London, Apr 10: Harry Potter series author J K Rowling was given outstanding achievement award at the British Book Awards and praised by British Prime Minister Gordan Brown at a ceremony organised here.

The only awards voted for by both the book-buying public and publishers and booksellers awarded Ian McEwan for his latest best-selling novel, On Chesil Beach, yesterday.

Overlooked by both the Man Booker and Costa Prizes, the novel finally came up trumps on the awards circuit - picking up two honours at the same ceremony the telegraph reported.

On Chesil Beach was named Galaxy Book of the Year and McEwan beat the Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing, to be titled Reader's Digest Author of the Year.

The Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year -- named in honour of the power of their Channel 4 books programme to promote reading and book sales -- was won by Afghanistan-born writer Khaled Hosseini for his novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

The Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell presented the best-selling children's author Francesca Simon with the WH Smith Children's Book of the Year for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.