The Branford Boase Awards 2021
The Branford Boase Awards are awarded to the author and editor of the year’s outstanding novel for children and young people and some of the best and most exciting novels from debut writers.
The books shortlisted this year all feature common themes of grief, the importance of family, blended family and friendship yet they all address the themes in refreshingly different ways.
When Life Gives You Mangoes is a story of grief and mystery. Kereen Getten sets the story in a beautiful Carribean village with a relatable and authentic main character.
The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates is a funny and relatable story with the main character Freddie and his two best friends setting out on a cross country journey after Freddie’s nan passes away. After a series of misadventure the friends begin to realise what they mean to each other.
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly is a heart-wrenching novel with a dark subject matter that focuses on tough contemporary issues such as cyber bullying. Nate sets out to find the answers as to why his brother Al took his own life and in doing so finds himself.
Run Rebel, tackles the difficult subject of domestic abuse and violence. Amber lives at home with her mum and an abusive father. Amber finds the courage to rebel and support her mother at the same time. It offers an insight into lives which can become trapped through circumstance, told through wonderful storytelling.
A Kind of Spark tells the story of Addie, the autistic main character who deals with a changing friendship and bullying (and not just from her peers) whilst trying to get through school. She learns about the persecution of a group of women killed as witches in her town and, after identifying with them, campaigns to have a monument to remember them.
Witch is a revenge thriller set in 17th Century England where real witchcraft exists. Evey has to deal with the loss of her mother, murdered by witch-hunters, rescue her sister and embrace who she is, all whilst evading capture.
Orphans of the Tide is a creepy start to a fantasy series. You are thrown into a distinctive world where Ellie, orphaned after the death of her mother, must prove the innocence of a boy who has mysteriously appeared in their world.
Katie and Kevin Tsang (co-authors of Dragon Mountain) talk about the ‘Importance of Writing Characters who reflect the world we live in’ in this interesting article. Their characters have diverse heritages and the mythology they base the story on is a mix of Chinese and European. To read the full article:
The National Literacy Trust have published two fascinating articles this month. The first discusses ‘how video games can make a difference’ to children’s literacy and creative story telling. To read the full article:
The second explores why ‘Access to comics can encourage children to enjoy regular reading’. To read the full article:
https://literacytrust.org.uk/blog/access-to-comics-can-encourage-children-to-enjoy-regular-reading/
