Carnegie Medal Longlist for Children’s and YA Books 2024
‘The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people’ (https://carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/about-the-awards/). The 2024 longlist includes 19 titles from the 69 nominations, and I am excited to see some of my favourites have been selected.
Let’s look at some good YA titles first.
The Boy Lost in the Maze – Joseph Coelho
Joseph Coelho’s The Boy Lost in the Maze (14+) is a very impressive verse novel alternating between two characters: Theseus in ancient Greece, and a modern boy trying to find his father. The book is especially good in its treatment of masculinity and fathers, and I found it compelling. I also thought Kate Milner’s illustrations were most effective.
Electric Life – Rachel Delahaye
If you are looking for a gripping dystopian novel, I can recommend Rachel Delahaye’s Electric Life (12+) in which a girl travels to the city beneath her own, and discovers that life is more complex than she had realised. I was particularly impressed by the author’s description of the two contrasting cities and their rather different ways of life.
Wild Song – Candy Gourlay
The longlist also includes historical novels, and I was very taken by Candy Gourlay’s Wild Song (12+) in which some teenagers from the Philippines go to the 1904 World Fair in America as ‘exhibits’. I found this really readable, and it included interesting observations on racism and cultural differences. I found the central female character very appealing.
Boy Like Me – Simon James Green
Another novel set in the past is Simon James Green’s Boy Like Me (14+), but here we are in 1994 Britain with a gay boy who is upset when he finds that Section 28 means his school library can’t stock certain texts. Although this deals with serious issues, it also contains much humour and is an enjoyable read. I am always inclined to appreciate novels which contain positive representations of librarians and the importance of books!
The Little Match Girl Strikes Back – Emma Carroll
Turning to children’s fiction, I was really pleased that the longlist included Emma Carroll’s The Little Match Girl Strikes Back (7+). This is a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale ‘The Little Match Girl’. It has a much more positive ending, however, even though it shows how harsh life was for poor people in Victorian London. Bridie is an endearing character who is helped by magic. There is a good amount of historical detail, and I liked Lauren Child’s illustrations.
Where books for children are concerned I was also delighted to see the inclusion of some of the books I have admired and discussed in other posts. I recommended Until the Road Ends by Phil Earle, and Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner in my Five Children’s Books Set in World War Two post, and praised Greenwild: The World Behind the Door by Pari Thomson, and The Swifts by Beth Lincoln in my Favourite Recent Children’s Paperbacks post.
If you want to see which other titles are on the longlist, you can find all the details on the Carnegie website (https://yotocarnegies.co.uk/2024-longlists-announced/).
I hope you find something here that appeals to you.
Frances
