Sunshine and three very special schools in Hackney for Booklinks

March 05, 2013 by 

I stopped for coffee next to the Hackney Empire theatre 
Today I visited three schools in Hackney as part of the Booklinks programme created by Pop Up Projects - Morningside, Millfields and Clapton Girls' Academy. I've just been reading my friend Jane McLoughlin's report about her Booklinks Day and I have to agree that it's a very special and satisfying programme -

My Former Life as a Pregnant Cartoonist: Using Comics to Tell Stories

January 10, 2013 by 

Info ... what?

Over on my other blog Notes from the Slushpile, we've started a new series called the Geek List - geeky tools that can make the job of being an all-writing, all-marketing author much easier.

My first piece is about using Powerpoint to easily create infographics. I got so caught up in it that when I remembered that it was my turn to blog over at my publisher's  StoryBlog (yes ANOTHER blog) I made a comic using Powerpoint!

Tall Story , the Audio Book!

December 07, 2012 by 
I have been so busy writing my next novel that I've neglected to do a big HURRAH for the amazing Listening Library audiobook of Tall Story, which was released in February this year. Yup, bad author, me! I should have blogged earlier but I really wanted to do something exciting. Well, I've finally done it! Here's my trailer for Tall Story ... the Audio Book!

Tall Story Reviews

October 23, 2012 by 
Jenny Woolf, Ham & High:


The School Librarian


BLOGS


Book Witch, Meat Cleaver Time: "My best book of the year has to be Tall Story by Candy Gourlay. It just has to" Read

Book Witch Review: "This seriously humorous book is incredibly sweet. The way Candy has woven what happens into an intriguing story is most impressive ... Tall Story is the kind of book which even as early as in January you can say will be one of the best in 2010." Read

Library Mice: "What I particularly liked about this book, beyond the talented writing, is Candy's ability to mix many different themes; it covers witchcraft and curses, mythical stories of giants protecting the land from earthquakes, gigantism (a very real condition), as well very contemporary themes of poverty, immigration and integration, sibling relationships, and cultural identity and differences ... Candy Gourlay is great new and original voice in children's literature and I very much look forward to seeing what she has in store for us next."" Read

Mel Rogerson, Chicklish "... hats off to Candy Gourlay. Tall Story is a cracking debut, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys multi-layered, heartwarming stories with a touch of magic. A potential classic." Read

KM Lockwood "You can’t really fail with a book that opens 'Rush hour. So many armpits, so little deodorant' can you?" Read

Writing from the Tub. "It’s one of those books that is so sweet it makes me want to frolic through a field with a puppy or something, in a good way. When I finished the book I sat back for a few minutes and savoured what I had read, feeling all warm and fuzzy and that definitely cannot be a bad thing." Read

My Favourite Books. "...deliciously wonderful and uplifting and it made me laugh and cry at the same time. I definitely think that David Fickling Books have a winner on their hands and I hope that Tall Story makes a big splash because it genuinely does deserve it. Small in size, but big in impact, Tall Story won't leave a dry eye in the house. It's so many things but mostly it's powerful storytelling at its best." Read

Portrait of a Woman "...this is a very touching and down-to-earth story about a family, about making choices and having to live with the consequences. You will laugh out loud at some of the moments and cry your heart out in others. And as everyone in the book falls for Bernardo, you will fall for this unique and original story !" Read

Jim Calliote's Blog "The biggest thing about "Tall Story" is not eight-foot Bernard, but the magical way Candy Gourlay brings two very different people and cultures together, and makes us believe it was meant to be." Read

PHILIPPINES


Rey Ramos. "The book is categorised as a children's story, but honestly, there are underlying messages that the author would like to convey, not only for those kids who love to play basketball, who believe in myths/tales, but also for adults (like me) being captivated with Filipino hero characters (like Bernardo Carpio, Darna, Ang Panday, and many others) and supertitious beliefs. And most importantly, the story rekindles the human spirit, hope, faith and courage ..." Read

