Hardy wins 2021 Children’s Peace Literature Award

How to Write the Soundtrack to Your Life by Fiona Hardy (Affirm) is the winner of the 2021 Children’s Peace Literature Award.

Hardy’s book was chosen by a judging panel of psychologists and children’s literature experts from a shortlist of seven books that also included The Friendly Games (Kaye Baillie, illus by Fiona Burrows, MidnightSun), Twelve Days of Kindness (Cori Brooke, illus by Fiona Burrows, New Frontier), Littlelight (Kelly Canby, Freemantle Press), Sunflower (Ingrid Laguna, Text), Metal Fish, Falling Snow (Cath Moore, Text) and Scary Bird (Michel Streich, Scholastic).

The judges said Hardy’s book is ‘entertaining and thought provoking; with a range of characters, both child and adult, who show supportive relationships and who work cooperatively to problem solve and resolve the various conflicts’.

Awarded every second year by Psychologists for Peace (SA), a special interest group of the Australian Psychological Society, the prize is for ‘the author of a book for children that encourages the non-violent resolution of conflict or promotes peace at the global, local or interpersonal level’.

The inaugural winner in 1987 was Gillian Rubinstein for her first novel Space Demons, while the most recent winner was Missing Marvin by Sue deGennaro in 2019.

The 2021 Children’s Peace Literature Award attracted over 90 entries submitted by publishers and authors.

Category: Awards Local news