Eight Titles will compete for the 24th CBI Book of the Years Awards 2014, the most prestigious awards for children’s books.
The shortlist for the 24th CBI Book of the Year Awards was revealed today, Tuesday March 18th 2014. Each of the eight titles will compete for the high caliber awards, which includes the innovative ‘Children’s Choice Award’ voted for by young readers located across the country. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on May 13th.
The shortlisted titles are:
The Sleeping Baobab Tree by Paula Leyden
Warp The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer
Heart Shaped by Siobhán Parkinson
Hagwitch by Marie- Louise Fitzpatrick
Too Many Ponies by Sheena Wilkinson
Skulduggery Pleasant Last Stand of Dead Men by Derek Landy
Mysterious Traveller illustrated by P.J. Lynch
The Day the Crayons Quit illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Founded in 1990, The CBI Book of the Year Awards are the leading children’s book awards in Ireland. They are a celebration of excellence in children’s literature and illustration and are open to picture books and novels written in English or Irish by authors and illustrators born or resident in Ireland and published between 1st January and 31st December each year. Previous winners include John Boyne for his book The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; Chris Haughton for A Bit Lost, Marie Louise Fitzpatrick for There and Kate Thompson for her books The New Policeman, Annan Water and The Alchemist’s Apprentice.
Pádraic Whyte, chair of the judging panel that almost 70 titles, said: “The books on this year’s shortlist offer children and young people from a broad age group rich and satisfying reading experiences. Many of the books engage with difficult contemporary or global issues while others are stories of whimsy and fun. This is a wonderfully diverse shortlist that highlights the literary and artistic excellence of current Irish Children’s Literature.”
Children’s Books Ireland (CBI) who administers the awards, will again be working closely with reading groups from schools and libraries across Ireland. These young readers will choose the winner of the Children’s Choice Award. Four other awards will be made in May also- The Book of the Year Award, Honour Awards for Fiction and Illustration as well as a Judge’s Special Award.
Elaina Ryan, Director at CBI said “Empowering children and young people to discover books they enjoy reading is a great pleasure. This year we have eight books which we know will resonate with readers both young and old. Irish authors and illustrators rank among the best in the world so we are very proud to announce our shortlist today.”
Michelle Moloney King 