BfK News: March 2014

Barbro Lindgren, winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Swedish author Barbro Lindgren has won the 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the largest award for children’s literature with a prize of five million Swedish crowns. The award was announced from the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm and broadcast live at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. There were 238 candidates from 68 countries up for this year’s award.

Lindgren is a Swedish author of innovative and multifaceted works for children of all ages. Her body of work includes picture books, poetry, plays, and books for young adults. Since her debut as an author in 1965, she has published over a hundred titles, and her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. The Jury’s Citation describes Barbro Lindgren is ‘a literary pioneer’ who by using adventurous language and rich psychological nuance, has ‘re-invented not only the picture book for the very young but also the absurd prose story, the existential children’s poem, and realistic fiction for young adults. With perfect pitch, she presents to us both playful shenanigans and moments of bright joy, and the inscrutable nature of life and the nearness of death.’

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) will be presented in a ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on 2 June 2014.

Nahoko Uehashi and Roger Mello, winners of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Award

The Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has named Nahoko Uehashi from Japan winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award, and Roger Mello from Brazil winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works are judged to have made lasting contributions to children’s literature.

Uehashi was selected from 28 authors nominated for the Award. The five finalists were Ted van Lieshout (Netherlands), Houshang Moradi Kermani (Iran), Mirjam Pressler (Germany), Renate Welsh (Austria), and Jacqueline Woodson (USA).

Mello was selected from 30 illustrators nominated for the Award. The five finalists were François Place (France), Rotraut Susanne Berner (Germany), Øyvind Torseter (Norway), Eva Lindström (Sweden), and John Burningham (UK).

The Andersen medals and diplomas will be presented to the winners at the 34th International IBBY Congress in Mexico City, Wednesday, 10 September 2014.

2014 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals: shortlists

The shortlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, the most prestigious of the UK book awards, have been announced.

Eight books have made it onto the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal, from a longlist of 20. Just seven books are on the shortlist for the Kate Greenaway Award.

The shortlists in full are:

The CILIP Carnegie Medal

All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry (Templar)

The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks (Puffin)

The Child’s Elephant by Rachel Campbell-Johnston (David Fickling Books)

Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper (Bodley Head)

Blood Family by Anne Fine (Double Day)

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (Faber & Faber)

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (Anderson Press)

The Wall by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury)

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Award

The Paper Dolls by Rebecca Cobb (illustrator) and Julia Donaldson (author) (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Where My Wellies Take Me by Olivia Gill (illustrator) and Michael Morpurgo and Clare Morpurgo (authors) (Templar)

The Day the Crayons Quit by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator) and Drew Daywalt (author) (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)

The Dark by Jon Klassen (illustrator) and Lemony Snicket (author) (Orchard Books)

Mouse, Bird, Snake, Wolf by Dave McKean (illustrator) and David Almond (author) (Walker Books)

Oliver by Birgitta Sif (Walker Books)

The 2014 winners will be announced on Monday, 23 June 2014 at a lunchtime ceremony at the Unicorn Theatre in London. The winners will each receive £500 worth of books to donate to their local library and the golden Medals. The ceremony will be live-streamed for the first time.

Rick Yancey wins the 2014 Red House Children’s Book Award

Rick Yancey has won the 2014 Red House Children’s Book Award with The 5th Wave, his gripping alien invasion adventure story.

The 5th Wave won the older readers category and the overall prize; Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler won the Books for Younger Children category with Superworm; and Jennifer Gray won the Books for Younger Readers category with Atticus Claw Breaks the Law.

The Red House Children’s Book Award is administered by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.

Yancey now joins past winners J K Rowling, Patrick Ness, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo. He was presented with the award by children from the Federation’s Southampton Children’s Book Group and last year’s winners Lee Wildish and Andrew Weale.