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‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ wins Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2019

In the UK, Onjali Q Raúf’s novel The Boy at the Back of the Class (Orion Children’s Books) has won the £5000 (A$9230) Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, reports the Bookseller.

Raúf’s novel was also the winner of the younger fiction category. Other category winners, who each receive £2000 (A$3690), are Children Of Blood And Bone (Tomi Adeyemi, Macmillan Children’s Books) in the older fiction category and The Girls (Lauren Ace & Jenny Løvlie, Little Tiger) in the illustrated category.

Waterstones children’s buyer Florentyna Martin said: ‘In this future classic, Raúf has distilled what it means to be a genuine and positive person into a story that sparkles with kindness, humour and curiosity. Her characters step out of the book with a warm smile, fully-formed as role models for everyday life, ready to take you on an ambitious adventure which is both fun and exceptionally gripping.’

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

 

Category: Awards International news Junior