Ruel S. de Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer. Gourlay’s Tall Story is a lovable, accessible tale of two siblings, basketball and realizing the difference between the things that we want the most and the things that really matter. Read

Andrea Pasion Flores picks the Ten Best Pinoy Books of 2010, Spot.ph. The heartbreak of leaving family members behind to work abroad and enduring years of separation may be an all too familiar scenario for Pinoys. While it might be considered too heavy for young readers, this is the art of Candy Gourlay. The author tells the story of basketball fan Andi, a young English girl whose 8- foot-tall Filipino stepbrother Bernardo was separated from her and their mom for 16 years while waiting for his papers to come through. Then one day, it finally happens--Andi and her stepbrother both find themselves in London. Things don't turn out as expected, and two siblings discover that sometimes, the unforeseen may be conquered with the power of shared wishes. Read

Angelo Ancheta, Cerebral Cap: Reading a young adult novel like TALL STORY, a retelling of a legend I heard as a kid and situating the characters in the modern times of high-tech communication, of cell phones, email, personal digital assistants, and the like tells me no tale is ever tall. Something or anything TALL is relative, and that any obstacle or challenge that seems bad at first may not be at all.

Tina Matanguihan, Philippine Online Chronicles:
Tall Story is a poignant, heartwarming story of clashing cultures, of family and sibling love, with just the right amount of magic, tears and laughter. This is one story that everyone, whether British, Filipino or otherwise, would not regret having read.

Carmela G. Lapena, GMA News TV: "In the end, it isn't just that "Tall Story" is well-written that makes it a good read. From the opening lines "Rush hour. So many armpits. So little deodorant," the reader is hopelessly captivated, and before you can say "I couldn't put it down," the 300 pages have been turned." Read

Chachic's Book Nook:
"A lot of us can relate to Bernardo’s story and how hard it is to live away from those you love. I think it’s great that a Filipino author with a young adult book has been published internationally because I’d love for you guys to read this book. It has a wonderful blend of contemporary fiction and Filipino mythology, resulting in a cohesive story that has a lot of heart." Read

Jzhun Agev, Dark Chest of Wonders Blog: "Candy Gourlay’s voice is a refreshing breath of air, writing in an accessible, kid-friendly, charming style peppered with comic wit." Read

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD


Liz Morris of Inis Magazine (Ireland) writes: this book addresses many issues and gives readers a perspective on the feelings of inadequacy and strangeness experienced by those trying to master a new language while learning to adjust to new and complex family situations in unfamiliar suirroundings. The author skilfully and humorously draws the reader into the worlds and experiences of the half-siblings - and passes on a wealth of information about the world that unifies them. Click on the image to read the full review



Claire Larson, ReadPlus (Australia) : "Candy Gourlay has made an incredibly complex structure flow like runny honey off a spoon. If this is her first novel I can't wait to see her next ...Look out for this in the 2010 awards. With an original plot, superb structure, impressive characterisation and equal boy girl appeal, I think we are sure to hear more of Tall Story." Read

Mary Arrigan, Irish Examiner (Ireland):
Issues of separation, being different and family values are treated with humour and insight. Read the mention

'Do not disturb. I am reading'' ... Door hangers for you

October 18, 2012 by 
Tall Story Do Not Disturb I am Reading door hangers. Illustration by Sarah McIntyre. Designed by Candy Gourlay

I've got some school visits coming up in the next month or so and I had the brilliant idea of printing door hangers instead of book marks to give away.

Alas when I scouted printing prices, it turned out that I would have to take out another mortgage to have them printed.

But then I thought, why not just supply the design ... and the readers can make the door hangers themselves!

Relearning the colour of me: a poem for National Poetry Day

October 05, 2012 by 
It was National Poetry Day the other day and seeing all the other blogs exploding into rhyme reminded me that I had a few old poems stashed away. Now I would never, never call myself a poet - it's not what I do. But there have been some big epiphany moments in my life when words just rose out from a place I didn't know existed in my brain. Or maybe it was my heart. Please read my poem below and if you still have the energy, you can read the story behind it in the afterword.

