A Dublin author and geologist, Mr Aubrey Flegg, won top prize in the 14th annual Bisto Book Awards, the most prestigious award for children's books in Ireland.
Mr Flegg received a cheque for €3,000 and a trophy for his novel Wings Over Delft, his third published work. It is the first in a trilogy, with the second of the series due to be released this autumn, he said.
Published by O'Brien Press, Wings Over Delft is set in 17th-century Holland and is described as "the story of a young girl's awakening to life: to friendship, love and art, but also to prejudice, violence, hatred and illness."
Mr Flegg said he felt "rather aghast" at winning the award over such a good field. He had turned from geology to writing, because "finding myself desk-bound, I decided I'd prefer to be writing books".
Taking second place, and a €1,000 cheque, was Amach by Alan Titley.
Three other books earned merit awards and cheques of €800: You Can Do It, Sam by Anita Jeram; Origins by Kate Thompson; and The Ravenous Beast by Niamh Sharkey. Ten books were nominated.