Shortlist for the Costa Children’s Book Award 2020
Debut authors Darren Charlton and Jenny Pearson join Natasha Farrant and Meg Rosoff on the shortlist for the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award.
The shortlist for the 2020 Costa Children’s Book Award has been announced. No less than 146 books were submitted and from those the judges have chosen a shortlist of four. They are:
Wranglestone by Darren Charlton (Little Tiger)
The judges described this as, ‘a page-turning debut with a fresh dystopian narrative that delivers emotion and drama in equal measure.’
Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant (Faber)
The judges said, ‘Voyage of the Sparrowhawk is a deceptively simple, beautifully-written story exploring friendship, loss and bravery that pulled us in from the first page.’
The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson (Usborne)
Another debut, the judges described this as ‘A funny and heart-warming story with great depth that was a pleasure to read.’
The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff (Bloomsbury Publishing)
The judges said, ‘This is an addictive story of first love, sibling hierarchies and a summer that changes everything.’
This year the judges are author Patrice Lawrence, John McLay, children’s literary scout and event organiser, and Alex O’Connell of The Times.
The Costa Book Awards is the only major UK book prize open solely to authors resident in the UK and Ireland and also, uniquely, recognises some of the most enjoyable books published in the last year across five categories – Children’s Book, First Novel, Novel, Biography and Poetry.
Winners in the five categories, who each receive £5,000, will be announced on Monday 4th January 2021. The overall winner of the 2020 Costa Book of the Year will receive £30,000 and be announced at a virtual ceremony on Tuesday 26th January 2021. Two children’s books have been name overall winner, The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman in 2001, and The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge in 2016.
