Brooke Weston Academy was proud to host this year’s Brooke Weston Trust Carnegies book-shadowing event, welcoming students and staff from across the Trust to the Newman Library.

The event brought together enthusiastic readers from Brooke Weston Academy, Corby Technical School, Corby Business Academy and Oakley Vale Primary School to celebrate and discuss the books shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Awards.

The Carnegies are the UK’s longest-running and best-loved book awards for children and young people, celebrating outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration and are unique in being judged by librarians. Often described by authors and illustrators as 'the one they want to win' - they are the gold standard in children's literature.

This year’s shortlist for the Carnegie Medal for Writing explored powerful themes, particularly around masculinity and the challenges boys face in finding their place in society. A shared thread of hope and the promise of new beginnings ran through all the books shortlisted for the Medal for Writing.

In addition to discussing the books, students participated in a quiz that tested their knowledge of the shortlisted titles. Students also had the opportunity to lobby for votes during a ‘book push’ where they presented persuasive arguments for why their favourite title should win. BWA Y9 students Chloe Billam and Felicity Fitzjohn won joint first prize in the quiz as well as both winning a prize for ‘book pushing’ along with Y9 Kristina Olaru, as they presented the most convincing argument as to why Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain should win the Medal for Writing. Year 7 student Rue Williamson also shone, winning a prize for answering the most quiz questions correctly on the illustrated shortlist.

The event concluded with a vote for the favourite books in each category. The Invisible Story emerged as the top choice for the Medal for Illustration, while The King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore was the students’ favourite for the Medal for Writing.

BWA Librarian Wendy Mann, who organised the event, said, ‘It was a great success and, by shadowing the awards, the students feel like they are part of the judging process, and it is a great way of getting students reading and talking about the latest titles. It is always interesting to see if our favourites match up with the official winners of the awards announced on 19^th June. Thank you to everyone who took part and to all the helpers who assisted on the day’

To explore the shortlisted titles, visit the Carnegie Awards website here. 

You can also view a selection of photos from the event here.