Bisto Book Awards

CBI/Bisto Awards are the only annual Childrens' Book Awards in Ireland. Now in their 19th year, the awards have been sponsored since their inception by Bisto (RHM Foods). The Awards are made annually by Children's Books Ireland for books by an author or illustrator born or resident in Ireland. The Shortlist is announced in March and the Awards are announced in May for books published in the previous year.

The 2009 Bisto book of the year was awarded to 'Bog Child' by Siobhan Dowd.

"The story of Fergus' journey of self-discovery as he struggles to make sense of his personal, familial, and societal situation, as well as the voice of a bog child that comes to him in his dreams. To journey through this layered narrative is to be confronted with not only the frailty of life but also the redemptive qualities of love: unsettling yet optimistic, this is radiant prose that sings of the pain and beauty of the human condition."

(extract from CBI website).

The 2009 Eilís Dillon Award went to 'Anila's Journey' by Mary Finn.

"A story of a half-Indian, half-Irish girl whose journey down the Ganges is also a journey into her past. Sensitively told in gracefully lyrical prose, this meticulously researched coming-of-age novel vividly creates a sense of place and history in order to detail the life and relationships of its central character."

(extract from CBI website)

The 2009 shortlist:

• 'Airman' by Eoin Colfer
• 'An Phleist Mhór' le Ré O’Laighléis, Susan Edwards & Emily Colenso
• 'Anila's Journey' by Mary Finn
• 'Bog Child' Siobhan Dowd
• 'Brionglóidí' le Áine Ní Ghlinn & Carol Betera
• 'Creature of the Night' by Kate Thompson
• 'Her Mother's Face' by Roddy Doyle
• 'Highway Robbery' by Kate Thompson
• 'The Gift of the Magi' illustrated by PJ Lynch
• 'The Great Paper Caper' by Oliver Jeffers

All of the Bisto books are available in Dublin City Libraries.  Browse a list of all ten titles shortlisted for the 2009 Bisto Award in our catalogue.

The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards 

This award was established by The Library Association in 1955, for distinguished illustration in a book for children.

Winner of the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2009
'Bog Child' by Siobhan Dowd  published by David Fickling 

"This is a beautifully written and controlled novel, strong on dialogue but with some beautiful descriptive phrases as well. The dual narrative is deftly done and Dowd is very good on family relationships and the atmosphere of the times. The ending is satisfying, and the whole believable and unflinching."
(summary from award website).

Winner of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2009
'Harris Finds His Feet' by Catherine Rayner, published by Little Tiger Press

Harris is a triumph from the way he moves and his expressions to his velvety fur and his hands and feet. His relationship with his Grandad is beautifully evoked as are the times of day and the textures of the exquisite landscapes around him.
(summary from award website).

http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/

The CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlist for 2009:

• Frank Cottrell Boyce  'Cosmic'
• Kevin Brooks  'Black Rabbit Summer'
• Eoin Colfer  'Airman'
• Siobhan Dowd 'Bog Child'
• Keith Gray  'Ostrich Boys'
• Patrick Ness  'The Knife of Never Letting Go'
• Kate Thompson  'Creature of the Night'

The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Shortlist for 2009:

• Angela Barrett  'The Snow Goose'
• Marc Craste  'Varmints'
• Thomas Docherty  'Little Boat'
• Bob Graham  'How to Heal a Broken Wing'
• Oliver Jeffers  'The Way Back Home'
• Dave McKean  (text by David Almond) 'The Savage'
• Catherine Rayner 'Harris Find His Feet'
• Chris Wormell  'Molly and the Night Monster'

Costa Childrens' Book of the Year

2009 Costa Children's Book Award Winner

'The Ark and the Answer' by Patrick Ness - (read more about 'The Ark and the Answer'... )

Judges: "From the first word, we were gripped by this dazzlingly-imagined, morally complex, compulsively-plotted tale. We are convinced that this is a major achievement in the making."

2009 Shortlist:

• 'Solace of the Road' by Siobhan Dowd 
• 'Troubadour' by Mary Hoffman 
• 'The Ark and the Answer' by Patrick Ness 
• 'Guantanamo Boy' by Anna Perera 

Costa Award website 

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

2009 winner:

'Exposure' by Mal Peet 
"A modern retelling of Othello, in which the Moor of Venice and his wife Desdemona are transformed into the South American equivalent of Posh and Becks." (read an extract from 'Exposure')

2009 Shortlist:

• 'Nation' by Terry Pratchett
• 'Exposure' by Mal Peet 
• 'Then' by Maurice Gleitzman
• 'Solace of the Road' by Siobhan Dowd

Guardian Award website