Alan Gibbons said he 'gagged in horror' when he heard that the busty glamour girl's literary creation had been shortlisted for the W H Smith Children's Book of the Year title.

Named Perfect Ponies: My Pony Care Book, the pink glittery hardback has caused quite a stir in the literary world.

Many critics, Mr Gibbons among them, believe that Jordan's use of a ghostwriter should not make her worthy of a literary prize, saying if she should win anything it should be for 'her excellent business acumen'.

He said: "I absolutely detest the whole industry of celebrity children's books, they are badly written pieces of total tosh. A children's book shouldn't be about putting a celebrity's name to a terrible story in the hope that it sells.

"It should be about drawing children in and gripping their hearts with the words on the page. The celebrity books I have read have been extremely patronizing."

The 54-year-old author, who is currently depicting 2,000 years of British history through a series of children's horror books, says he is not being a snob but he feels that people like Jordan and Madonna should stick to what they are good at.

He said: "I don't want to look down my nose at anybody but Madonna's books were terrible.

"Celebrities that break into the book world should do so because they have got writing skill not because they are famous."

Alan, who taught at Prescot Primary School for 12 years until he became a full-time writer five years ago, been shortlisted for the Carnegie

Medal in 2001 and 2003 and twice for the Booktrust Teenage Prize.
He has won the Blue Peter Book Award 'The Book I Couldn't Put Down', along with many other accolades.

His next book, Demon Assassin, is due to come out on July 1 in pocket hardback, following the paperback release of the first in his horror series, Scared To Death in May.