2021 Jhalak Children’s and YA prize
Congratulations to Patrice Lawrence for being awarded the 2021 Jhalak Prize for her book, Eight Pieces of Silva, published by Hodder Children’s Books!
The Jhalak prize seeks to celebrate books published in the UK by writers of colour.
It was founded in 2017 and from the start included books intended for child and young adult audiences. This year for the first time children’s and young adult books have their own prize.
Books submitted for the prize may include picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, poetry, non-fiction, and all other genres by writers of colour and aimed at young readers. The prizes are also open to self-published writers.
12 books were chosen for the long list:
- Atinuke & Onyinye Iwu – Too Small Tola (Walker Books)
- Nii Ayikwei Parkes & Avril Filomeno – The GA Picture Alphabet (Kane Series)
- Nizrana Farook – The Girl Who Stole an Elephant (Nosy Crow Ltd)
- Kereen Getten – When Life Gives You Mangoes (Pushkin Children’s Books)
- Emma Hill – Baby Girl (self-published)
- Danielle Jawondo – And the Stars Were Burning Brightly (Simon & Schuster)
- Catherine Johnson – Queen of Freedom (Pushkin Children’s Books)
- Hiba Noor Khan & Laura Chamberlain – The Little War Cat (Macmillan Children’s Books)
- Patrice Lawrence – Eight Pieces of Silva (Hodder Children’s Books)
- Bali Rai – Mohinder’s War (Bloomsbury Education)
- Margaret Sturton – A Fox Called Herbert (Andersen Press)
- Alex Wheatle – Cane Warriors (Andersen Press)
Read more at https://www.jhalakprize.com/childrens-ya