Jean Little First-Novel Award
The Jean Little First-Novel Award is an annual Canadian literary award, administered by the Canadian Children's Book Centre, to recognize a Canadian author's first middle-grade novel.
Named in honour of the late Jean Little, the award was established by fellow children's authors and Little's friends, Sarah Ellis, Kit Pearson, and Maggie de Vries, who is also Little's niece.[1] The award carries a monetary prize of $5,000. Jean Little (1932–2020) was an award-winning Canadian writer of more than 50 books for young readers.[2]
The award is one of several presented by the Canadian Children's Book Centre each year; others include the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award.
Honourees
[edit]| Year | Author | Title | Publisher | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Tziporah Cohen | No Vacancy | Groundwood Books | Winner | [3] |
| Nadine Neema | Journal of a Travelling Girl | Wandering Fox | Finalist | [4] | |
| Alisa Siegel | My Name is Konisola | Second Story Press | |||
| 2022 | Leslie Gentile | Elvis, Me, and the Lemonade Stand Summer | DCB Young Readers | Winner | [5] |
| Rosena Fung | Living with Viola | Annick Press | Finalist | [6] | |
| Chad Lucas | Thanks a Lot, Universe | Amulet Books | |||
| 2023 | Kim Spencer | Weird Rules to Follow | Orca Book Publishers | Winner | [7] |
| Dee Hahn | The Grave Thief | Puffin Canada | Finalist | [8] | |
| Jane Baird Warren | How to Be a Goldfish | Scholastic Canada | |||
| Jade Armstrong | Scout Is Not a Band Kid | Orca Book Publishers | |||
| Sid Sharp | The Wolf Suit | Annick Press | |||
| 2024 | Tho Pham, Sandra MacTavish | The Cricket War | Kids Can Press | Winner | [9] |
| Alan Barillaro | Where the Water Takes Us | Candlewick Press | Finalist | [10] | |
| Joanna Cacao | The Secret of the Ravens | Clarion Books | |||
| Emi Pinto | Bee Bakshi and the Gingerbread Sisters | HarperCollins | |||
| A. T. Woodley, Mike Deas | The Boy Who Woke the Sun | Red Deer Press |
References
[edit]- ^ Deziel, Shanda (November 3, 2020). "Friends of Jean Little announce a new Canadian middle-grade novel award in her memory". Quill & Quire. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Children's author Jean Little dead at 88". CBC Books. April 7, 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Doegun, Inderjit (November 3, 2021). "Winners of the 2021 CCBC Book Awards revealed". Quill & Quire. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Doegun, Inderjit (September 14, 2021). "CCBC Book Awards announces 2021 shortlist". Quill & Quire. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Doegun, Inderjit (September 30, 2022). "Winners of the 2022 CCBC Book Awards revealed". Quill & Quire. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Doegun, Inderjit (September 8, 2022). "CCBC Book Awards announces 2022 shortlist". Quill & Quire. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Kim Spencer takes home three CCBC Awards - Quill and Quire". Quill and Quire. 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
- ^ "Canadian Children’s Book Centre 2023 awards shortlists announced". Quill & Quire, September 12, 2023.
- ^ "Jean E. Pendziwol and Jack Wong among winners for Canadian children's book awards". CBC Books, October 29, 2024.
- ^ Natalie Vilkoff, "Jack Wong, Sydney Smith and Liselle Sambury among finalists for top Canadian children's book awards". CBC Books, October 8, 2024.