Little Rebels Award 2024 winners
Posted on Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Category: Book Awards
Lizzie and Belle: Portraits and Poison by JT Williams (Farshore) has won the Little Rebels Award for Radical Children's Fiction 2024.
Lizzie and Belle: Portraits and Poison is the second instalment in Williams' Lizzie and Belle middle grade detective series, set against a backdrop of real-life British Black History. The first in the series, Lizzie and Belle: Drama and Danger, was longlisted for the Little Rebels Award in 2023.
Portraits and Poison explores a history of Black British activism, introducing young readers to real life, Georgian-London, campaigners such as the Sons (and Daughters) of Africa. The novel also exposes the racist mechanisms at work in the conventions of Western portraiture.
Little Rebels Award Judge Farrah Serroukh described Portraits and Poison as "a fantastic means of countering erasure across all spheres including artistic, fictional, historical and political; challenging misrepresentations whilst encased in a brilliantly crafted, engaging and accessible story." The organisers of the Little Rebels Award added, "We love how Portraits and Poison, with its themes of civil disobedience and rebellion, channels the spirit, energy and optimism of the Little Rebels Award.”
J.T. Williams was presented with the award by Little Rebels Judge, Farrah Serroukh; they received £2k prize money funded by the Barry Amiel & Norman Melburn Trust, in addition to £250 through the Gill Lewis Award, which will be donated by the winner to a charity of their choice, plus a limited edition print by Ken Wilson Max, commissioned by and exclusive to the award.
The winner announcement was made at the Little Rebels Award Ceremony on Wednesday October 16th. It followed a panel discussion on centring radical fiction for children, chaired by Dr. Darren Chetty and attended by 2024 shortlistees, including: Yaba Badoe; Jen Reid; Kate Rafiq; Harry Woodgate; JT Williams; James Catchpole & Karen George; Helen Rutter & Elisa Paganelli.
This is the 12th year of the Little Rebels Award. The award celebrates radical fiction for children aged 0-12. Given on behalf of the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB), the award is administered by ARB members, Housmans Bookshop and Letterbox Library. It recognises children's books which explore political ideas, challenge the status quo, or promote social justice, social equality and a more peaceful and fairer world. In 2023 the award was won by Patrice Lawrence for Needle (Barrington Stoke).
The 2024 Little Rebels Award Judges were: author-illustrator (and former award shortlistee), Emily Haworth-Booth; reading development and children's book consultant, Jake Hope; Research and Development Director at the Centre for Literature in Primary Education (CLPE), Farrah Serroukh; teacher and author, Alom Shaha; illustrator, designer & lecturer, Soofiya.
The other shortlisted books were:
Man-Man and the Tree of Memories by Yaba Badoe and Joelle Avelino (Head of Zeus Books)
A Hero Like Me by Angela Joy, Jen Reid and Leire Salaberria (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)
We Are Here by Kate Rafiq (Dune Books)
Grandad's Pride by Harry Woodgate (Andersen Press)
Is That Your Mama? By Patrice Lawrence and Diane Ewen (Scholastic)
You're So Amazing! by James & Lucy Catchpole and Karen George (Faber & Faber)
The Piano at the Station by Helen Rutter with illustrations by Elisa Paganelli (Barrington Stoke)
