2020 #WriteMentor Children’s Novel Award – THE SHORTLIST
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Well what a month! About as disruptive as it could have been for both the writers waiting and readers (attempting) to read!
But we’ve got here, and honestly, the standard is MASSIVE.
I genuinely cannot believe how good some of the books are that are NOT on this list. They will get signed by agents and they will get book deals. If you are not on the list, take this to heart please – this is not a comment to consolidate, it’s a fact, and I know many of our readers will be outraged that your book didn’t make it, too.
Now, onto the shortlist, itself.
We have 3 Picture Books, 1 Chapter Book, 2 Middle Grade and 2 Young Adult.
We will have a separate novel and PB prize, as well as an overall winner. This is to appreciate the vast difference in the two art forms and to make comparative judging easier.
Alice Williams will now read these 8 manuscripts and will come back to us with a winner in due course.
SHORTLIST
49 Sisters
Dexter And The Dark Unicorn
Faruq and the Wiri Wiri
Grow Me a Rainforest
My Mummy’s a Witch
The Curry Catastrophe
The Eternal Return of Clara Hart
The Giants of Machu Picchu
Whether your book is there (YAY!) or it’s not (sorry!), please take what I said above to heart. To make the longlist from about 450 entries is an incredible feat in itself.
There were a few titles that deserve mentioning and were fractions away from the SL, so we’ll list those here as honorable mentions:
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Childish Spirits
Shadowchild
Skinbags
Smoke and Mirrors
Timewave
I will distribute the feedback to those on the longlist this week (except those shortlisted).
As always, if you have made the SL, do keep the title of your book anonymous if you wish to announce and celebrate. I will email you all soon.
May the Force be with you!
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