D-Day Dog, The Runaway Pea, Mutant Zombies Cursed My School Trip and On the Come Up have been announced as the category winners for the Children's Book Award 2020 - with Tom Palmer scooping the overall prize. Chosen entirely by children, the Children's Book Award 2020 are celebrating their 40 anniversary this year.
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Books for Younger Children
Books for Younger Readers
Books for Confident Readers
Books for Older Readers
Though the title refers directly to D-Day, and much of the action takes place on or near the D-Day beaches, Tom Palmer skilfully and thoughtfully enables readers to consider war in general, what it means to those involved – soldier and civilian – and even why it still goes on. Jack is excited about his school trip to the ...
This quirky caper from debut duo Kjartan Poskitt and Alex Willmore will show you just what can happen when you take your eye off your dinner for a second!
Ian Iansson is a little bit worried about his school trip. Firstly, Ian doesn't have any friends, plus, his mum has packed him ten pairs of pants for the two-day trip. But as it turns out, these are the least of Ian's problems... Because when Ian's class arrives at the spooky old house, there's something very weird going on. Something ...
Though the title refers directly to D-Day, and much of the action takes place on or near the D-Day beaches, Tom Palmer skilfully and thoughtfully enables readers to consider war in general, what it means to those involved – soldier and civilian – and even why it still goes on. Jack is excited about his school trip to the ...
The Children's Book Award Winning Books
Books for Younger Children Category
The Runaway Pea written by Kjartan Poskitt and illustrated by Alex Willmore
Books for Younger Readers category
Mutant Zombies Cursed My School Trip written by Matt Brown and illustrated by Paco Sord
Books for Confident Readers
D-Day Dog by Tom Palmer
Books for Older Reader’s category
On The Come Up by Angie Thomas
Tom Palmer's D-Day Dog also won the overall prize of The Children's Book Award 2020.
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Tom Palmer said ‘I am thrilled to win the Children's Book Award 2020! A massive thank you to the thousands of children who voted and to the Federation organisers. This prize celebrates writers writing and readers reading, and I am beyond delighted to receive it. Thank you. It is really important to me, when writing about history, to base my stories on real people and real events. I have learned that children are far more engaged with a book if the soldier (or dog) character really existed. I think the celebration and interest in Captain Tom Moore and other veterans we’ve seen in the D-Day 75th and other anniversaries bears this out. There is no need to make up inspiring figures like Glen the Paradog and Captain Tom - we have them in our midst and in our history, and we owe it to them to celebrate the strength and values that they represent, in turn to help us deal with our own challenges in 2020.’
The full shortlist for the Children’s Book Award 2020 was as follows:
Books for Younger Children
Jazz Dog, written and illustrated by Marie Voigt, published by OUP
Matisse’s Magical Trail, written by Tim Hopgood and illustrated by Sam Boughton, published by OUP
The Runaway Pea, written by Kjartan Poskitt and illustrated by Alex Willmore, published by Simon & Schuster Children’s Books
Books for Younger Readers
Mutant Zombies Cursed My School Trip, written by Matt Brown and illustrated by Paco Sordo, published by Usborne
Owen and The Soldier, written by Lisa Thompson, published by Barrington Stoke
The Maker of Monsters, written by Lorraine Gregory, published by OUP
Books for Confident Readers
Wildspark, written by Vashti Hardy, published by Scholastic
A Pocketful of Stars, written by Aisha Busby, published by Egmont
D-Day Dog, written by Tom Palmer, published by Barrington Stoke
Books for Older Readers
Becoming Dinah, written by Kit de Waal, published by Hachette Children’s Group
On The Come Up, written by Angie Thomas, published by Walker Books
Two Can Keep a Secret, written by Karen M McManus, published by Penguin
Sarah Stuffins, Children’s Book Award Coordinator says says ‘2020 didn’t quite deliver the 40th Anniversary that we expected, but we’re thrilled to have been able to take the ceremony online and Tom is a truly worthy winner. Being online also allows us to reach well beyond our own book groups and home-schooling has brought many parents into contact with their children’s reading in a unique way. We hope the filmed reports on each of the shortlisted title are a real resource to many and will encourage even more engagement in today’s superb and vibrant children’s literature scene.’
You can read more about the winning and shortlisted books and watch a video of the award ceremony, which due to the Covid-19 crisis was held online on 10th October 2020 - fcbg.org.uk/childrens-book-award
And on twitter @CBACoordinator or visit the Children's Book Award facebook page where you can find the blog tours for each book on the shortlist.
