Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

Image. Advertisement:

Readings Children’s Book Prize 2021 shortlist announced

Friday, 26 February 2021   Books+Publishing
@booksandpublishing

The shortlist for the Readings Children’s Book Prize for 2021 has been announced.

This year’s six shortlisted titles, for readers aged 5 to 12, are:

  • The Power of Positive Pranking (Nat Amoore, Puffin)
  • The Year the Maps Changed (Danielle Binks, Lothian)
  • Aussie Kids: Meet Taj at the Lighthouse (Maxine Beneba Clarke,  illus by Nicki Greenberg, Puffin)
  • The Grandest Bookshop in the World (Amelia Mellor, Affirm)
  • Bindi (Kirli Saunders, illus by Dub Leffler, Magabala Books)
  • As Fast as I Can (Penny Tangey, UQP).

This year’s shortlist was chosen by Readings Kids manager Angela Crocombe, Sam Kelly, a bookseller at Readings Doncaster and host of Doncaster’s middle fiction book club, Readings Kids bookseller Tye Cattanach and Readings Hawthorn bookseller Clare Millar. YA author Emily Gale, a former Readings children’s book buyer who was instrumental in establishing the prize, will join the judging panel as a guest judge to select the winner.

‘This year’s shortlist reflects the best that Australian children’s publishing has on offer,’ said Millar. ‘There is a book for every child here: stories that are funny and adventurous; fantastical and enchanting; sporty and inspiring; and kind and compassionate. Each book addresses themes and topics relevant to young people today, whether that’s climate change; refugee policies; growing up and making new friends; self-acceptance; changes in families; living with disability; or taking care of each other. Through these stories of compassion and resilience, we judges journeyed to a magical bookshop, prepared for the Olympics and engaged in environmental activism. Told through beautiful and accessible writing, these stories represent the diversity of experiences for today’s young people.’

The winner will be revealed in late April. After announcing that its prizes would not include prize money in 2020, due to the pandemic, Readings has reinstated prize money for its Children’s/YA and New Australian Fiction prizes in 2021. The winner of each prize receives $3000. For more information about the Children’s Prize and the shortlisted titles, see the Readings website.

 

Category: Awards Local news