The shortlist for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration features a range of illustrative and artistic styles. The illustrations in this book are mesmerising. There is so much to explore with young readers from the images alone. So many stories can be told! The images also provide a sense of hope and calm. Centre for Literacy in Primary Education and the English and Media Centre have created expert teaching resources for the shortlisted books. Ruta Sepetys was born and raised in Michigan, USA to parents of Lithuanian origin. Her passion for global connectivity has led to her presenting to NATO, the European Parliament, the US Capitol and embassies worldwide. She is the author of 2016 Carnegie Medal and Waterstones Prize-winner Salt to the Sea. She specialises in stories with the power of the most gripping thrillers, which also expose lesser-known stories in 20th-century history. Her novel The Fountains of Silence was on the 2021 Carnegie shortlist. She is published in 60 countries and is a tireless traveller and speaker in support of her books. Ruta lives in Tennessee, USA with her husband.

The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration, established in 1955, is awarded annually to a children’s book illustrator whose artwork creates an outstanding reading experience.

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In 2023, the judging panel includes 12 volunteer judges from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group. Find out more about this year’s judges here. Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Calibre Audio are producing the Yoto Carnegie shortlisted books in accessible formats (compatibility permitting), including braille, giant print and audio books. On the writing shortlist, Burton – best known for adult novels including The Miniaturist – is shortlisted for Medusa, a retelling of the story of Medusa from mythology, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. Hepzibah Anderson in the Observer said the book’s prose is “ pulsing with irresistible, rhythmic energy”. When Nyla has to leave her home in the countryside to start life again in the city, all she can think about is everything she misses from before. So when a comet comes crashing through the city streets and starts to glow and grow, Nyla can’t resist a chance to head somewhere that feels closer to what she had before … but what starts as an escape could be just the thing to make her finally feel at home. The Comet is a celebration of imagination, make believe play, and the relationship between parent and child all combined with the near universal theme of moving house, and dealing with a new environment and experience. Finch’s The Eternal Return of Clara Hart follows a boy who keeps experiencing the same 24 hours again and again after seeing a classmate die in what looks like a tragic accident at a house party. It is the only debut in the running for the writing medal. Russell Williams said it was a “ careful, thoughtful, compulsively readable examination of toxic masculinity and normalised sexual abuse”.

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear illustrated by Jeet Zdung, written by Trang Nguyen (Kingfisher) Thanks to the young readers far and wide who have engaged with our shortlists and voted for their own deserving Shadowers’ Choice Medal recipients. Huge congratulations to all four of our Yoto Carnegie medal winners for this year, who demonstrate the best of children’s writing and illustration in its myriad of forms.” Steffan Ros’s The Blue Book of Nebo was originally published in Welsh, and is set in a dystopian version of Wales where 21st century technology has disappeared, and people must survive learning new skills and returning to old ways of living. Russell Williams said it was a “ tender, tragic post-apocalyptic story, told with great simplicity and power”. The Comet illustrated and written by Joe Todd-Stanton, a nominee for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023 Photograph: Flying Eye Books First News is the UK’s number one children’s newspaper, with a readership of over 2.6 million, including 7,500 subscribing schools.Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and overseas get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process. They read, discuss and review the books on the shortlists, get involved in reading related activities in groups, and vote for their favourite books to win The Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medals for Writing and Illustration. The Worlds We Leave Behind illustrated by Levi Pinfold, written by A. F. Harrold (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) I Must Betray You by Sepetys, who won the writing prize in 2017 for Salt to the Sea, is based on the real events of the Romanian revolution of 1989 and is about a teenager who has grown up in a repressive dictatorship. Fiona Noble in the Observer said it was a “ tense, thought-provoking thriller”. This beautiful picture book won the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration and will provide a gateway for children into the world of Joe Todd-Stanton. It tells the story of Nyla who is dealing with the confusion of moving house, an experience many children will be able to relate to, and provides a context for discussing themes of belonging, change and finding comfort. Children will enjoy discovering the magical detail within each of the charming illustrations and will develop empathy as they join Nyla on her journey of acceptance. Links and themes: Each year thousands of reading groups in schools and libraries in the UK and around the world get involved in the Awards, with children and young people ‘shadowing’ the judging process, debating and choosing their own winners. They have voted for their favourites from this year’s shortlist and have chosen I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetysfor the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Writing, and The Comet by Joe Todd-Stanton for the Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration.

Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12...From an incredibly strong shortlist, our panel of librarian judges have debated long and hard to choose our two worthy winners of the Yoto Carnegie Medals 2023. Now available worldwide, Yoto has won awards and accolades from critics, parents and children alike. TIME Magazine even named it one of the Best Inventions of 2020 and Yoto Mini won a prestigious D&AD Pencil in 2022. I used to see the word Carnegie on the covers of my favourite books as a child, and the fact that The Blue Book of Nebo now has that honour bestowed upon it means more than I can say – and to be the first book in translation to win the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing is a source of great delight. One of the greatest privileges of my life has been the fact that I was raised through the medium of the Welsh language, and having access to two languages has brought me so much joy and opportunity. There’s a huge, lively, thriving Welsh language cultural scene that I’m honoured to be a part of. Each language offers a unique and enriching perspective on the world, and so literature in translation has the potential to enhance our lives greatly. Your favourite book might not yet be translated into a language that you understand.” In the story, we see the main character, a young girl called Nyla, leaving her home in the countryside behind to start life again in the city, because her dad needs to find a new job. The Comet, written and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton, is a beautiful, magical and heartfelt picturebook that’s based on the creator’s own experiences and touches on the memories of moving house, what makes a ‘home’, and finding it in new surroundings.

In this stunning picturebook, Joe Todd-Stanton unravels the experience of big change through the eyes of a child. The journey begins with Nyla, her dad, the cat Fig and their home. An idyllic home full of stories and mementos, magic and beauty. YLG has 12 regional committees covering all of the UK, and each committee advertises and democratically recruits a judge to represent them on the panel of judges. Each judge serves a two-year term and each year the panel is a unique mix of new and experienced judges led by the Chair of Judges. Following the independent diversity review of the Awards, CILIP introduced a co-opting procedure so that if this recruitment process does not result in a sufficiently diverse and representative judging panel, up to two judges will be co-opted to join the panel. Manon Steffan Ros was born in Snowdonia and worked as an actress and musician before becoming a full-time writer. Manon has written over 23 books for adults and children in the Welsh language and has won the Wales Book of the Year for her adult fiction as well as being four-times winner of the Tir na n’Og Wales Children’s Book Awards. She has also won Eisteddfod and National Theatre Wales awards for her script writing. She lives in Tywyn in north Wales with her children. Lawrence is shortlisted for Needle, which explores the criminal justice system for young people through the story of Charlene, a knitter who stabs her foster mum’s son when he destroys her latest creation. Imogen Russell Williams in the Guardian said it was a “ profoundly poignant YA story”.Sepetys previously won the Carnegie Medal for Writing in 2017 for Salt to the Sea and was shortlisted in 2021 for The Fountains of Silence. I Must Betray You, a YA novel set during the Romanian Revolution, was called “compelling”, “captivating” and “a must-read” by shadower Grace from The Abbey Readers, and Giselle from HAEC Books and Biscuits Carnegie Shadowers group described it as a “powerful and moving historical fiction novel. . . The author explores the themes of freedom, betrayal, and hope in a way that is both thought-provoking and relevant to our own lives.” Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear is the incredible true story of the promise a young schoolgirl made to a brown moon bear in a small town in Vietnam. Follow Chang through tropical Asian rainforests and unpredictable jungles as she fights to become a conservationist. But these dangerous landscapes are only part of her troubles, disproving critics who say that a young girl can’t be a conservationist proves to be an even bigger challenge. Told as a graphic novel with breathtaking art from Jeet Zdung and STEM facts galore, Chang’s daring story is an accessible and fearless adventure that will inspire any animal-loving, intrepid explorer. This tale about friendship and the strength and resilience of one young girl teaches us that letting go is never easy, and sometimes the biggest challenges in life are the most special. CILIP is a registered charity, no. 313014. The Youth Libraries Group (YLG) is a special interest group of CILIP who work to preserve and influence the provision of quality literature and library services for children and young people, both in public libraries and school library services.