The shortlist for the 2023 Branford Boase Award is announced today, Thursday 27th April 2023. Founded in 2000 to commemorate prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and influential Walker Books editor Wendy Boase, the Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of the year’s 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.

The Branford Boase Award has an exemplary record in picking out future stars. Past winners and shortlisted authors include Meg Rosoff, Katya Balen, Philip Reeve, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness, M.G. Leonard, and Marcus Sedgwick. Last year’s winner was Maisie Chan for Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths.

From a longlist of 21, the judges have chosen eight to shortlist. The all-female list includes the winner of the 2023 Waterstones Children’s Book Award, and LoveReading4Kids Star Book The Cats We Meet Along the Way, by Nadia Mikail, edited by Bella Pearson, as well as The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch, edited by Siobhàn Parkinson, currently shortlisted for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing.

By highlighting the most exciting debut authors for children, the Branford Boase Award also spotlights themes and trends at the forefront of current children’s literature.

Environmental issues are central to The Map of Leaves; in Seed, Marty’s mother has mental health problems; Ellie Pillai is Brown and The Haunting of Tyrese Walker explore issues of identity and belonging as does Rebel Skies; and The Eternal Return of Clara Hart examines toxic masculinity; written in a mix of prose and verse, The Bones of Me is deeply rooted in a working-class community.

The shortlist for the 2023 award in full:

The Bones of Me by Kel Duckhouse edited by Harriet Birkinshaw

Growing up on an East London council estate, boxing is an escape for 15-year-old Molly and offers a better future. A coming-of-age novel written in a mix of prose and verse. The judges admired the structure, voice and setting and called it ‘a brave book.’

The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch, edited by Siobhàn Parkinson 

At a party hosted by his best friend, Spence watches his classmate Clara run from the house and into the path of a car. The next day, he wakes up to find it is the previous morning and he must live the same 24 hours again. The judges found this very skilfully told and its exploration of toxic masculinity highly relevant.

Seed by Caryl Lewis, edited by Sarah Hughes, illustrated by George Ermos 

A birthday present from his grandad of a seed changes Marty’s life. As the seed grows and grows, it becomes a thing of wonder and possibility. The judges praised this as highly accomplished and impeccably told, a book that casts its spell on readers.

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Linn, edited by Gráinne Clear 

A teen fantasy adventure, set in a world of flying ships, sky cities and powerful paper spirits. Inspired by Asian cultures and exploring themes of empire, slavery and freedom. The judges found it cinematic, with superb world-building, and full of important psychological questions about knowing who you are.

The Cats We Meet Along the Way by Nadia Mikail, edited by Bella Pearson 

A story of family, love and hope, set at the end of the world. Fresh, uncontrived, skilfully mixing hope and dread, this puts a new perspective on a well-explored scenario, said the judges.

Ellie Pillai is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam, edited by Leah Thaxton 

Teenager Ellie is trying to work out who she is, while standing out as a brown girl in a predominantly white school. Humorous, authentic and with well-developed characters, said the judges, and cleverly plotted and written.

The Haunting of Tyrese Walker by J P Rose, edited by Chloe Sackur 

Visiting relatives with his mum in Jamaica, after the tragic loss of his father, Tyrese finds strange, inexplicable and terrifying things happening to him. The judges admired the quality of the writing, the clever use of folklore, and the way setting, theme, character and plot are so skilfully combined.

The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend, edited by Rachel Leyshon

There is a poison in the water of Orla’s word, infecting plants and people alike. Can she use her gift to save the world, before it’s too late? Mesmerising, said the judges; it has a great approach to green issues but is full of themes that will work for readers of different ages.

This year’s judges are Maisie Chan, author and winner of the 2022 Branford Boase Award; critic and writer and our very own Joanne Owen; Darren Matthews, Primary Advisory Teacher at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education; and Sajeda Amir, English teacher and KS3 coordinator at Levenshulme High School, Manchester. The judging panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare, children's director of the Hay Festival and LoveReading4Kids Editor in Cheif.

Julia Eccleshare, Co-Founder of the award and Chair of the Judges says, “Each year the Branford Boase Award reveals the preoccupations and direction of contemporary writing for children. There’s an exciting freshness to this year’s shortlist, not just in terms of the diversity of the authors, but in the stories they are choosing to tell. What children read influences how they see the world and it’s inspiring that new writers are telling stories that give children the means to understand the complexities of their world, and to help them to see beyond their own experiences.”

The winner of the Branford Boase Award will be announced at a ceremony in central London on Thursday 13th July 2023. The winning author receives a cheque for £1,000 and both author and editor receive an inscribed plaque.

Enter our competition to win this year's shortlist here.

The Branford Boase Award is delivered in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and supported by Walker Books.

www.branfordboaseaward.org.uk 

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