This next bit is going to be easy
Who would want the responsibility of judging the best debut book for children?
Hello and welcome to Making Crime Pay! I love being a bestselling children’s writer, but I also have a secret plan to write crime for adults. So I’m sharing my creative paths here and useful things I’m learning along the way.
I’m always ready to encourage a love of reading or creative writing help, taking some of the mystique out of writing and making it more fun! I visit schools . I read way too much and review my favourites so you can enjoy them too.
Thank you for being part of my journey and community. Thanks to everyone who is reading this and everyone who kindly supports me and my writing.
Nicki
It’s all about the tough decisions
I’ve been judging the Branford Boase Award to choose the best debut children’s book of the year. Which has been really interesting, enjoyable, but not easy. I wanted to share some more details of the books that made the shortlist, because there is some brilliant writing out there and it deserves to be shouted about.
Today’s readers deserve today’s best writers
The shortlist we have picked we hope has something for every reader. From a really good longlist, I feel we’ve picked an incredibly strong shortlis and I urge anyone to recommend any of these books to the young people in their lives.
Giving new authors some support is very worthwhile!
The Branford Boase Award is unique that it also recognises the work of the editor in nurturing a new voice into the publishing scene. So getting editors’ notes about the process, how debut authors worked with their editors and some of the strategies and challenges was also really interesting.
So what did we choose?
Check these out, recommend them to anyone who loves children’s books, or buy them for any young people in your life!
Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm by Ash Bond, edited by Ruth Bennett (Piccadilly Press)
Peregrine Quinn has always loved hearing her godfather Daedalus Bloom's stories about his life as an immortal, able to cross between realms. But when the portals that connect the Terran Realm with the Cosmic Realm mysteriously shut down, Daedalus, the only one who can fix them, and he is kidnapped. It’s up to Peregrine to act.
Peregrine is plunged into a adventure that combines ancient mythology with futuristic technology. Moving through a parallel world and chased by shapeshifters, she must grapple with holo-technology, laser blasters and magical interdimensional portals hidden in libraries in search of her godfather.
Impulsive Peregrine is helped by solid dryad librarian, Rowan Strong, who is not looking for adventure. But together they must find a way to navigate a world Peregrine has only ever heard about in stories and rely on Rowan showing her how it all works. But Rowan’s instincts are to do everything by the book. They will have to break a few rules if they stand any chance of reaching Daedalus and saving both worlds in time.
Their friendship is central to a brilliant novel of high stakes, dangerous adventure and plants.
The Boy in the Suit by James Fox, edited by Lauren Fortune (Scholastic)
Solo lives with his mum, Morag, and things have been sliding from bad to worse since Solo’s parents split up.
With Morag out of work, and bills piling up, their life is precarious. Solo wishes he even had a proper school uniform and wasn’t always in trouble with his teachers. But mostly he wishes Morag would stop her latest idea to lift her spirits, inject a little fun into their lives and get free food - crashing funeral parties where Morag can grab a sandwich, a little fun and rather too many free drinks.
When Solo and Morag crash the funeral of a celebrity and get caught, Solo’s fragile world comes crashing down and he begins a journey towards trust, friendship, security, community and connection.
A tender novel told through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy living with a struggling parent where Solo has to be more responsible than his mother.
Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence, edited by Katie Sinfield (Penguin Random House)
Ronny’s life is struck by tragedy so his mum decides it’s time they move out of East London and start a new life in a city that could not be more different - Norwich.
In his new city, as a Black teenager in a mostly white school, Ronny is an outsider and struggles to balance keeping his head down with his ambition of becoming a rapper.
From its shocking and tragic opening, this verse novel marks the journey of a teenage boy who wants to find a secure place in the world and escape a destiny that he sees too many others falling victim to.
When a local poet comes into class, Ronny discovers a world he’s never considered before and his world and his dreams take an unexpected turn. Writing becomes a refuge and a way out and a way to rewrite his own future.
All the Hidden Monsters by Amie Jordan, edited by Rachel Leyshon (Chicken House)
Sage is a werewolf desperate to make sense of her life. When her supernatural friend, Lucy, is the victim of a grisly murder, Sage is determined to be part of the investigation headed up by the attractive but arrogant warlock, Oren Rinallis.
Sage’s blend of wolf skills, Oren’s magic and aided by her poltergeist flatmate who can handily walk through walls, all make for a fun, intriguing and unstoppable investigative team into supernatural crime.
As well as a great story of pursuit of justice for Sage’s fellow werewolfs, Amie Jordan creates an intriguing world. The characters’ backstories mean the unlikely trio have a hard time working together. But the forging of a crack crime-fighting team and overcoming personal tragedies is part of the huge appeal of this exciting and emotional story.
Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald, edited by Alice Swan, assisted by Ama Badu (Faber)
This is the hopeful and touching story of two boys navigating their teen years after bad starts in life and being let down by parents. Finlay and Banjo forged a friendship in care, but they no longer speak. Both have huge trust issues that means they are struggling to find their way in the world and are now doing it alone and don’t even have each other.
Finlay is studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University. Coming straight from care means he has no support network and no one to ask for help as he struggles alone with course work and finding work to pay his way.
Banjo is trying to settle with his new foster family and finish high school, but he has anger issues that means he is constantly in danger of boiling over, being expelled, or being moved to yet another foster family.
But both are beautiful people as we discover as we see their daily struggles, and in the backstory that led to a deep friendship that fractured. Both are in desperate need to discover a world where they can trust emotionally and have relationships they can rely on.
It’s impossible not to get completely draw into their touching journey as they discover some important lessons in life, such as how to accept friendship, find families and love.
Such an amazing portrayal of male friendships it is impossible not to get emotionally entangled in wanting the best for these wonderful characters and desperately hoping these lovely boys will find the warmth and joy they seek and the happy endings they deserve.
A terrifically uplifting read that makes you believe good things happen, even if you start out in a really bad place.
You certainly do not need to be a young person to enjoy this story.
The Boy to Beat the Gods by Ashley Thorpe, edited by Sarah Stewart (Usborne)
Kayode dreams of eating the forbidden fruit of the Orishas, so he can gain the power of the gods and stop them terrorising his people. So when a fruit mysteriously appears in his path after the Orishas snatch his sister, he leaps on it.
Surging with new and difficult-to-control powers, he joins forces with a shapeshifting trickster god and a vengeful princess to save his sister and put an end to the mighty Orishas. But each has more fearful powers than the last - and Kayode's stolen half-god strength won't last for ever...
This puts a fresh twist on universal mythical themes, portraying a culture and a land that feels both familiar and different and forms a backdrop to adventures that go from coast to jungle and mountains.
This is such a fun story, but with underlying important themes. Standing up to tyrants, uniting warring tribes, proving that even beings who seem all powerful can be defeated, are the important messages of this fun and excting adventure.
But children will mostly enjoy the thrill of the plan to outwit gods as the unlikely group unite in a series of battles and try to pull off an almost impossible quest and throw off a fear and a way of life that has blighted their world for generations.
A fantastic longlist of 20 was whittled down to a top six.
I have so enjoyed being part of this judging. It has been fun, informatiave and very interesting.
Now all we have to do is pick an overall winner. Should be easy!
Nicki