Little Rebels 2019 award winner

Catherine Johnson has won the 2019 Little Rebels Award for Radical Fiction for her short historical novel, Freedom.

Freedom tells the story of Nat, a young boy enslaved on a Jamaican plantation, brought over to England in the late eighteenth century. Hopeful that, once on UK soil, he will finally be free from bondage, Nat instead witnesses the pivotal role Britain played in building the slavery industry. Praising the winning title, judge Darren Chetty, Teaching Fellow at UCL and contributor to The Good Immigrant, said: "Freedom is radical in a number of ways. It tells a story of a young enslaved man in Britain. It explores the humanity of those whose humanity was denied through chattel slavery. It subtly examines the similarities and the differences between class oppression and a system of slavery rooted in racism. It tells a story of Britain that continues to be neglected." Emily Drabble, head of children's books promotion and prizes at BookTrust, added that the middle grade adventure story also shines a light on "real life people who should be more famous than they are, including former slave turned author and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano and Shadrack Furman, the first black army Pensioner." The other shortlisted authors for 2019 were Bridget Blankley for The Ghosts & Jamal (HopeRoad Publishing); Anne Booth for Across the Divide (Catnip Publishing); Emily Haworth-Booth for The King Who Banned the Dark (Pavilion Books); Nadine Kaadan for Tomorrow (Lantana Publishing); and Sarah McIntyre for The New Neighbours (David Fickling Books). The Little Rebels Children's Book Award, now in its 7th year, recognises fiction for ages 0-12 which promotes or celebrates social justice and equality. It is run by booksellers Housmans Bookshop and Letterbox Library and is awarded by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB). This years judges were: author Patrice Lawrence; Emily Drabble; B.J. Epstein, senior lecturer at the University of East Anglia; Darren Chetty, teacher, writer, researcher; and Shaun Dellenty, trainer in LGBT+ inclusive education. Last years Little Rebels Award winner, Zanib Mian who won for her book The Muslims, went on to sign a three-book deal with Hachette Childrens Group. The first book in her series, Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet, published in April 2019 and was based on the original The Muslims text.