A Library is much more than the sum of its parts

October 03, 2012 by 
I've had libraries on my mind these past few days. Went to the School Librarian of the Year Award Ceremonies on Monday - I made a Slideshare about it:


Big congrats, Adam Lancaster! (swipe to view slideshow if you're on a smartphone)
SLA School Librarian of the Year 2012 from Candy Gourlay

Stuff for Writers

September 20, 2012 by 
Just a heads up to any writers passing through of stuff I recently wrote on the group blog for writers Notes from the Slushpile:

Writing is a decision - no excuses!

No cake, no self control ... scientific proof that cake enhances will power (at least that's how I understood it)

Marketing Platforms: If everyone's now got a platform, how are you supposed to stand out?


This Season of Gold - Our Olympic Summer doesn't have to come to an end

September 11, 2012 by 
'Goodbye to Britain's golden summer,' wrote columnist Jonathan Freedland at the close of London 2012. It was indeed golden, and not just because of the bumper crop of British gold medals that
appeared to take the public by surprise in a sports-mad country that rarely seems to come top of the charts.

Sunday night marked the end of a season of wonder that seemed to surprise the hosts as much as the guests, a period where we looked in the mirror and were met by an unexpected reflection – one we rather liked. Read London 2012: Goodbye to Britain's golden summer by Jonathan Freedland

Storyblogging time again - how I started writing a vampire novel but lost my way in the rain

August 29, 2012 by 
Over on the Storyblog, DFB authors and illustrators are blogging on the subject of second books.

The subject of course is most significant to me as my second novel is coming out next year. Shine has been almost three years in the making, and I think it's okay to reveal that, frankly, it's NOT the book I set out to write.

Read my Storyblog piece on how my second novel was a tale of the unexpected ...

Photos from today's IBBY World Congress

August 25, 2012 by 
This is just a hurried photo run-down of an outstanding day. With thanks to the hardworking organizers of the IBBY World Congress 2012 for inviting me to speak. IBBY stands for International Board of Books for Young People - it's an international network committed to bringing books and children together. The congress' theme for 2012 is Translations and Migrations. 

Now I know what that creature in Shaun Tan's Arrivals book is - according to Shaun it's a tadpole with legs! I always thought it was a mini walking beluga whale.  Sarah McIntyre (who was given the job of introducing Shaun at his keynote today) made a tribute arrival card featuring Shaun's tadpole:

Harvested from Sarah's Tumblr Instagrams - view her IBBY photos here

This is my story and I am not an onion

August 07, 2012 by 
NEWS! Tall Story recently won the National Children's Book Award in the Philippines! Big congrats to my illustrator Yasmin Ong and publisher Ramon Sunico and thank you to the Philippine Board on Books for Young People and the National Book Development Board. Here's the beautiful trophy - can't wait to visit the Philippines and see it for myself! Meanwhile, here is a piece I've been dying to write since I curated one of the pavilions at the Pop Up Festival. 


It was an act of faith when I invited Lahing Kayumanggi  to perform during my bit of the Pop Up Festival. I'd never seen them perform before, though I'd heard from other Pinoys in London that they were amazing.

Pop Up's website declares that its aim is to"inspire children, families and communities through books and stories".  And I thought - what better way to tell the Filipino story than through dance!

Magnificent Authors and a Fun Fiesta at the Pop Up Festival!

July 02, 2012 by 
Twas the night before the Pop Up Festival of Stories and my friend Juliet Clare Bell, author of the wonderful Don't Panic, Annika, looked like this:



Clare was staying the night because she was performing the next day as one of the featured authors in my Fiesta themed programme. She offered to help me with whatever I needed to do to get set for the festival but she had no idea how much we had to do!

Holly the Hedgehog and Other Amazing Stories

June 25, 2012 by 
One of the amazing things about being an author is you run into amazing people.

I met sound recordist Jon Owen when I recorded the sound for my story for the Story Cloud initiative. Jon is a musician who also works in education - he does stuff like running music programmes for autistic kids.

