Peter Bently and Steven Lenton named winners of The Children’s Book Award 2022
Peter Bently and Steven Lenton have been named overall winners of The Children’s Book Award 2022. Their book Octopus Shocktopus! also won the Books for Younger Children category before going on to win the overall prize.
The Highland Falcon Thief written by M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman, and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, won the Books for Younger Readers Category, When The World Was Ours, written by Liz Kessler, won the Books for Older Reader’s category winner.
Octopus Shocktopus! tells the story of a huge, orange octopus that one day appears on the roof of a young family’s house – and, despite the best efforts of the fire brigade, it seems determined to stay there! The brilliantly crafted, rhyming text and vivid florescent illustrations made the winning book a firm favourite with the children.
Peter Bently and Steven Lenton said ‘We’re absolutely thrilled that Octopus Shocktopus! has won the Children’s Book Award 2022! A massive thank you to all the children who voted and to the Federation organisers – knowing that this award has been chosen by children themselves makes it truly special. In fact it’s OCTOTASTIC!’
The Children’s Book Award is the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children. It is owned and coordinated by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and is highly respected by teachers, parents and librarians. It has brought acclaim and strong sales to past winners such as J.K. Rowling, Patrick Ness, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo, who has won a record four times. The award has often been the first to recognise the future stars of children’s fiction and has the ability to turn popular authors into bestsellers. A dedicated page on the FCBG website showcases all the shortlisted titles. The ceremony will also be available to view on the website after 25th June.
The full shortlist for the Children’s Book Award 2022 is as follows:
Books for Younger Children
Stella and The Seagull, written by Georgina Stevens and illustrated by Izzy Burton, published by OUP
Perdu, written and illustrated by Richard Jones, published by Simon and Schuster
Octopus Shocktopus!, written by Peter Bently and illustrated by Steven Lenton, published by Nosy Crow
Barbara Throws a Wobbler, written and illustrated by Nadia Shireen, published by Penguin Random House
Books for Younger Readers
The Highland Falcon Thief, written by M G Leonard and Sam Sedgman, and illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, published by Macmillan Children’s Books
The Griffin Gate, written by Vashti Hardy and illustrated by Natalie Smillie, published by Barrington Stoke
Anisha Accidental Detective, written by Serena Patel and illustrated by Emma McCann, published by OUP
Books for Older Readers
The Midnight Guardians, written by Ross Montgomery, published by Walker Books
When The World Was Ours, written by Liz Kessler, published by Simon and Schuster
The Outlaws Scarlett & Browne, written by Jonathan Stroud, published by Walker Books
Sarah Stuffins, Coordinator of The Children’s Book Award, says ‘A delightfully, joyful winning. Congratulations to Peter and Steven, and all our other shortlisted authors and illustrators. I think we all need a fluorescent orange octopus in our lives!’
