Woah. Can you believe it has been a year since the last Blue Peter Book Awards – and now on tonight’s CBBC show, the Blue Peter Book Awards 2016 shortlist will be announced!
The Blue Peter Book Awards 2016 Shortlist is full of fun and interesting books – and I love it as a new way of discovering authors we might not know about. Since last year H has become a huge fan of Pamela Butchart and we’ve got her new book preordered in time for its release next year.
Here’s the press release:
The latest hilarious, heartbreaking book from Frank Cottrell-Boyce – the beloved writer of the London Olympics opening ceremony and award-winning author – is among six children’s books shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2016.
His book, The Astounding Broccoli Boy, which is illustrated by Steven Lenton, is competing for the Best Story Award along with The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson and The Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie.
All three books are humorous but also tackle powerful issues, including bullying, being different, dealing with a parent’s death and living in a children’s home.
Shortlisted in the Best Book with Facts category is Penny Arlon’s FactFeed, a book of lists reinvented for the YouTube and BuzzFeed generation with its publisher, Scholastic, describing it as ‘great for reading on the loo’.
It is up against The Epic Book of Epicness, written and illustrated by Adam Frost, and The Silly Book of Weird and Wacky Words written by Andy Seed and illustrated by Scott Garrett.
Andy and Scott won the Best Book with Facts category in 2015 with their book The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff.
The shortlist was announced today (Thursday 3 December) live on Blue Peter.
The four judges – Angellica Bell, Pamela Butchart, Jim Sells and non-voting chair Ewan Vinnicombe – cited the challenging topics in the books vying for Best Story and said many of the books made them cry with laughter but also with sadness.
TV presenter, Angellica Bell, described the judging experience as, ‘no mean feat reading 40 books cover to cover’ but claims it’s ignited a passion for reading.
She said: “When I was young, I didn’t read all that much and felt I had missed out on a fun imaginative part of the growing up process. Reading from a young age allows people to escape and be whoever they want to be and being part of this judging process has allowed me to experience those feelings now. As a mother, I want my children to love books and feel that they can be transported to different worlds and experiences anytime, anywhere!”
Also taking part in the judging was National Literacy Trust programme manager, Jim Sells, who said: “Choosing the shortlist was great fun but pretty tough. I’m particularly happy because these books have huge potential to engage children who don’t think that there is anything out there that they would like to read. The story books explore powerful themes but are written in a way which is easy to understand, while the fact books are really interesting.”
The winners will be decided by more than 200 schoolchildren from ten schools across the UK, who will read the shortlisted books and vote for their favourites in each category. The two winning books will be announced on the Blue Peter programme scheduled for World Book Day on 3 March 2016 and will be announced by Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell.
The celebrated Blue Peter Book Awards, which are managed by children’s reading charity BookTrust, celebrate the best authors, most creative illustrators and the greatest reads for children.
The shortlist:
Best Story
The Astounding Broccoli Boy written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and illustrated by Steven Lenton (Pan Macmillan)
The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair written by Lara Williamson (Usborne)
The Nowhere Emporium written by Ross MacKenzie(Kelpies)
Best Book with Facts
The Epic Book of Epicness written and illustrated by Adam Frost (Bloomsbury)
The Silly Book of Weird and Wacky Words written by Andy Seed and illustrated by Scott Garrett (Bloomsbury)
FactFeed written by Penny Arlon (Scholastic)
The judges for this year’s Awards are:
Angellica Bell – TV presenter, mum and blogger
Ewan Vinnicombe – (non-voting chair) Editor, Blue Peter
Jim Sells – National Literacy Trust Programme Manager
Pamela Butchart – winner of the Blue Peter Best Story 2015