been set up to promote teenage fiction. More needs to be done to promote teenage fiction because it is the most exciting area of the book market today. I love teen fiction. I loved it when I was a child, as well as when I was a teen, and I still love reading it as an adult. I love the rawness, the grittiness, the pace. I am thrilled that From Where I Stand has been chosen for the shortlist."

Berlie Doherty (Abela: The Girl Who Saw Lions) said: "I'm thrilled to bits to be on the Catalyst shortlist. Abela is a very important book for me and it's an enormous boost to know it's been singled out in this way."

Cathy MacPhail (Nemesis: the Beast Within), said: "I am absolutely delighted to be on this wonderful shortlist – especially with The Beast Within. This is the second in the Nemesis series and you always think the second in a series won't be noticed as much as the first ... a bit like the second baby! So, I am very proud that my second baby has been noticed and included in the Catalyst Award shortlist."

Catriona Wright, Chairperson of the Catalyst Fiction Group, said: "Catalyst is about empowering our readers – the young people themselves – to select the best of the best in contemporary teenage fiction. We found it hard enough to whittle our longlist down to the shortlist and we're sure the selection of the winner will be just as tough a decision this year as in previous years.

"There is so much quality teenage fiction out there and this year's shortlist selection offers a real mix of experiences, themes and emotions. I'm sure our young judges will find it very difficult to put these books down and we hope as many pupils as possible take the time to cast their vote for their favourite and help us select the worthy winner of the North Lanarkshire Catalyst Book Award 2008."

Fern Durnan from Kilsyth Academy said: "I'm really happy to be taking part in the Catalyst Book Awards and I enjoyed reading books from the long list."

Rhianon Hailley Cunningham from Greenfaulds High reviewed Blood Beast by Darren Shan from the long list. She said: "This book was full of unexpected twists and was very different from other horrors and was unputdownable (even in the dark!)."

Sarah Anderson and Heather Ferguson from Dalziel High School said: "We were glad to receive the request to review a book for Catalyst called City of Bones by Cassandra Claire. We really enjoyed writing the review as we liked the thought of our opinion being heard but we both agree that reading the book was much more fun."

Jaclyn Wilson from Chryston High School said: "I really enjoyed reading Berserk by Ally Kennen for the Catalyst long list. I found it compelling because it combined zany humour with a touch of horror. The plot was fantastic, building up to a really exciting climax."

Charlene White and Linzi Davie from Clyde Valley High School said: "We thought 'Abela' by Berlie Doherty really deserves to be on the shortlist because it is a real heart warming story which could easily be based on someone's actual life. We were proud to be asked to promote this book."

Paul Foster from St Ambrose High School said: "I have enjoyed reading the books from the Catalyst longlist. I am also really pleased to be reading at the short list event and loved the book 'From Where I Stand'."