Children play in the fountain at More London in the pandemic year 2020. Image – iStockphoto; Alena Kravchenko
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Seven Novels
Today’s announcement of the shortlist for the 2021 Branford Boase Award for debut authors includes the program’s first verse novel, a YA work by author Manjeet Mann.
Amid the annual avalanche of awards stories that rolls over the industry at this time of year, the Branford Boase is named for author Henrietta Branford and Wendy Boase, a co-founding editorial director of the UK’s Walker Books. Branford and Boase worked together on several books, and both women died with cancer in 1999. The award program was established in 2000 to recognize emerging talent in young people’s literature.
The award is made annually to a first novel of at least 6,000 words for readers aged 7 and older. While an author may have published work in another category, she or he is eligible for this award as long as the pertinent submission is a novel. Eligible writers must be residents of the United Kingdom. The winning editor and author receive a trophy, and the winning author also collects £1,000 (US$1,393).
The winner of this year’s award is to be named on July 15.
Branford Boase Award 2021 Shortlist
- When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten, edited by Sarah Odedina (Pushkin Children’s Books)
- Witch by Finbar Hawkins, edited by Fiona Kennedy (Head of Zeus/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 (Round Table Books/Knights Of)
- Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann, edited by Carmen McCullough (Penguin Books)
- Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray, edited by Ben Horslen, illustrated by Manuel Sumberac (Penguin Books/Puffin)
- The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson, edited by Rebecca Hill and Becky Walker, illustrated by Rob Biddulph (Usborne)
The jury for this year’s program comprises Zoey Dixon, Scott Evans, Natasha Radford, Liz Hyder, and Julia Eccleshare is the panel chair.
More from Publishing Perspectives on children’s books is here and more on the United Kingdom’s book publishing market is here. More on publishing and book awards is here.
More from us on the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on international book publishing is here.