Children's Book Award (UK) facts for kids

The Children's Book Award is a special British award for children's books. It's run by the Federation of Children's Book Groups. Before, it was known as the Red House Children's Book Award. Books published in the U.K. during the year before are considered.

This award picks one "Overall" winner. It also chooses a winner in three different groups:

• Books for Younger Children
• Books for Younger Readers
• Books for Older Readers

What makes this award unique in Britain is that children themselves choose all the winners!

The Federation of Children's Book Groups started this award in 1981. Their goal has always been "to celebrate the books that children themselves love reading." From 2001 to 2015, a bookshop called Red House helped sponsor the award.

How Books Win the Award

The Children's Book Award is special because kids decide everything! Children from all over the world can help choose the winning books. In Britain, many kids take part through book clubs.

Here's how it works:

• First, children nominate their favorite books.
• The ten books with the most nominations make it onto a "shortlist" or ballot.
• There are four books on the Younger Children list.
• There are three books each on the Younger Readers and Older Readers lists.
• Finally, children vote for their favorite book from these shortlists. The book with the most votes wins!

Recent Winners

The winners are announced at a special ceremony in London. Here are some of the recent winners:

• In 2017, the "Overall" winner was An Eagle in the Snow. Michael Morpurgo wrote it, and Michael Foreman illustrated it. It won in the Books for Younger Readers group.
• In 2016, My Head Teacher is a Vampire Rat won the "Overall" award. Pamela Butchart wrote it, and Thomas Flintham drew the pictures. This book was also in the Books for Younger Readers group.
• In 2015, The Day the Crayons Quit was the "Overall" winner. Drew Daywalt wrote it, and Oliver Jeffers illustrated it. This book won in the Books for Younger Children group.
• In 2014, the "Overall" winner was The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. It won in the Older Readers group.

Award-Winning Books

The Children's Book Award has been given out every year since 1981. It celebrates books first published in the U.K. during the previous year.

Over the years, many amazing books have won. From 1992 to 2017, most "Overall" winners came from the Younger Readers category. Some famous authors like Roald Dahl, J. K. Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson, and Michael Morpurgo have won multiple times.

For example:

• In 1983, Roald Dahl's The BFG won. He also won in 1989 for Matilda.
• J. K. Rowling won the "Overall" award for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1998. She won again in 1999 for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She even won the Long Novel category for the first four Harry Potter books from 1998 to 2001!
• Michael Morpurgo has won the "Overall" award four times: for Kensuke's Kingdom (2000), Private Peaceful (2004), Shadow (2011), and An Eagle in the Snow (2017).

Authors with Many Awards

Some authors have been very popular with child voters and have won the Children's Book Award many times.

• Michael Morpurgo has won the "Overall" award four times. He also won category awards for The Wreck of the Zanzibar (1996) and Out of the Ashes (2002).
• Four other authors have won the "Overall" award twice:
  • Roald Dahl (1983, 1989)
  • Robert Swindells (1985, 1990)
  • Jacqueline Wilson (1993, 1996)
  • J. K. Rowling (1998, 1999)

The book A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay, won the "Overall" Red House Award in 2012. This book also won two other big awards from librarians: the Carnegie Medal and the Greenaway Medal. Winning both of these was a first!