Branford Boase shortlist 2012

just to keep you all up to date...

Seven authors including three Carnegie Medal contenders on Branford Boase Award shortlist in record year for debuts The Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children. Uniquely, it also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent. In a year which has seen a record number of books submitted for the award there are seven books on the shortlist:

 Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough, edited by Annie Eaton and Natalie Doherty (Bodley Head)
Being Billy by Phil Earle, edited by Shannon Park (Puffin)
 Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans, edited by Annie Eaton and Ruth Knowles (Bodley Head) Everybody Jam by Ali Lewis, edited by Charlie Sheppard (Andersen Press)
Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis, edited by Liz Cross (OUP) A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master, edited by Emma Matthewson (Bloomsbury)
 My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, edited by Fiona Kennedy (Orion)

Of this year’s shortlist, Lissa Evans, Ali Lewis and Annabel Pitcher are all shortlisted for 2012 Carnegie Medal, the UK’s most prestigious children’s book award.

This year’s judges are independent bookseller Kate Agnew, of The Children’s Bookshop Muswell Hill; Carol Webb, 2011 School Librarian of the Year; Fiona Lafferty, editorial director of the Good Book Guide and Jason Wallace, author of Out of Shadows, winner of last year’s Branford Boase Award. The panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare, children’s books editor of The Guardian.

Julia Eccleshare says: “In 1999, the year of the first award, only 20 titles were submitted. This year 61 submissions were made, many of those extremely impressive. Our shortlist is varied in setting, themes and voice but each book succeeds brilliantly in what it sets out to do.” The winner of the Award will be announced on Thursday July 5th at a ceremony in London. The winning author receives a cheque for £1,000 and both author and editor receive a unique, hand-crafted silver-inlaid box.