For Release 11am Wednesday 11th March 2015
Ten titles will compete for the 25th CBI Book of the Year Awards 2015, the most prestigious awards for children’s books in Ireland. The shortlist for the 25th CBI Book of the Year Awards was revealed today, Wednesday 11th March 2015. Each of the ten titles will compete for the high calibre awards, which includes the innovative Children’s Choice Award, voted for by young readers across the country. The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held on 19th May at Dublin’s Light House Cinema. The shortlisted titles are: When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald Daideo by Áine Ní Ghlinn Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill Haiku Más é do thoil é! by Gabriel Rosenstock illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald Primperfect by Deirdre Sullivan Beyond the Stars compiled by Sarah Webb Founded in 1990, The CBI Book of the Year Awards are the leading children’s book awards in Ireland. They are a celebration of excellence in children’s literature and illustration and are open to books for all ages written in English or Irish by authors and illustrators born or resident in Ireland and published between 1st January and 31st December each year. Previous winners include John Boyne for The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas; Sheena Wilkinson for Grounded, Marie Louise Fitzpatrick for There and Hagwitch and Kate Thompson for The New Policeman, Annan Water and The Alchemist’s Apprentice. Ciara Ní Bhroin, chair of the judging panel that read almost 70 titles, said: “The ten shortlisted titles showcase the range of excellent books being created by Irish authors and illustrators. From incredibly vibrant and engaging picturebooks to hard-hitting, thought-provoking novels for teenagers and young adults, this shortlist offers every child a rich and satisfying reading experience. With both the English and Irish language showcased, myself and the CBI Book of the Year Awards judges were enthused to encounter so many books dealing with a range of diverse experiences.” Children’s Books Ireland (CBI), which administers the awards, will again be working closely with reading groups from schools, libraries and bookshops across Ireland. These young readers will choose the winner of the Children’s Choice Award. Five other awards will be made in May also – The Book of the Year Award, Honour Awards for Fiction and Illustration, the Eilís Dillon award for a first children’s book and the Judges’ Special Award. Elaina Ryan, Director at CBI said: “Making books a part of every children’s life is key to what we do at Children’s Books Ireland. With the ten books on this year’s shortlist, CBI is honoured to be able to highlight the very best that Irish authors, illustrators and publishers have to offer, truly world-class books. We know that this shortlist will encourage children and young people around the country to engage with books they will love to read.” This year’s shortlist contains one title from a former CBI Book of the Year Award winner, Chris Haughton whose A Bit Lost took the overall prize in 2011. Three authors are new to the CBI Book of the Year Awards shortlist: Sarah Louise O’Neill for Only Ever Yours,sarah Moore Fitzgerald for The Apple Tart of Hope and Brian Conaghan for When Mr. Dog Bites.