School Library Association Announce Winners Of 2024 Information Book Award
The winners of the School Library Association’s Information Book Award have been announced at the annual celebration of non-fiction books.
Alan Bissett’s book Lads (Wren & Rook) was named overall winner, whilst Kwame Alexander took home the Children’s Choice Award for Unspoken, illustrated by Dare Coulter.
Alan Bissett is a novelist, playwright and performer from Renfrewshire in Scotland. Lads, subtitled A Guide to Consent and Respect, is his first non-fiction book and was written to help teenage boys navigate relationships, understand boundaries and consent, combat negative online influences and call out bad behaviour when they see it.
The judges described Lads as a refreshing and essential addition to any bookshelf today, and not just for boys or teenagers, an engaging book with a straight-talking aesthetic that the judges also highly recommended for teachers and parents alike.
Across the three age categories, the Judges’ Choice winners were:
Ages 7 and under:
Darwin’s Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular, written by Polly Owen (The Quarto Group). A warm and funny account of Charles Darwin’s lifelong love of the humble worm (and its importance in nature).
Ages 8 to 12:
Human 2.0, written by Patrick Kane (Big Picture Press, 2023). A celebration of all that has been achieved so far in human bionics, and a look at what might be possible in the near future.
Ages 13 to-16:
Lads, written by Alan Bissett (Hachette Children’s Group: Wren & Rook, 2023). A guide for teenage boys, helping them navigate relationships.
Children from across the country selected their best Information Books for the year too.
Across the three age categories, the Children’s Choice winners were:
Ages 7 and under:
Salat in Secret, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (Andersen Press). The story of seven-year-old Muhammad who, when given his first salat rug to pray with, has to learn to be brave in order to share his prayer with the world.
Ages 8 to 12:
Unspoken, written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter (Andersen Press). An exploration of the story of slavery.
Ages 13 to 6-16:
How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone, written by Alex Norris (Walker Books). A funny and wise guide to relationships of all shapes and sizes, covering topics from singlehood to jealousy to happily ever after.
Judges’ Choice winner, Alan Bissett, author of Lads, said, ‘I am absolutely delighted to have won this award, especially against such strong contenders. As a writer who does a great many talks in schools with teenagers – and as a former English teacher – I am well aware how vital and important school libraries and librarians are, so it’s a real honour to receive this from people who work in a vocation which I respect so much, and who make it their business to read everything! Schools have to navigate complicated and sensitive discussions every day – I hope that, with this platform, Lads can spark a positive conversation among young men (and women) about respect, relationships and consent in an often-confusing and ever-changing world.’
Children’s Choice winner, Kwame Alexander, author of Unspoken, said, ‘For pupils to choose a book that has been banned in America is a real testament to its value. This Children’s Choice Award makes a bold statement! Unspoken talks about a difficult time in our collective history, but a very important one in terms of how we understand our past and learn for our future. I am honoured that the young people judging this award chose my book as their favourite from a competitive selection.’
Paul Register, Chair of the Trustees for the School Library Association said, ‘The School Library Association’s Information Book Awards have highlighted, once again, the incredible diversity of book titles available to children of all ages. The judges have chosen books that will both educate and encourage children to read for pleasure. It is a joy to see children selecting winners that represent the enquiry and inclusivity we hope to foster in all school libraries.’
Chair of the judges, Margaret Pemberton, said, ‘Every year that I’ve been a judge has been a joy. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve learned, and I’ve recommended the amazing books I’ve read to others. The two books which were overall winners this year reflect two issues that our society is wrestling with – what it means to be a boy or man, and the continuing influence of slavery in the modern world. Information books help us understand the world, and that’s why they matter so much.’
Claire Bowles, Co-CEO at Peters who sponsor the awards, said, ‘It’s been wonderful to be part of the Information Book Awards. It’s always a privilege to hear about the impact these books have had on pupils across different school libraries and we are excited to see how they continue to shape the minds of our future generations.’
The Awards, now in their 14th year, were introduced to reinforce the importance of non-fiction whilst highlighting the high standard of resources available. Find out more about the awards, or register for future updates.
