Alien invasion book 'The 5th Wave' hailed as 'next teen reading obsession'

A book that tells the tale of an alien invasion 'The 5th Wave' has won children's book award.

The 5th Wave, which has been hailed as a "modern sci-fi masterpiece" by US critics, was honoured with the only British book award voted for by kids, after it became an under-the-radar hit with young readers in the UK, the Independent reported.

The novel, which is the first in a planned trilogy, is already lined up as a major Hollywood film franchise with Material Pictures.

The book, written by author, Rick Yancey, has partly been inspired by the leading physicist Stephen Hawking, who once said that if aliens visit Earth, the outcome is going to be much like when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans.

The novel won the overall prize in The Red House Children's Book Awards, after more than 15,000 younger readers voted through the Federation of Children's Book Groups and online.