One of the supreme modern authors of children's literature, Philippa Pearce, appears - at the age of 82 - in the Guardian children's book prize longlist.

Generations have grown up with her story Tom's Midnight Garden, about a child who finds a gateway back to Victorian times. Now, 47 years later, she is in the running for another prize for her new work, The Little Gentleman, about a talking mole and a little girl.

She is one of 10 authors on the list, announced at the Guardian Hay book festival. Announcing the list, the Guardian children's books editor, Julia Eccleshare, writes in the paper today: "Historical fiction, once the bedrock of children's fiction, as in the work of Rosemary Sutcliff, Geoffrey Trease and Leon Garfield, is coming back into fashion. The past is a wonderful source of story."

The Guardian's literary editor, Claire Armitstead, said: "Just because a book is published for children does not mean it can be dismissed as simple or unsophisticated. Very few children's authors actually sit down to write specifically for children anyway, and it is fascinating to see how many writers of all kinds are now turning to children's books.

"At least two of the longlisted authors - Michelle Paver and Tim Wynne-Jones - started out writing for adults. You have to ask yourself why this change has happened.

"Partly it's to do with how fashionable children's literature is in the wake of Harry Potter and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

"But I wonder if it isn't also to do with a return to storytelling and to a desire to connect directly with readers which isn't always so easy with adult novels."