Colston’s young readers help to decide Carnegie Medal winner

Six volunteer pupils are each reading eight books in as many weeks to help choose the 2010 winner of the CILIP Carnegie Medal, the UK’s oldest and most prestigious award for children’s writing.

	From left to Eleanor Chappell; Charlotte Attwood; Emily Baynes; Mrs Janis Boyce; Sally Mortimer; Charlotte New; Mrs Jo Murray; Harriet Jackson

School librarian Janis Boyce, who joined Colston’s last September, supports the Carnegie Medal through her membership of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, and will have submitted reviews on all eight books by early June.

She forms her views from feedback offered by Harriett Jackson, Eleanor Chappell, Charlotte New, Charlotte Attwood, Emily Baynes and Sally Mortimer (all Year 8). They and English teacher Jo Murray meet Janis weekly in the library during lunch break to discuss their reads.

“These eight books are nominated as the best written for young people this year,” Janis explained. “Although I love reading them myself, they are not intended for me. It is more important to know what the target audience think.”

The 2010 nominations are: ‘Chains’ by Laurie Halse Anderson (age range 11+), The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (9+), ‘The Vanishing of Katharina Linden’ by Helen Grant (14+), ‘Rowan the Strange’ by Julie Hearn (12+), ‘The Ask and The Answer’ by Patrick Ness (14+), ‘Nation’ by Terry Pratchett (11+), ‘Fever Crumb’ by Philip Reeve (9+) and ‘Revolver’ by Marcus Sedgwick (12+).

Janis added: “There is no intention by the organisers to create a theme each year, just to highlight the best new books for young people, and ultimately the best of the best. But having said that, it’s intriguing how each year inadvertently throws up a new theme.

“This time the nominated books seem to highlight morals, society and people making decisions about how they want to live. Maybe a suitably reflective mood at election time.

“The Colston’s reviewers have exclusive access to the eight Carnegie-nominated books until the winner is announced. We have acquired five or six copies of each, and they will become generally available for borrowing after June 24th.”

A group of pupils at QEH are reviewing the same books, and Mrs Murray is planning to invite them to a picnic at Colston’s in June, just before the Carnegie Medal winner is announced, so that the readers from both schools can compare notes.