Teetering on My High Wire

June 23, 2012 by 
Just read teen author Keren David's post about her daughter's glitzy school ball for leavers. The headmaster gave some advice to the young ones that resonated in my old head:
Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it. Go read Keren's post
You see, I'm slightly overwhelmed by this coming weekend.

Thinking about Diaspora at the Jewish Museum

June 12, 2012 by 
An interactive display at the Jewish Museum 
I met my first Jewish person during the political turmoil of the 1980s when the Philippines was suddenly inundated by scores of foreign correspondents.

I wouldn't have known that my American friend, Steve, was Jewish if it hadn't been for him constantly  referring to his shoes as 'jews' and joking that his mother was checking up on whether he was 'going to temple' in Manila.

Banana Peel on My Mind: How to Give Success the Slip

May 17, 2012 by 
So many banana peels, so little time. 

This week, I'm guest blogging on Elizabeth Stevens Omlor's Banana Peelin blog - Elizabeth's worthy mission is to name and classify every single banana peel on the road to getting published (sounds like procrastination to me, but hey).

Anyway ... the road to publication is LITTERED with banana peels. For every book published, four score and seven commissioning editors lie snoring, bored to oblivion by their slushpile. Let not their sacrifice be in vain.

Read my ten tips on how to give success the slip 

I'm on Dear Teen Me!

April 26, 2012 by 
Candy at 15 with
baby brother Armand,  just two.
I'm so excited because I'm the featured author on Dear Teen Me. It's a blog featuring authors writing to their teenage selves with all the wealth of possibility that suggests. What would you say to your spotty young self? Do you have the wisdom to face up to all those insecurities, fears, hurts that you kept bottled up in those formative years? Or maybe you just want to say it's gonna be okay.

What I Learned from Writing My Second Novel

April 02, 2012 by 
I can't believe it! After two and a half years of gnashing my teeth, SHINE is finished! Neil Gaiman, quoting Gene Wolfe, says: "You never learn to write a novel. You only learn to write the novel you're on."

So what did I learn on the road to finishing SHINE? I've posted half a dozen nuggets of wisdom extracted in the most excruciating manner possible from Shine's roller coaster writing journey. Read it and share my teeth-gnashing over at Notes from the Slushpile.


Then,  I shall be eternally grateful if thus alerted to my suffering, you could please, maybe, kindly,  leave a comment on the post, perhaps a kind word of encouragement, a hint of sympathy, and then, erm, well, you know,  pre-order Shine.

You Read? You Write? You Tube! ... Come Star in My Video!

March 18, 2012 by 
I've made quite a few fun videos now with the cooperative children who live in my neighbourhood, but the kids - rather inconveniently - keep growing up.

And now they are no longer as willing to star in my DIY efforts without contracts, expenses, seven figure advances and personal assistants. So when the opportunity came up to make a video with children at the Guardian Open Weekend, I leapt at it!

Shhh ... I'm writing ...

March 04, 2012 by 
... yup, I'm keeping my head down for a bit because I'm busy writing the final chapters of my forthcoming novel SHINE (I hope they've removed the synopsis on Amazon because boy oh boy, how the story has changed since it went up).

But ... 

For some reason, life isn't just standing by waiting for me to finish writing my book.

How I almost drowned and other delightful seaside tales

February 13, 2012 by 

This is a photo of me on a South Korean beach just before I almost drowned 25 years ago. Over on the DFB Blog, I've been asked to blog on a seaside theme so I thought I'd tell this delightful story.

Do come over and read Almost Drowning and Other Delightful Seaside Tales on the DFB Storyblog. Do leave me a comment (I'm needy like that).


Salford Children's Book Award

January 30, 2012 by 

Last week, I was one of the shortlisted authors who attended the wonderful prize giving ceremony for the Salford Children's Book Award 2011.

It was my first time in Northern parts as an author, so I asked the organizers if I could swing a school visit or two. They obliged and as a result I had a fun session with children from St Peter's CE School and Clifton Primary School  in Swinton Library.

