World Book Day - student thoughts on CILIP-award-winning fiction

In the ‘Public and School Libraries’ module a group of Librarianship and Library & Information Services Management (LISM) Masters students have started to read from a range of different titles for children and young people. Each of the books we have selected has won either the CILIP Carnegie prize for fiction, or the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration, and many are also included in the World Book Day ‘100 stories to share’ list.  The students are asked to record their thoughts on the books they have been reading, to consider any emerging patterns/themes, and to think about the extent to which the winning titles reflect the judging criteria for the Carnegie prize. We will continue reading throughout the semester, but as this is World Book Day here are a few examples of our thoughts after the first couple of weeks of the module.

-Dr Briony Birdi, Module Coordinator

The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo (Carnegie Medal winner, 2019)

Wow! This is one of those sorts of books that the reader becomes part of, completely investing in the main character, the eponymous Poet X. I dare anyone not to read this all the way through! …  Although ‘a novel’, it’s all about poetry, being written in free verse (with various ‘chapters’ in haiku, too!) and all about the emotional freedom X obtains through poetry, with the help of a few other fabulous characters in her life.  It has an uplifting end, but not before some devastating moments, and would surely speak to any teenager struggling to make their voice heard. [Wendy Lees-Smith, LISM]

I was unsure what I would make of this as it is not a straightforward prose novel but written in verse, however I absolutely loved it. The character of Xiomara is so well written and through the poems in the novel you really feel empathy with her and how she feels in her situation. Through the poems Xiomara writes you get a strong sense of the other characters and what they mean to her. The character struggles with family and religious expectations as well as growing up and how she is sexualised by the men and boys around her. I like the way that the book explored these issues but didn’t ‘solve’ them neatly in an unrealistic way but acknowledged the complexity of life. [Rachel Garraway, LISM]

Lark – Anthony McGowan (Carnegie Medal winner, 2020)

Absolutely loved this. Read it in a single sitting. Even though the book was short there was a real sense of each boy's personality and character. The story was gripping and made you want to keep reading. There is both a physical and emotional journey and little details within the book show what hardship the boys have been through e.g. no one sitting next to Nicky because he smelt, only eating toast (no butter or margarine) for three days. The book definitely fulfils a lot of the judging criteria and I will be recommending this to my 9 year old as I think he will love it. [Rachel Garraway, LISM]

Short but it absolutely packs a punch. A journey both physically and emotionally, I can see why this was such a big hit. I felt what the boys were feeling, often in a very visceral way, and I really enjoyed the fact that it had “Northern” Yorkshire language - I can’t think of any other book where I’ve seen this, and it felt like I was reading a little piece of home! [Beth Jenkinson, LISM]

I read this book in one sitting and thought it was an absolutely fantastic novel for children to read, with a gripping story and touching reflection on themes of family and loss. I particularly enjoyed the Northern England dialact the characters speak with in this book and the chapters were very well paced and often ended with cliff-hangers, so it was difficult to stop reading! Lark reflects the judging criteria with an immersive, well-constructed plot and original setting with grounded, relatable characters and thought-provoking themes are conveyed throughout. The theme of family and brotherhood is most focused on and both boys are given substantial characterisation with clear distinctions between them, with the eldest telling the story through first person perspective. The style is also effective with simple, yet descriptive language implemented throughout which is easy to read and the dialogue is very believable for adolescent boys who often make juvenile jokes. I am not surprised that this book won last year! [Emily Davison, Librarianship]

Town is by the sea – Sydney Smith (Greenaway Medal winner, 2018)

The earth-tone painting style was very aesthetically pleasing, and I felt I could envisage the scene just from the illustrations, that I found to be quite Lowry-esque. There was only a short sentence to accompany each illustration which made it easy to follow. [Annie Smith, Librarianship]

One – Sarah Crossan (Carnegie Medal winner, 2016)

I read this book and absolutely loved it!...It starts in the 1st person - talking about ‘we’. Sarah Crossan likes to write in poetry to tell a story, rather than prose, which is completely different to a typical fiction novel - very inventive. The narrative progresses reasonably and convincingly, as outlined by the chapters being named after months, showing a chronological order. The created world is compelling and conceivable. It is about conjoined twins and their life as teenagers going through American high school and the health system in America -which, of course, is different to the UK. I immersed myself in it because I love medical stories and also [stories] about normal life. [Laura Thompson, LISM]

‘The sleeper and the spindle – Chris Riddell (Greenaway medal winner, 2016)

I can see why this won the Greenaway as it is absolutely gorgeous! There is so much character in the illustrations, even just in black and white pen and ink, and the small gold accents bring it to life even more. The story itself is brilliant, of course, but alongside the illustrations I feel you get so much more out of it and they help provide context for younger readers (though I do feel it might be a bit scary in parts!). There are a few places where certain bits of text are also included in the illustrations, which really emphasises those lines and makes the reader sit up and take notice. [Beth Jenkinson, LISM]

Black Dog – Levi Pinfold (Greenaway medal winner, 2016)  

Beautiful short tale with lessons on courage, the nature of fear and how to conquer it. The illustrations are gorgeous - they go really well with the story and they help to trigger our imagination. [Barbara Weinstein, LISM]