In a new partnership between the Branford Boase Award and LoveReading this year’s Branford Boase Award ceremony will be hosted by LoveReading as part of the LoveReading LitFest. 

The ceremony will be broadcast 6.30 – 7.30pm on Thursday 15 July, as a special festival event open to all those interested in children’s literature. It will feature the announcement of the winning author and editor by 2020 winner, Liz Hyder, author of Bearmouth, together with contributions from previous Branford Boase Award winners and supporters, including Dame Jacqueline Wilson. All this year’s shortlisted authors will feature and the event will culminate with an interview with the winners.

Deborah Maclaren, managing director of LoveReading and director of the LoveReading LitFest says, ‘We are delighted to be working with the Branford Boase Award on this very special event.  The LoveReading audience is eager to discover new authors, for themselves and their children, and the BBA highlights the most talented new writers for young people. The programme we have put together is very exciting and we expect a large and enthusiastic audience for this event.’

Julia Eccleshare, co-founder of the Branford Boase Award and chair of the judges says, ‘We are thrilled to be working with Deborah, Paul Blezard and the rest of the LoveReading LitFest team. In the 22nd year of the Branford Boase Award, this partnership brings new energy to the prize and it’s wonderful that the ceremony will be open to so many readers.’

Established in 2000 to commemorate award-winning author Henrietta Branford and influential Walker Books editor Wendy Boase, the Branford Boase is awarded annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children. Uniquely, it also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent. It has long been recognised as ‘the one to watch’ with an impressive record of identifying exceptional authors at the start of their careers. Winners and shortlisted authors include Siobhan Dowd, Meg Rosoff, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness, M.G. Leonard and Marcus Sedgwick.

There are seven books on the 2021 shortlist, which has been described as ‘a showcase for all that children’s literature can be’.  They are:

When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten, edited by Sarah Odedina (Pushkin Children’s Books)

Witch by Finbar Hawkins, edited by Fiona Kennedy (Zephyr)

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando, edited by Jane Griffiths (Simon and Schuster)

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll, edited by Eishar Brar (Knights Of)

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann, edited by Carmen McCullough (Penguin)

Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray, edited by Ben Horslen, illustrated by Manuel Sumberac (Puffin)

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson, edited by Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker, illustrated by Rob Biddulph (Usborne)

For further information on the Branford Boase Award, please contact Andrea Reece on andrea.reece@zen.co.uk or call her on 07807893369.

For further information on the LoveReading LitFest, please contact Alex Hippisley-Cox on alex@ahipcoxpr.co.uk or call her on 07921 127077.