Great Expectations With SCBWI British Isles

November 21, 2011 by 
You win a prize, you get to cut the cake! Photo: Sue Eves
I've just come home from a most moving weekend. It was the annual conference of SCBWI British Isles* - an organization of writers and illustrators that has had a huge impact on my creative life.

This year Tall Story won the inaugural Crystal Kite Prize for Europe, the only peer-given prize for children's books.  I was awarded the trophy at the conference and asked to deliver a speech. 

I was also surprised to be given this year's Outstanding Contribution Award. It was particularly poignant for me because last year the prize was won by my friend Margaret Carey, whom we lost to cancer last summer. 

Receiving the two awards was like getting a huge hug from an organization that has been family to me since I joined in 2002. 

I am not supposed to be doing anything online at the moment, as my book deadline looms, but I just wanted to share my Crystal Kite acceptance speech. I wrote it with a lump in my throat.

Here is the shortlist, and below, my speech.

Mum of Warcraft: my autobiographical story on Tesco Magazine Kids' Book Club

October 16, 2011 by 
Yes, dear reader, Mum of Warcraft is based on my absolutely true story as a part-time computer game fanatic. Check out my Mum of Warcraft story on the Tesco Magazine Kids' Book Club (with apologies to Zhang Ziyi from whom I borrowed this magnificent pose)

So I just found out that my story is up on the Tesco Kids' Book Club.

Outside looking in ... or inside looking out?

September 21, 2011 by 
I've been deep in my cave these last few weeks, writing furiously -  our recent holiday has given me fresh energy and for the first time in ages, I'm enjoying the laying down of a story.

It's been a slog, this book. Unlike Tall Story which was one of those books that wrote itself, this one has taken a long time to reveal itself to me.

Summer tales

August 21, 2011 by 
It's the summer holidays but I seem to be doing a lot of guest blogging! Come along and see what I'm wittering on about on other people's blogs!

My publisher David Fickling Books has decided to recruit their authors to post on their StoryBlog and I foolishly volunteered to go first! DFB, having just launched I Don't Believe It Archie! by Andrew Norris, asked us to write about something embarrassing.

Pressing SEND. Winning while not winning. Illusions at the Pop Up Festival.

July 17, 2011 by 



Today

I pressed SEND today. The manuscript of my second novel is now officially in the hands of my publisher. In the nick of time because Amazon's already got it listed! Even my lovely cover illustrator David Dean - who'd only just shown me draughts of the cover - was surprised!

Creating a Legend in Your Own Time

July 10, 2011 by 
This was my contribution to the Awfully Big Blog Adventure Online Festival! I was the 4pm act!



Visit the Tall Story website
Art by Sarah McIntyre
In my novel Tall Story, I sewed in myths and legends from the Philippines and elsewhere to add magic to the story of Bernardo, a boy who is eight feet tall.

In the Philippines where I was born, legends were a way of ordinary people explaining the often unexplainable forces of nature around them - the volcanoes, earthquakes, the strange shapes of mountains, caves, the existence of plants and other creatures.

A lot of Filipino folk stories are handed down in the oral tradition - grown ups telling children stories, and the children growing up to tell the stories to their own children.

And every time a story is told, the teller adds his own spin to the story, so the story is always changing. It's a very exciting process!

In the video, I tell The Legend of the Bellybutton - as imagined by me and a group of children at the Hay Literary Festival after a hilarious brainstorming session.
Photo by Another Sergio
(Creative Commons Attribution)

It was just one of many legends we made up in that hour we spent together. We had great fun - we must have written 20 legends in one hour!

It's easy! And it's so much fun!


1st Choose something to make a legend about. It can be anything at all! 

eg. The Legend of the Nose

Thanks to Jon-Eric Melsæter on Flickr
(Creative Commons Attribution)

2nd Decide how things used to be. 

eg. People didn't have Noses. So they couldn't smell anything. So they didn't enjoy eating because they couldn't smell food. And they thought flowers were boring because they couldn't smell how lovely they were. And they themselves smelled bad because they couldn't smell themselves.

