Students from Brooke Weston Academy, who took part in the Brooke Weston Trust Carnegie book-shadowing event, watched the live-streaming of the awards ceremony, which was held at the Cambridge Theatre in London, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s award-winning Matilda The Musical.

The character of Matilda’s beloved librarian, Mrs Phelps, welcomed the audience to the theatre and introduced the host, author Manjeet Mann, winner of the CILIP Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Award in 2021 for ‘Run Rebel.’

The Carnegie Medal for Writing was awarded to Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho for ‘The Boy Lost in the Maze’, a story portraying a boy’s journey into manhood and integrates the ancient legacy of the Minotaur with the contemporary journey of a teenager searching for his biological father. 

Students who have been shadowing the awards in the UK and around the world also voted for their favourites from this year’s shortlist. They chose ‘Crossing the Line’ by Tia Fisher, a young adult novel based on a true story about teenagers swept up in county lines, for the Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing.

Aaron Becker’s ‘The Tree and the River’, a wordless picture book looking at the evolution of human impact on the natural environment through the fate of a lone tree and an enduring river, scooped a coveted double-win, bagging both the Shadower’s Choice and the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration. 

Librarian, Wendy Mann, said ‘It was fantastic that the students had the opportunity to see the official results being announced live, and they were all eagerly waiting to see if the results matched their favourites. This year's shortlist has been outstanding, and they are all worthy reads.’