the Branford Boase Award honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.
In another outstanding year for debuts, 59 books were submitted and by more than two dozen different publishers; 20 books have made it onto the longlist. These include Jasbinder Bilan’s Costa winner Asha and the Spirit Bird; Sharna Jackson’s bestseller High-Rise Mystery, edited by Robin Stevens for Knights Of; as well as books from independent presses Everything with Words, Firefly Press and Floris Books.
Julia Eccleshare says: “As the Branford Boase Award enters its 21st year, we are delighted to have another exciting and particularly diverse set of books to consider. Here are comedies, murder mysteries, adventures set in imaginary worlds, in faraway countries and in landscapes familiar to us all. The wealth of talent on display continues to inspire us and we are very much looking forward to discussing the longlist with our judges.”
The Branford Boase Award is sponsored by Walker Books.
The shortlist for the Award will be announced on Thursday 30th April 2020. We are hoping to announce the winner on September 24th at a ceremony in London.
The Henrietta Branford Writing Competition, the annual competition for young people which runs in conjunction with the Branford Boase Award, is also open.
For further information please contact Andrea Reece on 07807893369 or andrea.reece@zen.co.uk
Branford Boase Award 2020 Judges
Julia Eccleshare is a regular contributor to Radio 4’s Front Row and Open Book programmes. She is the children’s director of the Hay Festival and head of Public Lending Right policy and advocacy.
Muhammad Khan: Winner of the 2019 Branford Boase Award, shortlisted for the YA book prize and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, Muhammad Khan’s debut novel, I Am Thunder received great critical acclaim and has firmly established himself as a fresh and promising voice in YA literature. When writing I Am Thunder, Muhammad sought inspiration from his students, where he taught as a secondary school maths teacher, as well as from his own upbringing as a British-born Pakistani. Kick the Moon is Muhammad’s second novel that explores social issues on toxic masculinity and peer pressure. He lives in South London, has an engineering degree and holds a distinction in MA Creative Writing from St Mary’s.
Sue Bastone is a Chartered Librarian and Fellow of CILIP who worked in school libraries for 25 years and has experience of working with children of all ages. She is Vice-Chair of the School Library Association and reached the Honour List for School Librarian of the Year in 2010. She is a founder member of both the Berkshire Book Award and the Pupil Library Assistant of the Year Award, and has served on CILIP SLG National committee. She works with Authors Aloud UK to deliver author visits to disadvantaged schools sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators and volunteers with Young Arts Devizes to enable access to the arts for young people in the area.
Layla Hudson is a bookseller at Round Table books, as well as an award-winning blogger, book reviewer and avid photographer. She has a passion for diversity in children’s books, LGBT+ fiction, and making sure that all children have representation in books. When she’s not reading through a huge pile of books, she’s finding stories elsewhere; through movies, video games and more. She currently volunteers at a local primary school, where she helps children build confidence with their reading.
Victoria Dilly is a Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust and runs the Love our Libraries Programme which supports those working in primary school libraries. Prior to working for the Trust, she was a school librarian for ten years working with children aged 2-18 in various schools across the South East. An avid reader, she also runs The Book Activist and regularly blogs about children’s books.
Andrea Reece
30 Winton Avenue, London, N11 2AT
Tel: 0208 889 1292
Mob: 07807 893369
Email: branford.boase@gmail.com
Andrea Reece
Tel: 07807 893369 | Email: branford.boase@gmail.com