BWA hosts the annual Brooke Weston Trust book shadowing event
Brooke Weston Academy was delighted to host this year’s Yoto Carnegies book shadowing event in the Newman Library, with students and staff from the BW Trust schools in attendance.
It was a chance for keen readers from Brooke Weston Academy, Corby Business Academy, Thomas Clarkson Academy and Oakley Vale Primary School to meet and discuss their favourite books shortlisted for this year’s Yoto Carnegie awards.
The Yoto Carnegies are the UK’s longest running and best-loved children's book awards recognising outstanding reading experiences created through writing and illustration in books for children and young people and are often described by authors and illustrators as 'the one they want to win' - they are the gold standard in children's literature.
Poetry dominated the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal for Writing this year with three of the eight shortlisted novels written in verse, alongside a poetry collection by children’s writer Nicola Davies, who gave up her time to speak to BWA students during a virtual visit in April.
As well as discussing the books, students also took part in a quiz answering questions about the shortlisted titles. Students also had the opportunity to lobby for votes during a ‘book push’ when they talked about the unique features of their favourite shortlisted title.
BWA Y8 students Chloe Billam and Felicity Fitzjohn won joint first prize in the quiz as well as both winning a prize for ‘book pushing’ as they presented the most convincing argument as to why their favourite Carnegie title ‘Crossing the Line’ by Tia Fisher should win the Medal for Writing.
BWA Y7 students Eva Belostocka and Narina Kecskemeti also won a prize for book pushing their favourite title for the Medal for Illustration, ‘The Bowerbird’, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Catherine Rayner.
The event ended with a vote for the favourite book in each category, with the most popular Medal for Illustration title being a tie between 'The Bowerbird' and ‘The Midnight Panther’ by Poonam Mistry, while 'Crossing the Line' was the winning Medal for Writing title.
BWA Librarian Wendy Mann, who organised the event said, ‘It was an enormous success and by shadowing the awards, the students feel like they are part of the judging process, and it is a fantastic way of getting students reading and talking about the latest titles. It is always interesting to see if our favourites match up with the official winners of the awards. Thank you to everyone who took part and to all our helpers who assisted on the day.’
See a selection of photos taken during the event
Find out more about the shortlisted titles
