CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals 2016

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The long lists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals 2016 have been published. These lists are always extensive and utterly brilliant. I never envy the judging panel their task. While I simply cannot (and wouldn't want to) place the entire lists on my blog, I'll give you some of my personal highlights and put the links below, so you can check it out yourself. I'd love to have your comments, so feel free...
2016 CILIP Carnegie Medal long list...just a selection:
David Almond for A Song for Ella Grey. This contemporary reworking of the Orpheus myth is simply magnificent. Raw, emotional, funny and very realistic...
Sita Brahmachari for Red Leaves. An exquisitely crafted story of Aisha, a 13 year old refugee caught up in the foster care system in London and 12 year old Zak, coping as best he can with his parents divorce. The two meet and join forces due to the intercession of Elder, a strange homeless woman.
Cathy Cassidy for Looking Glass Girl. Inspired by Cathy's favourite childhood book, Alice in Wonderland; this Alice is dealing with the throes of peer pressure, popularity, friendship and love. When a (bullying) prank ends in disaster, Alice ends up unconscious in hospital with some amazingly revealing dreams.
Moira Fowley-Doyle for The Accident Season.  Every October, it happens. Bones break, fires burn...foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident prone. The accident season becomes an increasing obsession and fear. But how do they break free? And what is the truth behind it? Intriguing, surprising, sharp and incisive; this is an incredible read.
Frances Hardinge for The Lie Tree. Atmospheric (proper creepy!) Victorian melodrama loaded with mystery and monsters of various natures. When Faith's strict, upright father is found dead in mysterious circumstances, she refuses to believe it was suicide. Her investigations lead her to a shocking discovery. Gripping, fantastical tale that evokes the great horror stories of the past.
Patrick Ness for The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Brilliant....just brilliant. (Please see my endless other comments on this blog.) Patrick Ness is a genius...this book is pure genius.
Toby Ibbotson for Mountwood School for Ghosts. The Great Hagges have decided that todays ghosts are decidedly lacking in their fright factor. Opening the Mountwood School for Ghosts should bring them back to proper haunting skills and status ghosts once held in society. But, before the ghosts are prepared in proper fright skills, they are called upon to help a town at threat by so truly evil developers. Fantastic story-telling from the son of one of the best of all time.
Jenny Valentine for Fire Colour One. A brilliant novel about love, family, deception, redemption and friendship...Valentine ticks all the boxes with this one. Iris' estranged father Ernest is dying. Her manipulative mother, has hatched a scheme to get her hands on Ernest's priceless art collection using Iris as a pawn in her game. But there are things Ernest wants Iris to know before he dies.
There are so many more on the list that I could go on about for hours. But here's the link for youto see yourself. What are your favourites?
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/press.php?release=pres_2016_nom_ann_carn.html 

The Kate Greenaway Medal recognises excellent in illustration for childrens books. I'm going to give you a brief list of some of my highlights, but do check them out yourselves. All of them are stunning. The choice here will be really tough.
Beatrice Alemagna for  The Marvellous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty
Benji Davies for Grandad's Island
Bob Graham for How the Sun Got To Coco's House
Emily Gravett and A.F. Harrold for The Imaginary (also nominated for the Cilip Carnegie Medal 
Kate Hindley and Claire Freedman for Oliver & Patch
Emily Hughes for The Little Gardener
Lucy Letherland and Rachel Williams for The Atlas of Adventures
Chris Riddell for Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death (also nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal)
Sydney Smith and Jon Arno Lawson for Footpath Flowers
And the link: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/pressdesk/press.php?release=pres_2016_nom_ann_green.html

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