People became very grumpy

3rd Something happens to bring your something about!

eg. Someone tripped and grew a bump on their face. Then tripped again and got holes in the bump. And then discovered that they could smell food and flowers (they also began to wash). And everyone became so jealous they went out and accidentally on purpose tripped over too!

And that is why we have noses!

Thanks to Bazusa on Flickr (Creative Commons Attribution)


If you're a teacher or a librarian and you fancy creating legends with your own posse of children, check out my Legend in Your Own Time download on my website!

Thank you!

Other downloads you might enjoy:

Branford Boase Awards Night

July 07, 2011 by 
The handsome Jason Wallace and his editor Charlie Sheppard won the Branford Boase 2011 last night for their book Out of the Shadows (Andersen Press).

At the photoshoot - Charlie (left) and Damian pose with the prize's sponsor
Jacqueline Wilson
Yeah, I know, I didn't win - but please don't send commiserations - I'm just so proud to be on that strong, strong shortlist! The only reason I'm a little bit sad is that my editor, Bella Pearson, was ill and couldn't be there ... get well soon, Bella! Here's a picture of David Tennant to cheer you up:


And here are the shortlistees of the Branford Boase on the night!

Hubby took this shot of us posing for the group photo - from left: Pat Walsh, Imogen Cooper (slightly behind), Charlie Sheppard, Maurice Lyon (behind), Jacqueline Wilson, Keren David (totally obscured), Jason Wallace, Damian Kelleher, me, Simon Mason (partially hidden), Beverley Birch (trying to be hidden) and JP Buxton. 

I was pleased to meet my new editor Simon Mason, who is covering for Bella and will be editing my new novel. I just read Simon's brilliant new novel Moon Pie - loved it so much, I reviewed it on Amazon!

The other truly big winners of the night were the children who won the Henrietta Branford writing prize. Here's Peter Wollweber whose entry was based on the Culloden Massacre. Well done, Peter!

I thought these two girls were best of friends but it turns out they only met on the night.  Lucy Parkinson (left) and Anna Wren - who came from Edinburgh on the 5.10am bus and was planning to get back on the red-eye 11pm to 8am bus so that she could watch a movie with her sister the following morning.

Someday, I imagine these young people will themselves be on the Branford Boase shortlist and I will totter up to them with my walking stick and say, "I signed a book for you once! Now you've got to do it for me!"

After the event, Simon and Philippa Dickinson, MD of Random House Children's Books, took me and my husband out to dinner and lots of conversation about flying (Philippa flies planes!!! I suppose if you could run a massive publishing company, flying planes is easy).

What was Sarah McIntyre of Verne and Lettuce fame doing there? Where does that woman get the energy to gatecrash these things? On the left is John McLay who runs the Bath Children's Festival

I'm sneaking in this blog when I'm supposed to be hard at work finishing my second novel (deadline next week) - because this is a shortlist I really wanted to be on - you can only be a debut author once and therefore on the Branford Boase list once.

... and who should be there but Book Witch Ann Giles and her trusty
photographer Helen Witch! (this photo is my revenge for all the ones
they keep posting of me on the Book Witch blog!
Writing friends Keren David (left) and Pat Walsh (right) with Pat's editor Imogen Cooper, who won the prize last year. 

I took a few pictures, as usual, but I thought the story of the evening would be best told in the words of judge Lucy Christopher, last year's winner.

Nicked this photo of Lucy from her website - resisted using the one  of her with llamas which appears on the Google search.

Lucy was in transit to the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in Australia for which her second novel Flyaway is shortlisted but she sent this speech, read by Damian Kelleher (who said he was tempted to do it in Lucy's Aussie accent - but could only manage Irish or Johnny Vegas - personally I think it would have added that special something to the evening if he read it in Johnny Vegas' voice).

I am grateful to Damian for very kindly allowing me to steal Lucy's speech from him for this blog post.

