J
ames Dawson has beaten John Green to be crowned the first ever male Queen of Teen. Dawson was announced as the winner of the award at a ceremony on Friday 11th July 2014 surrounded by fans, invited journalists and five out of nine of the other shortlisted authors: Cathy Cassidy, Beth Reekles, Natasha Farrant, Holly Smale, Cassandra Clare, S.C. Ransom, Tonya Hurley, Veronica Roth and John Green.
James is the author of Cruel Summer, shortlisted for the Sheffield Children's Book Award 2014 Young Adult category.
The Queen of Teen was launched in 2008 to celebrate the ever-growing range of fiction available for young adults and acknowledge the hugely significant part that fiction can play in the teenage years. Readers are invited to nominate authors for the award and it is their votes that choose the winner.
The changing shape of the shortlists over the years – each one nominated entirely by teens – accurately reflects the trends and developments in the genre of teen fiction. From the hilarious books of the first-winner, Louise Rennison, through the more issues-focused stories of Cathy Cassidy to the darker tales of Maureen Johnson and James Dawson.
Author of Hollow Pike and Say Her Name, James rallied his loyal fans and followers with a vigorous social media campaign and an ‘endorsement’ from Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst. Queen of Teen voters were impressed with his sensitive and entertaining handling of subjects such as challenges affecting the LGBT community.
As one voter commented: ‘There are lots of gay characters in his books. But the books aren't about being gay; they're gay because they're gay and a huge fuss isn't made about it, which is fantastic.’
James said, on being crowned Queen of Teen, ‘I am not the best-selling author on the list. I’m not the most famous. I’m not the most talented. So all I can really do is promise to work twice as hard to be a really good queen. I hope I can take this award and do something with it, and use the platform to shine a light on UKYA.’
For further information on Queen of Teen and how to take part in the voting for next year’s award visit www.queenofteen.co.uk
The 5th Wave - Overall winner of the Red House Children's Book Award 2014
Rick Yancy
Rick is a native Floridian and a graduate of Roosevelt
University in Chicago. He earned a B.A. in English which he put to use as a
field officer for the Internal Revenue Service. Inspired and encouraged by his
wife, he decided his degree might also be useful in writing books and in 2004
he began writing full-time.
Since then he has launched two critically acclaimed series: The Extraordinary
Adventures of Alfred Kropp, for young readers, and The Highly Effective
Detective, for adults. Both books are set in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Rick
lived for ten years before returning to Florida.
o
The Infinite sea
The 1st wave took out half a million people, the 2nd put that number to shame. Rick Yancey's frightening dystopia is now anticipating its 5th hit and no one knows what to expect. Cassie has lost everything, her parents are dead, her little brother has been captured, to be alive in her world is to be alone. She runs from Them on a daily basis as they kill anyone they find scattered across Earth's desolate countryside. Then she meets Evan. Is he her only hope to rescue her brother and save herself? In this gripping young adult epic, shortlisted for the Red House Children's Book Award 2014, The Hunger Games meets I Am Number Four to create the ultimate page-turner. Action-packed, intense and just waiting to be made into a blockbuster movie!
Please be advised that some of the content in this book contains mild profanities and themes that are not suitable for younger children.
Here's a lovely quote from a recent interview between Suyiya and Pen Heaven
"Are you looking forward to the Sheffield Children’s Book Awards? How do you feel about the other shortlisted authors?"
I’m really looking forward to the Book Awards and feel very honoured to be on the shortlist with some great authors.
Thanks Sufiya! You can find out more about Sufiya Ahmed and Secrets of the Henna Girl by visiting her blog: sufiyaahmed.blogspot.co.uk.
The full interview with lots of information about Sifiya's inspiration for Secrets of the Henna Girl can be found here;
penheaven.co.uk/blog/interview-sufiya-ahmed/
