Carnegie medal for children’s books shortlist announced | Carnegie medal

The refugee experience, the county line draft and World War II are among the topics covered in books shortlisted for this year’s Yodt Carnegie Prize for Children’s Books.

Children’s laureates Joseph Coelho, Kwame Alexander and Nicola Davies are among the finalists for the award, which celebrates the best writing and illustrations for children and is judged exclusively by librarians. do.

“These are books that are meant to empower young readers, and for some they will be validation and refuge. Stories of courage, of finding ourselves and ourselves in the world, often in difficult or dangerous situations.” It’s a story about characters trying to find their place,” said Maura Farrelly, chair of the jury.

The 16 finalists (8 for illustration and 8 for writing) were announced at the London Book Fair. Poetry was shortlisted for the literary award, with three novels written in poetry and one poetry collection selected. These include Coelho’s novel The Boy Lost in the Maze, illustrated by Kate Milner. Imogen Russell Williams wrote in a review for the Guardian: “This powerful reinterpretation of the Minotaur myth is intertwined with the journey of Theo, a modern-day teenager on a quest to find his father.”

Alexander’s “The Door of No Return,” a verse novel set in contemporary Ghana, is “a visceral and gripping coming-of-age story,” Russell Williams wrote. Tia Fisher’s shortlisted debut novel, Crossing the Line, is about how a teenager becomes involved in criminal activity, which is also written in poetry. Davis was shortlisted for Choose Love, a collection of poems illustrated by Petr Horacek that explores her refugee experience.

The winners of the two awards will be announced on June 20th and will each receive £5,000. The Shadowers medal winners, chosen by children, will receive £500 worth of books to donate to the library of their choice.

“The Song Walker” by Zira Bethel, “Away with Words” by Sophie Cameron, “Safiyah’s War” by Hiba Noor Khan, and “Steady for This” by Nathanael Lessour also won best screenplay. Remained as a finalist.

Nature was a prominent theme among the books shortlisted for the illustration award. In “April’s Garden” by Catalina Echeverri, nature represents healing and growth. Aaron Becker’s The Tree and the River is the only wordless picture book on this year’s shortlist that examines human impact on the natural world. Steve McCarthy’s Wilderness follows October as he goes on a trek with his outdoorsy family.

Rounding out the shortlist of illustrations is To the Other Side by Erika Meza. Poonam Mistry’s “Midnight Panther”. “Chicken” by Julia Donaldson and Katherine Reiner. Lost by Mariajo Ilustrajo and Chloe Savage’s The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish.

Previous screenplay winners include Arthur Ransom, C.S. Lewis, Penelope Lively, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Eleanor Fargeon, and Philip Pullman. Last year, Welsh author Manon Stephen Ross became the first writer to win the best screenplay translation award for his young adult novel The Blue Book of Nebo. Past illustration winners include Raymond Briggs, Shirley Hughes and Quentin Blake.