The organizers of the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Book Awards have revealed the shortlists for the two prizes. The Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the two most prestigious children’s book awards in the UK, and several authors have a chance to score a literary hat trick.
The pair of prizes recognizes greatness in children’s and young adult literature. The Carnegie Medal is awarded for the best book, while the Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded for excellence in illustration.
Patrick Ness is up for the Carnegie Medal for his novel The Rest of Us Just Live Here. If he wins, he’ll become the first author in history to win the prize three times. Illustrators Anthony Browne, Helen Oxenbury, and Chris Riddell are each in the running to win their third Kate Greenaway Medal.
Other notable books on the shortlists include Frances Hardinge’s The Lie Tree, which won the Costa Book Award earlier this year. The final winners of the two awards will be announced on June 20. Each winner will receive £500 (over $700) worth of books to donate to their local library.
CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlist
One by Sarah Crossan
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders
The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley
Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine
CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist
Willy’s Stories by Anthony Browne
There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Something About a Bear by Jackie Morris
Captain Jack and the Pirates by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell
Footpath Flowers by Jon Arno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith
Main image: CarnegieGreenaway.org