Chris Haughton joins the Little Rebels

The Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction has revealed its judging panel for 2025 which includes two new judges: award-winning author and illustrator, Chris Haughton and Librarian at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), Phoebe Demeger.

Chris Haughton was shortlisted for the Little Rebels Award in 2015 with Shh! We Have a Plan. His most recent book, The History of Information traces the history of information and disinformation, from pre-historic drawing to writing, to print, media, computing and the internet.

On his appointment, Chris Haughton says, ‘A good book has the power to counter mainstream assumptions. To me that is what publishing should really be all about, to challenge the narrative and get us thinking and questioning. The Little Rebels Award highlights the books that do this. Books that challenge the status quo and amplify marginalised voices. I am very proud to be a judge for the Little Rebels Awards. We really need these books more than ever.’

Phoebe Demeger manages CLPE’s extensive library of children’s books. On joining the judging panel she says, ‘I firmly believe that the books we read as children have the power and potential to shape and inform our worldviews, and the Little Rebels Award is invaluable for ensuring that young readers have the opportunity to encounter high-quality, inclusive, radical fiction that will stay with them as they grow.’

Chris and Phoebe join current judges, teacher and author, Alom Shaha and designer & illustrator, Soofiya.

The Little Rebels Award celebrates UK children’s books for readers age 0-12 which promote social justice. Last year’s prize went to J.T. Williams’ Lizzie & Belle: Portraits and Poison (Farshore). Previous winners include Patrice Lawrence, Sarah Hagger-Holt, Zanib Mian, A. M. Dassu and Catherine Johnson.

Submissions are now open for the 2025 Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction. Publishers have until 3^rd March to submit relevant books first published in 2024. Full submission guidelines can be found at littlerebels.org. The shortlist will be announced in July 2025 and the winner will be announced at an award ceremony in London in October 2025.

The prize is administered by booksellers Letterbox Library and Housmans Bookshop on behalf of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers. The winner’s prize includes £2,000 funded by The Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust.