Exclusive new story by Patrick Ness
Booktrust's first-ever online writer in residence has written a new story exclusively for the Booktrust website. A sort of prequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go, 'The New World' explains how Viola ended up on Todd's home planet. It also tells us more about Viola's relationship with her parents.
Winner of the 2009 Kim Scott Walwyn Prize announced
Kathy Rooney, Managing Director of Bloomsbury Publishing, has been awarded the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize, which honours outstanding achievements by women in publishing.
She was chosen from a shortlist which included Lennie Goodings, Publisher of Virago Press and Alison Samuels, Publishing Director of Chatto and Windus.
Kathy Rooney was presented with a cheque for £3,000 at a ceremony at St. Anne’s College, Oxford.
Find out more about the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize
Anthony Browne is the new Children's Laureate
Anthony Browne, internationally acclaimed award-winning author and illustrator was announced as the Children’s Laureate for 2009-11 at a ceremony at Centre Point, London, on 9 June.
Accepting his medal from Andrew Motion, chair of the selection panel, Anthony said:
'It's an honour to be the Children's Laureate for 2009-11. I'm well aware of the amazing things achieved by the five previous Laureates, and I'm in awe of their commitment and hard work.'
Visit the Children's Laureate website to find out more
Booktime and Booked Up 2009 launch
In the UK’s biggest annual free book giveaway for schools, Booktrust will be delivering more than 2 million free books to pupils in reception and Year 7 by Christmas, through their Booktime and Booked Up programmes.
The Booktime programme for reception-aged pupils (4-5 years old) and Booked Up programme for Year 7 pupils (aged 11-12) both encourage reading for pleasure. The programmes continue to be supported in England by the DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families). Both programmes are free to all participating schools.
Read the press release (Microsoft Word .doc 308Kb)
2009 Orange Prize winners announced
The winners of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction and the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers were announced on 3 June at a ceremony in the Royal Festival Hall, London.
Marilynne Robinson won the Orange Prize for Fiction for Home (Virago) and Francesca Kay won the Orange Award for New Writers for An Equal Stillness (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).
Booktrust has administered the prize since its inception 14 years ago.
Visit the Orange Prize website
Booktrust launches Bedtime Reading Week
Booktrust is pleased to announce its support for this year’s National Family Week with their Bedtime Reading Week. The week will run from Wednesday 27 May to Wednesday 2 June.
National Family Week, which runs from 25–31 May 2009, is a new occasion to celebrate family life in the UK.
Bedtime Reading Week will encourage all the family to get involved in the sheer joy and pleasure of reading aloud.
To support the week, Booktrust has provided specially designed website pages providing tips and ideas on sharing stories and rhymes; advice on how to organise a Bedtime Reading Week event; recommended books to read aloud; downloadable Bedtime Reading posters and resources; games, songs and rhymes to enjoy at bedtime; advice for parents of children who are starting to read and for those who are already independent readers; and information about events at libraries, children’s centres, health clinics and schools where you can get together with other families to celebrate reading.
Visit our Bedtime Reading Week web pages
Young judges competition for the 2009 Booktrust Teenage Prize now open for entries
Booktrust is inviting young writers to enter a short story competition to win a place on the judging panel for the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009.
We are challenging young writers aged 11-16 to write a 500-word short story with the title 'President for a Day'.
The deadline for competition entries is 27 July 2009.
The authors of the four best short stories will win a place on the judging panel for the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2009.
Read more about the Booktrust Teenage Prize
Edith Bowman to judge Booktrust Early Years Awards 2009
The broadcaster and television presenter Edith Bowman has been announced as one of the judges of Booktrust’s Early Years Awards 2009.
Edith, who is best known for her afternoon slot on BBC Radio 1, was also the winner of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy in 2004. In 2008 she became a mother for the first time.
Edith said, ‘I'm over the moon to be involved in the Booktrust Early Years Awards – the timing couldn't be better. I love nothing better than getting home from work and reading my little boy a bedtime story. Together Rudy and I plan to spend a great deal of time reading all the wonderful entries.’
Edith will join Bookstart founder Wendy Cooling MBE, librarian Jo Dixon, award-winning illustrator Neal Layton and health visitor Val Woolfe on the judging panel.
Find out more about the Booktrust Early Years Awards
Winner of the Booktrust: Power of Reading Award
Gerildine Talbot has been anoounced as the winner of the inaugural Booktrust: Power of Reading Award.
Find out more about the award and the winner
Wendy Cooling honoured
Wendy Cooling, the founder of the Bookstart programme, has been awarded an MBE in this year’s New Year Honours.
Wendy trained as a teacher and taught English in London secondary schools for several years. At the end of 1990, she left teaching to run the Children’s Book Foundation where she talked and wrote about children’s books, organised National Children’s Book Week and worked on a wide range of projects to promote reading.
It was Wendy’s observations of children's skills and her belief in the beneficial effects of parents and children reading for pleasure together, that led to the creation of the Bookstart book gifting programme, the first of its kind in the world.
Wendy now works as a consultant to a range of children’s publishers, reviewing books, working with children on reading-related projects and appearing regularly on radio and television. Wendy has sat on the judging panel for a number of prizes including the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the Booktrust Early Years Award. In 2006, Wendy was awarded the Eleanor Farjeon Award for her outstanding service to the world of children’s books.
Viv Bird, Chief Executive of Booktrust said:
'As the founder of Bookstart, Wendy Cooling has helped every young child to begin a wonderful journey of exploration, fantasy and wonder that can be found in books. In her current role as Booktrust’s senior book consultant, Wendy provides invaluable expertise. Her knowledge and passion for children’s books is widely valued and I am delighted that Wendy’s work has received the recognition it deserves.'
Henry Hitchings wins 2008 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The Secret Life of Words, Henry Hitchings' book about the English language, has won the 2008 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize.
Beating off strong competition from five other books (two novels, two other works of non-fiction and a narrative poem), The Secret Life of Words (published by John Murray) was the first work of non-fiction to have won the prize for many years.
Everybody Writes Day
On Friday, 24 October 2008, primary and secondary schools across the country collapsed the curriculum to celebrate Everybody Writes Day. While some opted for an ambitious whole-school writing activity, others offered a varied programme of activities for pupils to explore writing in all different subject areas.
Holy Family Primary School in Southampton held a Magical Writing Day in which everyone dressed up as wizards and fairies to write rhyming magic spells, create wands with word wishes emanating from their tips, and describe fantastical, magical creatures; meanwhile, pupils at Redbridge primary school staged a heist, covertly stealing a flag from another year group and using words and letters cut out of newspapers to create sinister ransom notes for their rivals.
Sholing Technology College in Hampshire had a day of Writing All Around, in which students created outdoor word spaces and inspirational writing spaces as well as experimenting with writing poetry in other languages. Further examples of what schools did, and how they did it, can be found at www.everybodywrites.org.uk/everybody-writes-day
National Bookstart Day a huge success
National Bookstart Day was celebrated on Friday 10 October with over 4,000 Pirates Ahoy! parties taking place across the UK in children’s centres, libraries and bookshops as well as half a million copies of the free book ‘Pirates Ahoy!’ given out on high streets and shopping centres to spread the message about Bookstart.
The national press event at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich was a great success with 45 children attending from Robert Owen Children’s Centre in Greenwich and VIP guests Gail Porter and the Mayor of Greenwich joining in the fun with entertainment provided by singers, storytellers and a rhymetime session.
Clare Wigfall wins BBC National Short Story Award
The 2008 National Short Story Award, funded by the BBC and administered in partnership with Booktrust and Scottish Book Trust, was awarded to Clare Wigfall at a ceremony at BAFTA, Piccadilly, London on Monday 14 July.
Clare was presented with a cheque for £15,000 for her story 'The Numbers', taken from her debut collection The Loudest Sound and Nothing.
The runner-up was Jane Gardam for her story 'The People on Privilege Hill', which features characters from her novel Old Filth.
The other shortlisted authors were Richard Beard, Erin Soros and Adam Thorpe.
Choosing books to go in our book-gifting packs
Booktrust brings together independent panels of experts to select books for inclusion in the Booktrust national book-gifting programmes, Bookstart, Booktime and Booked Up.
Senior book consultant Wendy Cooling liaises with publishers and chairs the selection panels.