Me schmoozing Damian into giving me Lucy's speech
Lucy said winning the BB last year for Stolen was 'one of the most thrilling , exciting and rewarding moments of my life'.  She pointed out how the award 'celebrates new talent and catapults it onto the world stage to celebrate with the big guys ... it helps create big guys too.'

What's also really special about this award is its recognition of the author-editor relationship. Writing a novel is a collaborative process. Authors may be able to think about and create all sorts of vivivd and chaotic worlds and characters but they need editors to help organise, trim and perfect them. Authors need editors in the same way crazy people need therapists. Imagine if Margaret Mitchell's editor hadn't talked her into changing Pansy O'Hara's name to Scarlett? Imagine if I still had a talking swan in my second novel, Flyaway?

A display of the longlisted titles. Where's Tall Story?
A display of the shortlist. At the end of the evening, Anne Marley hilariously named and shamed bearded author Philip Ardagh for trying to steal last year's display.
Is this a face you can trust?

Lucy quoted E.L.Doctorow - "writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights. but you can make the whole trip that way." - a good editor is the person brave enough to be in that car with you, the one holding the road map.

The judging process was fun but highly rigorous, Lucy said:

The longlist was of high quality in itself but I think no one in this room will disagree when I say that the quality of this year's shortlist was truly exceptional. Not only the entire judging committee has remarked on this, but indeed the wider writing community - this year's shortlist could well be the strongest shortlist in Branford Boase history. At our final judging meeting, I even heard Julia Eccleshare remark that 'any of these books could be a worth winner!'

Here's what she said about each title:

By JP Buxton. Edited by Beverley Birch

We adored the evocative and skilfully created world with JP Buxton's I Am The Blade. Tog is a loveable and vividly realized character and the plotting and twists in his narrative were strong, surprising and entirely believable. It was refreshing and encouraging to see a new take on this important archetypal story.

By Keren David, Edited by Maurice Lyon

When I Was Joe by Keren David jumped up and hit us in the face, keeping us grabbed from the first moment, also keeping many of the judging committee up all hours until they finished it. Joe is a hugely realistic and identifiable teenage boy and it is easy to imagine how much teenage boys in particular would enjoy and respond to this important book.

Tall Story by Candy Gourlay. Edited by Bella Pearson
Tall Story by Candy Gourlay made us laugh and cry, often both at the same time. Its taut and emotive writing revealed so much about the importance of family and connection. This irresistible book is unique, charming and hugely enjoyable.

By Gregory Hughes. Edited by Roisin Heycock
Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes is a masterpiece in gutsy, original writing. This is brave and unique YA fiction at its best, with an important message about the value of siblings, and with a flavour of Huckleberry Finn thrown in for good measure.

By Jason Wallace. Edited by Charlie Sheppard
WINNER

Jason Wallace's Out of Shadows takes us to the scary, vivid and emotional world of a 1980s Zimbabwean boarding school. The setting of this novel is extraordinary, realised in sense and sound and smell with terrifying emotional accuracy. It's an important and mind-changing book.

By Pat Walsh. Edited by Imogen Cooper

Pat Walsh's The Crowfield Curse also takes us to a vividly and emotionally realised world, and introduces us to one of the best new characters in modern young people's fiction: Brother Walter, the hob. The Crowfield Curse is beautifully written, with an extraordinary attention to detail that never feels flawed or forced.

The key sponsor of the Branford Boase is every children's writer's idol Dame Jacqueline Wilson - and here's my trophy photo with our national treasure!

Now I've got to go to work and try to stop musing on my lovely evening.

Leaving you with this slideshow of the shots I managed - I'm sure Helen over at Book Witch will have better ones (her camera was so cool).





Anne Marley
Added later:

Book Witch's report mentions the most hilarious Freudian slip of the night - Anne Marley, Branford Boase adminstrator, recalled that the WIFE of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness was shortlisted for the Branford Boase before it made the Carnegie! She also noticed Dame Jackie's nebula outfit ... such an observant woman.

I also should mention that bookselling was achieved that night by the good people from the Newham Bookshop



Photos by me and he who likes Rugby a lot





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