Little Rebels Award Shortlist 2024
The shortlist for this year’s Little Rebels Award has been announced. There are eight books on the list, books that ‘speak to a generation of young activists and critical thinkers’ say the organisers, and they cover a wide range of social justice issues from Black History to Black Lives Matter, from access to the arts to the politics of Pride.
The shortlist includes Yaba Badoe’s middle grade debut and a debut for Jen Reid, the Bristol BLM activist famous for standing on Edward Coulson’s empty plinth in June 2020, fist raised. There’s also a listing for the 4-year-old, micro, Birmingham-based, publisher, Dune Books (est. 2020).
The shortlist in full is:
Man-Man and the Tree of Memories by Yaba Badoe and Joelle Avelino (Head of Zeus Books)
A Hero Like Me by Angela Joy, Jen Reid and Leire Salaberria (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books)
The Lizzie & Belle Mysteries: Portraits And Poison by J. T. Williams with illustrations by Simone Douglas (Farshore)
We Are Here by Kate Rafiq (Dune Books)
Grandad’s Pride by Harry Woodgate (Andersen Press)
Is That Your Mama? By Patrice Lawrence and Diane Ewen (Scholastic)
You’re So Amazing! by James & Lucy Catchpole and Karen George (Faber & Faber)
The Piano at the Station by Helen Rutter with illustrations by Elisa Paganelli (Barrington Stoke)
This year’s judges include two new additions: teacher and author, Alom Shaha and designer and illustrator, Soofiya. They join author-illustrator Emily Haworth-Booth, reading development and children’s book consultant, Jake Hope and Regional Learning Programmes Leader at the CLPE (Centre for Literature in Primary Education), Farrah Serroukh.
Darren Chetty, lecturer at UCL and columnist for Books for Keeps is a new member of the panel. He said, ‘Radical, rebellious fiction has found itself under attack from conservative forces in recent years. We’ve seen authors’ books removed from shelves in the USA as the culture warriors have tried to limit the imaginations of writers and readers. The Little Rebels Award matters more than ever- and I’m proud to be associated with it.’
In 2024, the highest number of publishers, a total of 52, submitted to the award. The award organisers published a longlist for only the second time in May, showcasing 17 of the best radical children’s fiction titles of 2023.
The Little Rebels Award Winner for 2024 will be announced at a ceremony in October. The winner’s prize includes £2,000 funded by the Marxist Socialist funder, The Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust. Free downloadable reading guides for each of the shortlisted titles will shortly be available through the Little Rebels Award website, enabling educators and carers to discuss and plan activities around the social justice topics raised in the shortlist.
The Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction Award is run by Letterbox Library, and Housmans Bookshop on behalf of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers.
