Tag: Carnegie Shortlist

October October by Katya Balen

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

So, spoiler alert: the winner of the Carnegie Prize was ‘October, October’ by Katya Balen. Now, unfortunately, I did not complete the shortlist before the winner was announced, so I have not yet picked my own winner, but I have read ‘October, October’, so can share some of my thoughts.

I did enjoy ‘October, October’, although, I have to admit that it is not my favourite so far, with one left to read. However, it is a beautiful book – with an even more beautiful cover – that really makes you think about the importance of our relationship with nature and how we need to work to protect the world around us. Not just taking from the natural world, but also making sure we give back, in whatever small way we can.

However, this is also a story about change and the impact that change can have on a young person. October loves her life with her father; they live in the woods, looking after and understanding the natural world. Just her and her father. Until her father has an accident and she is forced to stay with someone ‘new’ – although that someone is not ‘new’, she is her mother and October has to learn to adjust to change: life in a city, making new friends and building a relationship with her mother from the beginning. We follow October as she has to embark on this new adventure and, like many, she is resistant to change and this is not the world that she is used to – but she starts to make friends and discovers mudlarking, which allows her to find even more beauty in the natural world, even in a city. It is fair to say that October learns some important lessons as her life changes, but never loses her unique and special take on the world.

This would be a lovely novel for anyone to read who is having to experience a change that is out of their control. It is beautifully written and engaging, and is definitely one that I can see appealing to Middle Grade readers – but, like all books, it can be enjoyed by so many.

The Crossing by Manjeet Mann

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Second from The Yoto Carnegie Shortlist is ‘The Crossing’ by Manjeet Mann. This is a wonderful free verse novel told from dual viewpoints that are cleverly linked together throughout the book.

I am not sure I can do this book the real justice that it deserves. It is a truly inspirational and heartbreaking piece of literature.

Natalie and Sammy’s stories are cleverly entwined through the free verse narrative, as the story of one leads to the story of the other all the way through the book. Both of these young people are feeling lost – Natalie after the death of her mother and her brother becoming lost to the world of far-right gangs, and Sammy, as he has fled his home in Eritrea for a better life in Europe. But his journey is set to be incredibly dangerous. They both face ‘the crossing’ of the channel: Natalie to feel she can achieve something her mother had always wanted by swimming the channel, and Sammy desperate for a better life. A twist of fate brings them together, but will they both find a way to mend their broken world?

I read this book from cover to cover one Saturday morning, as I felt so incredibly invested in their stories. I needed to know how the story would end – rooting for them both – and hoping that everyone who reads this book will understand the need for a better world and education that helps us all understand each other.

If this and ‘Cane Warriors‘ are examples of the calibre of book on this year’s shortlist, I do not know how the judges will make any kind of decision, because both of these books have been special in their own way – and carry an important message for all readers.

Cane Warriors by Alex Wheatle

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This year, I seem to be really enjoying a shortlist challenge and, this time, it is the Yoto Carnegie Medal Shortlist.

Miss W sent me a copy of ‘Cane Warriors’, so I knew it had to be the first book that I chose to read from the shortlist. And, of course, with the day job being all about history, I guess it was an obvious place to start.

I absolutely devoured this book and hope that so many young adults will read it. There are so many lessons amongst its pages – and not just the history lessons.

Moa is fourteen years old, and all he has ever known is life on the plantation; a life that has consumed him, his mother, his father, his friends and, soon, his younger sister, too. However, he understands that this is not the only way that life has to be and, maybe, there is a way to fight for their freedom and their rights. This leads to Moa becoming a Cane Warrior, fighting for the freedom of the enslaved people on the island of Jamaica – however difficult the challenges he will face will be.

This novel follows the true story of Tacky’s War in Jamaica in 1760, and really brings the events to life for the reader. Especially from the point of view of a young adult character.

This is a book that I really hope so many people will pick up and read, because it’s a really significant story for all readers, and will certainly leave you with a desire to find out more about such significant events.