Brooke Weston Academy was delighted to host this year’s Yoto Carnegies shadowing event in the Newman Library with students and staff from the BW Trust schools in attendance.

It was a chance for keen readers from Brooke Weston Academy; Corby Business Academy; Thomas Clarkson Academy; Beanfield and Oakley Vale Primary Schools to meet and discuss their favourite books shortlisted for this year’s Yoto Carnegie awards.The UK’s longest running and best-loved book awards for children and young people celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration and are unique in being judged by children’s and youth librarians. Often described by authors and illustrators as 'the one they want to win' - they are the gold standard in children's literature.

Seven books have been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and six for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration. The Carnegie Medal for Writing sees an all-female shortlist dominated by YA fiction, with many of the stories portraying inspirational characters or figures from real life overcoming adversity and finding strength in community and personal relationships.

As well as discussing the books, students also took part in a quiz answering questions about the shortlisted titles. Students also had the opportunity to lobby for votes during a ‘book push’ when they talked about the different features of their favourite shortlisted title. BWA Year 7 student Chloe Billam won first prize in the quiz as well as winning a prize for best ‘book pusher’ as she presented the most convincing argument as to why her favourite Carnegie title ‘The Eternal Return of Clara Hart’ by Louise Finch should win the Medal for Writing.

The event ended with a vote for the favourite book in each category with the most popular Medal for Illustration title being ‘The Worlds We Leave Behind’ by Levi Pinfold, while ‘The Eternal Return of Clara Hart’ was the winning Medal for Writing title.

BWA Librarian Wendy Mann, who organised the event said, ‘It was a fantastic morning and by shadowing the awards, the students feel like they are part of the judging process. It is a great way to get students reading and talking about books. It is always interesting to see if our favourites on the day match up with the official winners of the awards announced on the 21st June. Thank you to everyone who took part and to our helpers who assisted on the day.' 

To find out more about the shortlisted titles: Yoto Carnegies