Previous winners include Cat Clarke, Malorie Blackman, Suzanne Collins, Tim Bowler and Bali Rai.
Each year two awards are presented, one for a children's book and one teenage title. The aims of the award are to inspire children to read, review and debate, and thus appreciate, good quality literature as well as encouraging an ethos of independent reading within schools and across the borough of Redbridge.
The twenty teen and twenty children's titles are selected by school librarians, library staff and children and sent to participating schools and reading groups. Shortlists of eight will be voted on by these groups in March. Final voting for the two winners takes place in May.
"All the participating schools and groups get together for a celebration of reading. The shortlisted authors are invited along to meet the students who have chosen their books. There is a quiz on the shortlisted books, a question and answer session and the opportunity for students to get signed copies of the shortlisted titles and meet the authors whose books they have voted for.
We also announce the winners of the short story and poetry competition which runs in parallel to the awards process." – from the Redbridge Award website.
Thanks to all the library staff and students who selected 15 Days Without a Head. Have a great time reading and debating all the books on the longlists. Fingers crossed I'll be joining you in May!
