Home Page >
Leisure and Libraries >
Libraries >
Schools' Library Service >
Children's Book Award
Home
Children's Book Award
Introduction
Our local book award highlights the best new reading for
children and teenagers.
We were asked to start the award because many of our schools and
public library reading groups were getting more and more frustrated
with the level of books being highlighted in the Carnegie
Award.
Our public libraries were especially frustrated because we only
cater for children up to 13 years. We had some very keen
reading groups of 10-13 year olds who wanted books that were aimed
at their age group.
At present the award is funded by the Schools' Library
Service.
The Redbridge Children's Book Award
longlist for 2012 has now been selected.
Check it out, choose the books you want to read and then share
with everybody what you thought about them by posting
a review in the Redbridge forum.
Aims
- To inspire children to read for pleasure.
- To encourage children to read, review and debate and thus
appreciate good quality literature.
- To encourage an ethos of independent reading within schools and
across the borough.
- To provide a stepping stone to the Carnegie Award.
The process
- Autumn term - schools and libraries sign up to the
award
- November - school librarians, library staff and
children select 20 children's titles and 20 teen titles
to read published in the current year that aren't
sequels. These are sent to participating schools
and library reading groups
- March - groups send in a list of their top 8 children's and 8
teen books eurovision song contest style and the shortlist is
announced
- End of May - Final voting on the shortlist. Winners and
runners-up invited to the ceremony
- First Thursday in July - Awards Ceremony.
Final Voting
All the participating schools and groups get together for a
celebration of reading. The shortlisted authors are invited
along to meet the students who have chosen their books.
There is a quiz on the shortlisted books, a question and answer
session and the opportunity for students to get signed copies of
the shortlisted titles and meet the authors whose books they have
voted for.
The winning authors are presented with their
award.
We also announce the winners of the short story and poetry
competition which runs in parallel to the awards process.
Evaluation
The award is still evolving and each year will build on
experiences from the last.
The first year we ran the award four schools took part. In
2011 sixteen secondary schools, two primary schools
and one public library reading group took part.
Redbridge news
Find out about things that are happening in the borough.
