Tir na n-Og 2021 Award Shortlist Announced

Three books have made it to the shortlist of the English-language Tir na n-Og Award; the annual awards celebrate the best books for children and young adults published in 2020.

Organised by the Books Council of Wales and sponsored by CILIP Cymru Wales, the English-language shortlist honours books with an authentic Welsh background for children and young people. There are also two other prizes for Welsh language books for primary and secondary ages.

The shortlist:
The Quilt, Valeriane Leblond (Y Lolfa)
The Short Knife, Elen Caldecott (Andersen Press)
Where The Wilderness Lives, Jess Butterworth (Orion Books)

The Quilt by Valériane Leblond (Y Lolfa, 2020) for ages 5+ is a beautiful, lyrical story about a little girl who lives with her parents on a farm near the coast in rural Wales, around the turn of the twentieth century. Life is hard and the family decide to emigrate to America. To pay for the cost of their journey they sell their possessions but keep a black and red quilt hand-made by the mother from pieces of fabric left over from clothes she has made for the family. Leaving everything familiar behind brings homesickness and a longing – hiraeth – for the little girl, and it is the memories and love contained in the quilt that help her overcome these feelings and adapt to her new life.

I’m feeling very happy and very proud. I’ve been an artist and illustrator for a while now, but being a published author is a completely new experience, and I’m quite humbled by the reception The Quilt has had. I’ve really enjoyed the process of creating the book, writing the text and making the pictures and I’m taking the shortlisting as an encouragement for my next projects.

Valeriane Leblond, author and illustrator of The Quilt

The Short Knife by Elen Caldecott (Andersen Press, 2020) for ages 12+ is a story set many centuries ago, in the early Middle Ages, 454, at a time when a new Welsh identity was just starting to emerge, when the Romans had left and the Britons and Saxons were battling to take hold of different territories. It is narrated through the voice of the main character, Mai, a young girl, who up until now, along with her sister Haf, has been kept safe by her father. The story starts with the arrival of Saxon warriors at their farm, forcing the family to flee to the hills where British warlords lie in wait. From here we see Mai surviving in a dangerous world where just speaking her mother tongue could lead to her death, and where she comes to mistrust even the people she loves the most.

I’m utterly delighted! It was nerve wracking to write something that engaged so directly with a living, vibrant culture. So this shortlisting means the world. To have the book well received within Wales is brilliant.

Elen Caldecott, author of The Short Knife

Where the Wilderness Lives by Jess Butterworth (Orion, 2020) for ages 9+ centres around the character of Cara who lives on a houseboat with her mum, siblings and a dog called Willow. Her dad used to live with them but now lives in a remote part of Wales. The adventure starts when Cara and her siblings find a locked safe one day when they are helping with a clean-up of the canal where they live. A fire destroys their houseboat one night, and while her mum is in hospital and Cara is looking after her siblings, a thief comes to steal the safe. The children leave the house they are temporarily living in to travel in their houseboat with the safe to go to their dad, and then on foot on a journey of survival across Welsh mountains in the snow.

I’m absolutely over the moon to be shortlisted for the Tir na n-Og Award! I feel very honoured; one of my favourite authors, Claire Fayers, actually won the 2020 award and I’m completely thrilled Where the Wilderness Lives is part of such a brilliant shortlist this year!

Jess Butterworth, author of Where The Wilderness Lives

There will be lots of talk on our Twitter channel and on this blog about #TNNO2021 in the coming months, in the lead up to the announcement of the winner on Friday 21st May. We have interviews with the authors and more exclusive content to entertain and educate.

Jo Bowers, Chair of the English-language judging panel, said: “All three books had their stories set against a rich authentic Welsh background, which is a central criteria for this award, and each one did this in a very different way to the others. Each book stood out for many reasons: the sense of place and time in Wales and Welsh history; the overall design, and each surprised and engaged in both the style and content of the story. We felt that each one brought new aspects about Wales in children’s literature.”

Chief Executive of the Books Council of Wales, Helgard Krause, said: “My warmest congratulations to all those involved in bringing these three shortlisted titles to readers. It is so important to ensure that young readers in Wales have a choice of high-quality books which reflect the country and culture in which they live.”

Previous winners of this award include Claire Fayers, Jenny Nimmo, Catherine Fisher and Susan Cooper.

Schools and teachers can get involved by shadowing the awards in the run up to the winner’s announcement. For more information on the award, visit the special pages on the Books Council of Wales website.

Wales Book of the Year 2020

Which of the three shortlisted books for children gets your vote? We ask 3 bloggers to fight their corner.

We invited Anne Thompson (A Library Lady), Caroline Fielding (Teen Librarian) and Lilyfae (Lily and the Fae) to have their say.

Wales Book of the Year is Wales’ national book prize from Literature Wales, celebrating “outstanding literary talent from Wales across various genres in both English and Welsh.” For the first time, books for children and young people are celebrated amongst the shortlisted titles which features additional categories for Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-fiction for adults. 

The shortlisted books in the children’s category are:

  • Butterflies for Grandpa Joe by Nicola Davies (Barrington Stoke)
  • The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson (Usborne)
  • Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day (Puffin)

The winners of each category, chosen by a judging panel, will be announced on 31 July and there will also be an overall winner. At the same time, a public vote is taking place to choose a popular favourite.

But who should you vote for? Well, our answer would be “all of them”, so we decided to enlist the help of three excellent bloggers as a supporter for each book.

Butterflies for Grandpa Joe by Nicola Davies

Butterflies for Grandpa Joe, written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mike Byrne was published by Barrington Stoke in October 2019.


