We have loved this year’s Coventry Inspiration Book Awards; reading, talking and voting each week. But now, it is time to announce the winners. Did your favourite win?
The What’s The Story Winner is…
Bad Apple by Huw Lewis-Jones, illustrated by Ben Sanders
In this fun cautionary tale, a really badly behaved apple is awful to lots of acquaintances. As one silly scenario unfolds after the other, Bad Apple shows what he’s really made of by making life miserable for Pear, Pea, Cat, Spud and Spoon, among others. In a twist at the end, Bad Apple receives his comeuppance when he eats the cake baked by snake.
If this was your favourite, try When Cucumber Lost His Cool by Michelle Robinson, illustrated by Tom Knight
A perfectly-pitched rhyming tale of fun and friendship, from a previous Coventry Inspiration Book Award winner, packed with bright bold colours that will have you laughing out loud as you explore other’s emotions.
Kevin the cucumber is so cool – everybody knows it! Whenever anyone gets hot and bothered, Kevin is always there to cool them down. He even has his own super cool cucumber song! But when Kevin starts to feel like his friends are leaving him out, something happens that has never happened before: KEVIN. LOSES. HIS. COOL!
Will Kevin’s friends be there for him when he needs them most?
The Telling Tales Winner is…
Bad Panda by Swapna Haddow, illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
Everyone thinks that Lin is the cutest panda in the world. So much so that they send her off to the local zoo, away from her beloved brother, to be looked at my all the visitors. But Lin HATES being cute, and now she will do everything in her power to prove that she’s the baddest, meanest, most un-cute animal in the zoo. Being a bad panda isn’t as easy as Lin thinks it could be. No-one believes her and she is finding it hard to convince her fellow zoo animals from taking back control of the zoo.
If this was your favourite, Evil Emperor Penguin by Laura Ellen Anderson
In the icy, snow-covered depths of Antarctica is the secret lair of an extraordinary penguin. Evil Emperor Penguin! From the bottom of the world, he’s got his sights set on taking the whole thing over! Unfortunately, he’s really not very good at it. Especially when his rival, Evil Cat, is trying to beat him at his own world-domination game!
With his lovable assistant Eugene, and octopus butler Number 8, Evil Emperor Penguin is the most devious, cutest and funniest evil mastermind ever to waddle the Earth! Just not the most successful…
And finally, the Hooked On Books Winner is…
When I See Blue by Lily Bailey
A boy struggling with OCD starts at a new school, but the bully is in Ben’s head.
There are 4 things you should know about Ben:
1. He’s 12 years old
2. He’s the new kid at school
3. His special number is 4
4. He has a bully in his brain
Sometimes Ben’s brain makes him count to 4 to prevent bad things happening. Sometimes it makes him tap or blink in 4s. Mostly it makes the smallest things feel impossible. And with a new school, a moody big brother, an absent dad, and a mum battling her own demons, Ben feels more out of control than ever. But then he meets April, and with his new friend, Ben might finally figure out how to stand up to the bully in his brain, once and for all.
If this was your favourite, try A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNichol, one of my all time favourite books! It’s a hugely entertaining and challenging book in equal measure, and a testament to the vulnerability, strength, and courage neurodivergent children show everyday.
A Kind of Spark tells the story of 11-year-old Addie as she campaigns for a memorial in memory of the witch trials that took place in her Scottish hometown. Addie knows there’s more to the story of these ‘witches’, just like there is more to hers. Can Addie challenge how the people in her town see her, and her autism, and make her voice heard?
This isn’t a book about being autistic, it’s a book about difference and discrimination that has autistic characters. It’s authentic, honest and just blooming brilliant. Many children will be able to recognise themselves in Addie which is so important – every child deserves to see themselves reflected in books. And while enjoying a brilliantly told story, neurotypicals might learn an awful lot too, and gain some understanding of how the world looks and feels when viewed through a different lens.
And, once you’ve read the book, you’ll be able to watch the CBBC adaptation from 17th April!
Huge congratulations to all of the winning authors and illustrators!
Happy reading!
