Sepetys, Smith win 2017 Carnegie, Greenaway medals; Fraillon wins Amnesty CILIP Honour

Two US children’s book creators have won the 2017 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals, presented by the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

Ruta Sepetys won the Carnegie Medal for children’s and YA books for Salt to the Sea (Puffin) and illustrator Lane Smith received the Kate Greenaway Medal for children’s book illustration for There is a Tribe of Kids (Macmillan).

Sepetys’ historical YA novel follows the events leading up to the sinking of the German military transport ship Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945, in which over 9000 people, mainly refugees, died. Lane’s picture book explores ‘the power of collective nouns and the importance of play and exploration’.

Amnesty CILIP Honours, which recognise titles that ‘illuminate, uphold or celebrate freedoms’, were awarded to Australian author Zana Fraillon for The Bone Sparrow (Hachette), selected from the Carnegie Medal shortlist; and Italian-Swiss illustrator Francesca Sanna for The Journey (Flying Eye Books), selected from the Kate Greenaway Medal shortlist.

Tricia Adams, chair of the judges for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals, said the winning books and Amnesty Honour books ‘poignantly prove the importance of stories in making voices heard—especially those of the dispossessed—encouraging the young reader to look beyond the headlines’.

Sepetys and Smith each receive £500 (A$838) worth of books to donate to their local library and a £5000 (A$8380) cash prize.

To see the shortlists, click here. For more information about the winners, visit the awards website here.

Category: International news Junior