The Children’s Book Award 2018 shortlist has been announced, and Farshore are thrilled to have a chosen title in the top ten.
After counting 93,000 votes, The Children’s Book Award have announced the Top Ten shortlist for the 2018 Children’s Book Award.
Farshore are delighted to reveal that I Have No Secrets, written by Penny Joelson and published under our Electric Monkey imprint for YA fiction, has been shortlisted in the Books for Older Readers category.
Children nationwide are now invited to vote for their favourite of the ten shortlisted books. The deadline for online voting is noon on Friday 18 May and any child in the UK can vote for their favourite in the Top Ten!
The category winners and the author of the best children’s book published in the 2017 nomination period will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony which takes place in Central London Saturday 09 June 2018.
The Children’s Book Award is the only national award for children’s books that is voted for entirely by children. It is owned and coordinated by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups and is highly respected by teachers, parents and librarians. It has brought acclaim and strong sales to past winners such as J.K. Rowling, Patrick Ness, Andy Stanton, Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo, who has won a record four times. The award has often been the first to recognise the future stars of children’s fiction and has the ability to turn popular authors into bestsellers.
About I Have No Secrets
Fourteen-year-old Jemma has severe cerebral palsy. Unable to communicate or move, she relies on her family and carer for everything. She has a sharp brain and inquisitive nature, and knows all sorts of things about everyone. But when she is confronted with this terrible secret, she is utterly powerless to do anything. Though that might be about to change
A page-turning thriller seen through the eyes of a unique narrator, I Have No Secrets is a truly original, heart-rending and compulsive book for young adult readers. Perfect for fans of Wonder, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Looking for JJ.
Penny Joelson began working with disabled people when she was a teenager, which gave her the inspiration and insight for this book. She teaches creative writing and lives in London with her family. Follow Penny on Twitter @pennyjoelson.
Children’s Book Award 2018 Top Ten Shortlist
Books for Younger Children
- Edgar and the Sausage Inspector, written and illustrated by Jan Fearnley, published by Nosy Crow
- Mrs Mole, I’m Home!, written and illustrated by Jarvis, published by Walker
- The Secret of Black Rock, written and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton, published by Flying Eye Books
- I Dare You, written and illustrated by Reece Wykes, published by Andersen Press
Books for Younger Readers
- The Goldfish Boy, written by Lisa Thompson, published by Scholastic
- The Explorer, written by Katherine Rundell, published by Bloomsbury
- The Island at the End of Everything, written by Kiran Millwood Hargrave, published by Chicken House
Books for Older Readers
- I Have No Secrets, written by Penny Joelson, published by Electric Monkey (Farshore)
- Optimists Die First, written by Susin Nielsen, published by Andersen Press
- Ink, written by Alice Broadway, published by Scholastic
You can vote online for your favourite on The Children’s Book Award website.
Julia Miller, Children’s Book Award Coordinator says ‘In this, our charity’s 50th year, we are delighted by such an exciting and high-quality Top Ten. Selecting our Top Ten is the start of the countdown towards our Winners for 2018. We congratulate all our Top Ten authors and can’t wait to find out who is the children’s choice this year.’
About The Children’s Book Award
The Children’s Book Award was founded in 1980 by the national children’s reading charity, the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. It is the only national UK children’s book award to be voted for entirely by children and each year over 150,000 votes are cast, involving nearly 250 schools across the UK.
The ten titles on the shortlist for the Books for Younger Children, Books for Younger Readers and Books for Older Readers categories, were chosen by children nationwide who read and voted for the books throughout the year as part of the network of the Federation’s Children’s Book Groups. The overall winner is awarded the Children’s Book Award Silver Tree, of which they are the custodian for a year, and an engraved silver acorn which is theirs to keep. Each of the category winners receive an engraved glass book page and each shortlisted author will also receive an incredible portfolio of writing and artwork created by children inspired by their book.