Synopsis


Grandpa Joe has always loved butterflies. There used to be nothing he enjoyed more than heading off to search for the flutter of brightly coloured wings and snap some photos for his collection.
But since Ben’s granny passed away, Grandpa Joe has changed. He doesn’t want to go outside, and nothing Ben says or does makes him smile. It feels like Grandpa Joe is slipping away too. So there’s only one thing left to try – if Grandpa Joe won’t come searching for butterflies, Ben will bring the butterflies to him …

Nicola Davies lives in Pembrokeshire, having recently moved from the Powys hills. She is the author of over 60 books published mostly by Walker, Hachette and Welsh publisher Graffeg – most of which draw on Nicola’s zoological knowledge. In September she publishes the first book to feature her own illustrations – Last, with Tiny Owl.

Championing Butterflies for Grandpa Joe is experienced school and public librarian and all-round children’s book enthusiast, Anne Thompson (@Alibrarylady).

“Sometimes children’s fiction can do more than entertain; it can comfort, enlighten and educate. Butterflies for Grandpa Joe does all of these things and in an accessible format. A lovely children’s book that well deserves this recognition.”

Anne Thompson, @Alibrarylady

In her blog, alibrarylady.blog, Anne sings the praises of this gentle story, which “conveys how love across the generations and the healing power of nature can soothe the heartache of grief and give hope for the future.” She goes on to say that “this lovely book deserves a place in every primary school library and classroom.” To read Anne’s full review follow this link.

Familybookworms say: Butterflies for Grandpa Joe is a gorgeous story that will pull at your heartstrings. Nicola is a master of empathy and this book had us in tears. A really special book.

Watch Nicola speak about the book in her official shortlisting video for Lit Wales here.

The Girl who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

The Girl who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson with illustrations by Kathrin Honesta was published by Usborne in September 2019.


Synopsis


Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, Yanka has always wondered about where she is from. She tries to ignore the strange whispers and looks from the villagers, wishing she was as strong on the inside as she is on the outside. But, when she has to flee her house, looking for answers about who she really is, a journey far beyond one that she ever imagined begins: from icy rivers to smouldering mountains meeting an ever-growing herd of extraordinary friends along the way.

Sophie Anderson was born and raised in Swansea. Her first novel, The House with Chicken Legs, won several awards and was shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize amongst others. This autumn she publishes her 3rd adventure, The Castle of Tangled Magic.

Championing The Girl Who Speaks Bear is Lilyfae, blogger at lilyandthefae.wordpress.com who blogs on Children’s books and reading for pleasure with her two girls and tweets from @faeryartemis.

“Sophie’s writing is a rich tapestry, weaving family, folklore, history and mythology with her own vivid imagination. The Girl Who Speaks Bear is a powerful exploration of finding oneself, embracing your differences and finding your pride. It’s a thrilling adventure exquisitely told. Sophie is a modern day bard.”

Lilyfae, @faeryartemis

In her blog, lilyandthefae.wordpress.com, Lily says, “This is a wonderful book full of hope, strength and warmth that will appeal across the ages and generations. I’ve been reading this aloud with my daughters, and this style of narrative interspersed with short folk tales has been a real experience. The bitesize folkish interjections give both relief and colour to the story and their ancient rhythms and themes reach a timeless place within the reader, and speaks truths that even the youngest can understand.” To read Lily’s full review follow this link.

Familybookworms say: The Girl Who Speaks Bear is a brilliant and beautiful adventure by one of our favourite writers. It’s a thrilling and spellbinding tale that has brought us a lot of joy.

Watch Sophie talk about the book in her official shortlisting video for Lit Wales here:

Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It by Susie Day

Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It was published by Puffin in September 2019.


Synopsis


Max wants to be just like his dad – fun, loud and strong.
Instead, he always seems to be accidentally getting into fights and breaking things.
But when his dad starts bringing home mysterious boxes, even more mysterious wads of cash starts turning up.
Then Dad disappears. And it’s up to Max to look after his sisters until he comes home.
When they run away to a remote village in Wales, he’s convinced that no one will find them.
He’s Max Kowalski. Of course he can look after three kids with no grownups around!
Although, he can’t stop thinking about where Dad really went. And the whispers of a golden dragon, asleep under the Welsh mountains…

Susie Day was born and raised in Penarth. She is responsible for the Pea series and the Secrets series as well as recently contributing a short story to a Doctor Who anthology. Max Kowalski was also on the shortlist for the recent Tir na-nOg Award.

Championing Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It is Caroline Fielding, past judge for the Carnegie Kate Greenaway and a chartered school librarian. She blogs at teenlibrarian.co.uk and tweets @CazApr1.

“Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It deserves all the prizes for tackling toxic masculinity with such a light touch. It is full of warmth, humour and wonderful descriptions of the Welsh mountains.”

Caroline Fielding, @CazApr1

In the blog, teenlibrarian.co.uk, Caroline speaks of seeing Louie Stowell’s ingenious review, “If Jacqueline Wilson ganged up with Alan Garner and remixed A Monster Calls, with dragons. Powerful and deep.” She goes on to say that Max Kowalski Didn’t Mean It is everything it promises to be – brilliant, warm and funny featuring “fabulous characters in pretty dire but totally believable circumstances.” Caroline features an interview with Susie Day on the teen librarian website.

Familybookworms say: Max Kowalski is a fantastically original and heartfelt tale about growing up, dealing with siblings and inner dragons. This witty and emotional book shows middle grade readers that empathy and stories make for a better world.

Watch Susie talk about her shortlisting in this official video from Literature Wales:

Huge thanks to Anne, Caroline and Lily for allowing us to quote and link to their reviews. Follow them on Twitter and subscribe to their blogs! Do head over to the public vote too, run by Wales Arts Review to place your vote for one of these brilliant books. And if you’re concerned about not having read one of them, you can put that right this summer…