Awards Round-Up
There's been so much award activity and announcements in the kidlit industry lately, we figured we'd do a round-up of the most recent ones on our radar—including the winners of the 2023 Quebec Writers' Foundation Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, the Writers' Trust Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, and the 2023 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards for Fiction and Children and Youth.
2023 Janet Savage Blachford Prize for Children’s and Young Adult Literature
A Boy Is Not a Ghost by Edeet Ravel
(Groundwood Books)
“A tender and touching story about a boy exiled to Siberia during World War II, told through the voice of a young boy named Natt who transports us through the hardships of his frightening journey with his astonishing and capable strength, his endearing heart and with an ability to still seek kindness in those around him, despite the pain and fear he endures. Natt’s voice was quietly and strongly poignant and affecting— his story will stay with me."
Jurors: Danielle Daniel, Pamela Mordecai and Hannah Marrow
For the complete list of winners, visit qwf.org.
2023 Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People ($25,000)
Awarded to a writer of literature for young readers in recognition of an exceptional body of work.
Kyo Maclear
"What makes Kyo Maclear’s stories most extraordinary is that they are allusive, suggestive, a mode of approaching what is vital, but puzzling. Instead of giving directions or answers, she invites interpretation and pondering, awakening curiosity, imagination and understanding through unusual imagery. Using wordplay, she can surprise her readers with what seems a direct, simple narrative, but instead provides humour, rich insight, and deeper questioning.”
The award is sponsored by the Metcalf Foundation.
Jurors: Deirdre Baker, Andrea Curtis and Itah Sadu
For the complete list of Writers' Trust winners, visit writerstrust.com.
2023 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards
Children and Youth
The Prisoner and the Writer by Heather Camlot
(Groundwood Books)
"This powerful middle-grade story written in verse with full-page illustrations [by Sophie Casson] is told from the perspectives of both Alfred Dreyfus and Emile Zola, two men whose courage changed the world. The true story of the Dreyfus Affair, published in time for the 125th anniversary of 'J'Accuse ...!', acts as a reminder that a person committed to truth, justice and equality must stand up and speak out against prejudice for themselves—and for others."
Includes an author's note and further historical context.
Fiction
The Ribbon Leaf by Lori Weber
(Red Deer Press)
"In Nazi Germany, friendship between an Aryan German girl and a Jewish German girl is strictly verboten, and an act of kindness might mean death. Sabine and Edie have been best friends since Kindergarten. Then Kristallnacht hits in 1938, shattering Jewish shop windows, synagogues and their friendship. The girls, who once dreamed of stardom together, now take different paths—Edie escapes to Canada, and Sabine remains to experience life in her Nazi-controlled southern German town, eventually rescuing and supporting Edie's beloved Papa who poses as Sabine's grandfather.
For the complete list of winners, visit cjlawards.ca.
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