Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

The 2020 Little Rebels Award shortlist

July 15, 2020/in news /by Richard Hill

The shortlist for the 2020 Little Rebels Award has been announced. The Little Rebels Award celebrates children’s fiction which challenges stereotypes, promotes social justice and advocates for a more peaceful and fairer world.

 

Books on this year’s shortlist feature boundless kindness, domestic violence, excess consumerism, sustainability and untold histories, and there’s even a Brexit fable.

Little Rebels favourite Gill Lewis is shortlisted for the fifth time in the award’s eight-year history for The Closest Thing to Flying, and Andrea Beaty and David Roberts make the list for a second time with Sofia Valdez, Future Prez.

Now or Never

The Little Rebels 2020 shortlist in full:

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts (Abrams & Chronicle)

Sneaky Beak by Tracey Corderoy, illustrated by Tony Neal (Little Tiger)

The Boy Who Loved Everyone by Jane Porter, illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring (Walker)

King Leonard’s Teddy by Phoebe Swan (Child’s Play)

Now or Never – A Dunkirk Story by Bali Rai (Scholastic)

The Closest Thing to Flying by Gill Lewis (OUP)

The Little Island by Smriti Prasadam-Halls, illustrated by Robert Starling (Andersen Press)

This year for the first time the award received funding from the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the winner will receive a cheque for £2000.

Fen Coles, Co-Director of Letterbox Library, said of the shortlist: ‘The current pandemic has sharpened so many social justice issues – poverty, domestic violence, the destruction of our environment – but also shone a light on our capacity for great kindness. The latest Little Rebels Award shortlist similarly exposes the fissures in our society alongside an overall optimism and a belief in change. Never has this roll call of social justice books been more useful in giving children tools to make sense of the world and to know that they can be the agents of change.’

The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award is now in its 8th year. It is run by booksellers Housmans Bookshop and Letterbox Library and is awarded by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB). This year’s judges are: author Patrice Lawrence; Emily Drabble, Head of Children’s Book Promotions/Prizes at BookTrust; Jim MacSweeney, longstanding manager of LGBT bookshop Gay’s the Word; Darren Chetty, Teacher, Writer, Researcher; and Shaun Dellenty, Trainer in LGBT+ inclusive education.

Catherine Johnson 2018 credit Andy Donohoe

Catherine Johnson was awarded the 2019 Little Rebels Award for her historical novel exploring Britain’s involvement in the slave trade, Freedom.

The winner of this year’s Little Rebels Award will be announced in September.

 

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/LittleRebels.jpg 932 1340 Richard Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Richard Hill2020-07-15 17:14:412021-05-15 17:25:42The 2020 Little Rebels Award shortlist

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue BfK 263 November 2023
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Latest CLPE Reflecting Realities survey shows sustained upward trend in the volume of inclusive literature for children

November 30, 2023

Winners of 2023 SLA Information Book Award

November 23, 2023

Nero Book Awards Announce Inaugural Shortlist

November 21, 2023

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2023 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
UKLA Book Award winners 2020 UK nominations IBBY’s outstanding books for young people with disabilities...
Scroll to top