Our own book prize winner for commenting on the World Book Day quiz post was Jay Kew, PGCE Primary (3-7 years). Well done Jay, you’ve won Timeline by Peter Goes! Commiserations to the other two students, Nadia and Sian who were also in the draw and thank you for telling us how you celebrated World Book Day with your class.
The winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards 2016 have been announced with Adam Frost’s The Epic Book of Epicness (ages 7+) winning the Best Book with Facts category, and Ross MacKenzie’s The Nowhere Emporium (ages 8+) winning Best Story. The two winners were decided by over 200 children in participating schools so are very likely to be a hit with Key Stage 2 classes. The Nowhere Emporium also won the Scottish Children’s Book Award 2015 (8-11) which is another award decided by children!
The shortlist for the YA Book Prize has also been announced with ten books making it on to the 2016 list. The YA Book Prize is a relatively new award and recognises outstanding young adult fiction from the UK and Ireland. The 2016 shortlist includes the Costa Book Award winner, The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge and the new book from the 2015 YA Book Prize winner, Louise O’Neill (Only Ever Yours). The list also includes books covering a range of topics including trans teens, conjoined twins, anxiety disorders, family secrets, behaviour-controlling drugs, sexual consent and social media, as well as a range of genres including historical fiction, fantasy, narrative verse, and dystopian fiction. The shortlisted books are:
Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne (Usborne)
One by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury Children’s)
Unbecoming by Jenny Downham (David Fickling Books)
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children’s Books)
The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo by Catherine Johnson (Corgi/Penguin Random House Children’s)
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)
Asking for It by Louise O’Neill (Quercus)
The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury (Scholastic)
Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury Children’s)
The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (David Fickling Books)
The winner will be announced at the Hay Literary Festival on 2nd June 2016.
The School Library Association has revealed the longlisted books for their annual Information Book Award. This award for non-fiction books has three categories: Under 7; ages 7-12; ages 12+. The shortlisted titles will be announced in early May and will be selected from this list:
Under 7
The Story of Life: A First Book about Evolution by Catherine Barr and Steve Williams, illustrated Amy Husband (Frances Lincoln)
The Usborne Big Book of Colours by Felicity Brooks et al, illustrated by Sophia Touliatou (Usborne)
Adventures around the Globe: World Atlas by Mark Conroy, Andrew Selby, Kremena Dimitrova and Pippa Curnick (Lonely Planet Kids)
I (Don’t) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Luciano Lozano (Walker)
How do Flowers Grow: Lift-the-Flap First Questions and Answers by Katie Daynes et al, illustrated by Christine Pym (Usborne)
Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers about Dinosaurs by Katie Daynes et al, illustrated by Marie-Eve Tremblay (Usborne)
Fabulous Frogs by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Tim Hopgood (Walker)
A Book of Feelings by Amanda McCardie, illustrated by Salvatore Rubbino (Walker)
Dinosaurs from Head to Tail by Stacey Roderick and Kwanchai Moriya (Franklin Watts)
L is For London by Paul Thurlby (Hodder Children’s Books)
Ages 7 – 12
Trombone Shorty by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Abrams Books)
History VIP – Mary Anning by Kay Barnham et al (Wayland)
The Wonder Garden by Jenny Bloom, illustrated by Kristjana S Williams (Wide Eyed Editions
I Love This Tree by Anna Claybourne, illustrated by Andy Elkerton (Franklin Watts)
The Travel Book by Malcolm Croft, illustrated by Maggie Li (Lonely Planet)
Rebel Science by Dan Green, illustrated by David Lyttleton (WeldonOwen Publishing)
Stone Age Tablet – Wheel I Never by Andrew Langley et al (Raintree)
William Shakespeare: Scenes from the Life of the World’s Greatest Writer by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom (Frances Lincoln)
If… by David J Smith, Illustrated by Steve Adams (Wayland)
The Usborne Official Astronaut’s Handbook by Louie Stowell, illustrated by Roger Simo et al (Usborne)
The Tudors – Kings, Queens, Scribes by Marcia Williams (Walker)
Ages 12 +
How to be An International Spy by Andy Briggs illustrated by Ben Tobitt et al Lonely Planet
Being a Girl by Hayley Long, illustrated by Gemma Correll Hot Key Books
Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary by David and Ben Crystal, illustrated by Kate Bellamy (OUP)
Dr Christian’s Guide to Dealing with Tricky Stuff by Dr Christian Jessen, illustrated by David Semplev (Scholastic)
The National Theatre by Marina McIntyre et al (Walker)
The Puzzle Universe: A History of Mathematics in 315 Puzzles by Ivan Moscovich Firefly Books
Hot Pink, the life and fashions of Elsa Schiaparelli by Susan Goldman Rubin (Abrams Books
Historium by Richard Wilkinson and Jo Nelson (Big Picture Press)
