2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlists

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2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlists

The shortlists have been announced for the 2012 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the oldest and most prestigious of all the UK’s children’s book awards.

There are eight books on each shortlist, two more than has been usual: a sign perhaps of the difficulty the judges had in making their final choice.

Debut authors dominate the Carnegie shortlist: no less than four of the eight books are by first time authors. Those first time authors are Lissa Evans, Ali Lewis, Annabel Pitcher and Ruta Sepetys. Guardian Award winner Andy Mulligan has also been shortlisted for what is only his second novel, Trash.

In contrast, the other three authors to be shortlisted for the Carnegie are well established and already multiple award winners. David Almond is shortlisted for My Name is Mina, the ‘prequel’ (hideous word) to Skellig, which won in 1998. Australian author Sonya Hartnett, another recipient of the Guardian Award is also shortlisted, as is the 2011 Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness.

Ness could become only the second author in the award’s 76 year history to win the Medal two years running (Peter Dickinson achieved this in 1979 and 1980). His book, A Monster Calls, could also be the first book to win both medals, as illustrator Jim Kay is shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Award.

The Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist is a typically diverse collection. Again, previous winners feature: Catherine Rayner and Emily Gravett are both shortlisted; 2010 nominee Viviane Schwarz is back too. Alongside them are Petr Horáček and newcomer Vicky White. Rob Ryan, very much man of the moment, is also shortlisted for his beautiful papercut illustrations for Carol Ann Duffy’s text The Gift.

This year the shortlist highlights the importance of illustration in books for older readers: Dave McKean’s extraordinary piece of graphic storytelling Slog’s Dad is shortlisted; and as mentioned, Jim Kay’s atmospheric and textured images, an organic and vital element of A Monster Calls, have won him a place too.

The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in London on 14 June. In the meantime, the 16 books will be read, discussed and argued about by the tens of thousands of children who take part in the Carnegie Greenaway shadowing scheme in reading groups in schools and libraries nationwide. In a particularly competitive year, their guess as to the eventual winners, will be as good as anyone’s.

The full lists follow.

The 2012 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist

Emily Gravett Wolf Won’t Bite

Petr Horáček Puffin Peter

Jim Kay A Monster Calls

Dave McKean Slog’s Dad

Catherine Rayner Solomon Crocodile

Rob RyanThe Gift

Viviane Schwarz There are No Cats in this Book

Vicky White Can We Save the Tiger?

The 2012 CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlist

David Almond My Name is Mina

Lissa EvansSmall Change for Stuart

Sonya Hartnett The Midnight Zoo

Ali Lewis Everybody Jam

Andy MulliganTrash

Patrick Ness A Monster Calls

Annabel Pitcher My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

Ruta Sepetys Between Shades of Grey