Little Rebels shortlist

The shortlist for this year's Little Rebels Award for Radical Children's Fiction includes books referencing Islamophobia, young people's activism, the Syrian conflict, challenges to gendered occupations and the English class system.

The full shortlist is available as a pack for 56 from bookseller Letterbox Library, which specialises in multicultural children's books. The Little Rebels Award for Radical Children's Fiction has a history of highlighting refugee narratives (Azzi In Between and After Nowhere won the Little Rebels Award in 2012 and 2013 respectively). This year's shortlist includes two novels that address the human cost of war in very different ways: Laird's Welcome to Nowhere describes the flight of 12-year-old Omar and his family from Bosra to Jordan and then, ultimately, the UK, while Brahmachari's Tender Earth has a cast of young characters who are all involved in political protest, including Pari, a refugee from the Iraq war. Two other novels on the shortlist take on the English class system. Kim Slater's thriller, 928 Miles From Home, stars Calum, a Kes-inspired, working class boy from a Nottingham estate who dreams of being a scriptwriter but doubts his chances of entering this privileged world. Meantime, Gill Lewis appears on this award's shortlist with Sky Dancer which explores ideas of deforestation and rewilding through a small community in the south Pennines whose economy is precariously dependent on an almost feudal class system. Other shortlisted titles at the younger age of the spectrum are: The Muslims by Zanib Mian, (Sweet Apple Publishers and Muslim Children's Books); an illustrated chapter book which explores racism, bullying and self esteem through the hilarious character of Omar as he embraces a positive Muslim identity. Mr Bunny's Chocolate Factory by Elys Dolan (OUP); a picture book about a factory overseen by a fat cat, or rather, Mr Bunny, in which the chick employees go on strike for better conditions. Clive Is a Nurse by Jessica Spanyol (Child's Play International Ltd.); a board book for the very young in which Clive and his friends enjoy playacting in a world free of gender stereotypes. Malala's Magic Pen by Malala Yousafzai, illustrated by Kerascoet (Penguin Random House Children's); Yousafzai's debut picture book gives a child-friendly account of her life in Pakistan and the political path she forged up until the present day. Fen Coles, co-director of Letterbox Library, said the shortlisted books "put young people's voices centre stage". She added, "Many of the books star children who pick up a banner, who take a stand, who call us all to account. And those voices are brought to us by authors such as Lewis and Brahmachari, who have in their own actions and words, asked us to listen that much more closely and respectfully to those voices. "In this current climate of political awakenings and consciousness-raising, young people are so often showing us the way- this award, more than ever, celebrates that movement". The Little Rebels Children's Book Award is now in its 6th year. The Award 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 year's judges are: authors Patrice Lawrence and Catherine Johnson; Emily Drabble, head of children's book promotions at BookTrust; B.J. Epstein, Senior Lecturer at the University of East Anglia; Darren Chetty, Teaching Fellow at UCL and contributor to The Good Immigrant. The winner of the Little Rebels Award will be announced at the London Radical Bookfair on Saturday June 2nd at Goldsmith's University. This is a free public event organised by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB). You can follow updates on Twitter @littlerebsprize

External Link

www.letterboxlibrary.com/acatalog/Little-Rebels-Shortlist-2018.html