‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’ win Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2017

In the UK, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s debut novel The Girl of Ink and Stars (Chicken House) has won the £5000 (A$8160) Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, reports the Bookseller.

Hargrave’s novel was also the winner of the Younger Fiction category. Other category winners, who each receive £2000 (A$3260), were There’s a Tiger in the Garden (Lizzy Stewart, Frances Lincoln) for best Illustrated Book and Orangeboy (Patrice Lawrence, Hodder) for  best Older Fiction.

Waterstones children’s buyer Florentyna Martin said The Girl of Ink and Stars ‘is an absolute joy to read’. ‘It is always exciting when we see this level of outstanding talent in a new writer and Kiran has crafted a mesmerising world full of myths, magic and adventure that evokes an atmosphere akin to Pullman’s His Dark Materials,’ said Martin. ‘Our booksellers have assuredly chosen a writer who delivers the whole package: a beautifully written and hugely imaginative story with a strong and loveable protagonist and a page-turning plot.’

The Waterstones Children’s Book Prize is voted for by Waterstones booksellers, with the winning books promoted across the retail chain’s stores.

Category: International news Junior