Branford Boase Award 2023 Shortlist

The shortlist for the 2023 Branford Boase Award has been announced. The award is given annually to the author of the year's outstanding debut novel for children. Uniquely, it also honours the editor of the winning title and highlights the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.

Competition to win a set of the shortlisted books

Past winners and shortlisted authors include Meg Rosoff, Katya Balen, Philip Reeve, Frances Hardinge, Patrick Ness, M.G. Leonard, and Marcus Sedgwick. Last year's winner was Maisie Chan for Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths.

From a longlist of 21, the judges have chosen eight to shortlist. The list includes the winner of the 2023 Waterstones Children's Book Award, The Cats We Meet Along the Way, by Nadia Mikail, edited by Bella Pearson (Guppy Books), as well as The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch, edited by Siobhàn Parkinson (Little Island Books), currently shortlisted for the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing.

The winner of the Branford Boase Award will be announced at a ceremony in central London on Thursday 13 July 2023. The winning author receives a cheque for £1,000 and both author and editor receive an inscribed plaque.

The shortlist for the 2023 award in full:

The Bones of Me by Kel Duckhouse, edited by Harriet Birkinshaw (Flying Eye Books) YA

Growing up on an East London council estate, boxing is an escape for 15-year-old Molly and offers a better future. A coming-of-age novel written in a mix of prose and verse. The judges admired the structure, voice and setting and describe it as ‘a brave book.'

The Eternal Return of Clara Hart by Louise Finch, edited by Siobhàn Parkinson (Little Island Books) YA

At a party hosted by his best friend, Spence watches his classmate Clara run from the house and into the path of a car. The next day, he wakes up to find it is the previous morning and he must live the same 24 hours again. The judges found this very skilfully told and its exploration of toxic masculinity highly relevant.

Seed by Caryl Lewis, edited by Sarah Hughes, illustrated by George Ermos (Macmillan Children's Books) 7+

A birthday present from his grandad of a seed changes Marty's life. As the seed grows and grows, it becomes a thing of wonder and possibility. The judges praised this as highly accomplished and impeccably told, a book that casts its spell on readers.

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Linn, edited by Gráinne Clear (Walker Books) 12+

A teen fantasy adventure, set in a world of flying ships, sky cities and powerful paper spirits. Inspired by Asian cultures and exploring themes of empire, slavery and freedom. The judges found it cinematic, with superb world-building, and full of important psychological questions about knowing who you are.

The Cats We Meet Along the Way by Nadia Mikail, edited by Bella Pearson (Guppy Books) YA

A story of family, love and hope, set at the end of the world. Fresh, uncontrived, skilfully mixing hope and dread, this puts a new perspective on a well-explored scenario, said the judges.

Ellie Pillai is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam, edited by Leah Thaxton (Faber) 13+

Teenager Ellie is trying to work out who she is, while standing out as a brown girl in a predominantly white school. Humorous, authentic and with well-developed characters, said the judges, and cleverly plotted and written.

The Haunting of Tyrese Walker by J P Rose, edited by Chloe Sackur (Andersen Press) 12+

Visiting relatives with his mum in Jamaica, after the tragic loss of his father, Tyrese finds strange, inexplicable and terrifying things happening to him. The judges admired the quality of the writing, the clever use of folklore, and the way setting, theme, character and plot are so skilfully combined.

The Map of Leaves by Yarrow Townsend, edited by Rachel Leyshon (Chicken House) 10+

There is a poison in the water of Orla's word, infecting plants and people alike. Can she use her gift to save the world, before it's too late? Mesmerising, said the judges; it has a great approach to green issues but is full of themes that will work for readers of different ages.

This year's judges are Maisie Chan, author and winner of the 2022 Branford Boase Award; critic and writer Joanne Owen; Darren Matthews, Primary Advisory Teacher at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education; and Sajeda Amir, English teacher and KS3 coordinator at Levenshulme High School, Manchester. The judging panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare, children's director of the Hay Festival.

See the Judges' Comments for more information on the books shortlisted for the 2023 award.

Julia Eccleshare, co-founder of award and chair of the judges, says, "Each year the Branford Boase Award reveals the preoccupations and direction of contemporary writing for children. There's an exciting freshness to this year's shortlist, not just in terms of the diversity of the authors, but in the stories they are choosing to tell. What children read influences how they see the world and it's inspiring that new writers are telling stories that give children the means to understand the complexities of their world, and to help them to see beyond their own experiences."

The Branford Boase Award was founded in 2000 to commemorate prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and influential Walker Books editor Wendy Boase.