Branford Boase Longlist Announcement
25th anniversary of the Branford Boase Award, celebrating the most talented debut writers for children and their editors
25 vibrant new writers celebrated on the award’s 25th longlist
The longlist for the 2024 Branford Boase Award is announced today. Set up in memory of award-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase, one of the founders of Walker Books, the Branford Boase Award is given annually to the author of the year’s outstanding debut novel for children. The Branford Boase Award is the only award to honour the editor of the winning book, highlighting the importance of the editor in nurturing new talent.
Founded in 2000, 2024 marks 25 years of this unique award.
For the fourth consecutive year, over 60 books were submitted, more than three times the number in 2000, and from 30 different publishing houses. Reflecting current trends in writing for children and young people, the longlist of 25 features three verse novels; detective stories; YA romances plus a wealth of original new fantasy adventures. Issues of identity and modern life are also explored in contemporary dramas.
The 2024 Branford Boase Award longlist in full:
Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King, illus Claire Powell, edited by Gráinne Clear (Walker Books)
Glow Up, Lara Bloom by Dee Benson, edited by Ruth Bennett (Hot Key Books)
Gwen and Art are NOT in Love by Lex Croucher, edited by Hannah Sandford (Bloomsbury)
Finding Phoebe by Gavin Extence, edited by Chloe Sackur (Andersen Press)
Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner, edited by Leonie Lock (Firefly Press)
Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher, edited by Emma Matthewson supported by Tia Albert (Hot Key Books)
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illus Joe Todd-Stanton, edited by Charlotte Hacking (Otter-Barry Books)
How Far We’ve Come by Joyce Efia Harmer, edited by Lucy Pearse (Simon and Schuster)
Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend by Lizzie Huxley-Jones, edited by Eishar Brar (Knights Of)
The First Move by Jenny Ireland, edited by Ruth Knowles with Sara Jafari (Penguin Books)
The Detention Detectives by Lis Jardine, edited by Katie Sinfield and Millie Lean (Puffin)
Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan, edited by Eloise Wilson (Andersen Press)
Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore, edited by Ella Whiddett and Ruth Bennett (Hot Key Books)
The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, illus Claire Powell, edited by Ben Horslen and Julie Strauss-Gabel (Puffin)
You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud, edited by Sarah Stewart (Usborne)
The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi, edited by Ali Dougal (Simon and Schuster)
Last Girl In by Cheryl Diane Parkinson, edited by Sonya McGilchrist (Dinosaur Books)
City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, edited by Natalie Doherty and India Chambers (Puffin)
The Destiny of Minou Moonshine by Gita Ralleigh, edited by Lauren Atherton (Zephyr)
The Witchstone Ghosts by Emily Randall-Jones, edited by Rachel Leyshon (Chicken House)
Influential by Amara Sage, edited by Alice Swan (Faber)
Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka by Davina Tijani, illus Adam Douglas-Bagley, edited by Mattie Whitehead and Karelle Tobias (Little Tiger)
Greenwild by Pari Thomson, illus Elisa Paganelli, edited by Emma Jones (Macmillan)
The Sleeping Stones by Beatrice Wallbank, edited by Janet Thomas and Rebecca F. John (Firefly Press)
Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf, edited by Non Pratt (Walker Books)
Chair of the judges and co-founder of the Branford Boase Award, Julia Eccleshare says, “We are delighted to be celebrating 25 years of the Branford Boase Award as it continues to highlight the most talented new writers for children and the editors who support them. We’re excited that this year’s longlist features a particularly wide variety of voices and stories, all freshly told. It demonstrates the vibrancy of current children’s literature and is an inspiring memorial to the work of Henrietta Branford and Wendy Boase, in whose names the award was established 20 years ago.”
The Branford Boase Award is delivered in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and supported by Walker Books.
The shortlist for the Award will be announced on Thursday 25 April 2024. The winner will be announced on Thursday, 11 July 2024 at an award ceremony at CLPE in London.
