In case you missed the news… Sarah Hagger-Holt was the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Award, for her middle-grade novel PROUD OF ME, published by Usborne.
Proud of Me is a coming-of-age narrative in which siblings Josh and Becky, who are parented by two mums, start to explore their family’s and their own identities.
The award organisers said: “Middle grade readers are at that exact age where they are often experiencing first attractions, crushes and desires. So this is the moment where we need to validate and ‘normalise’ their feelings. In the case of young LGBTQ+ people this need is pressing and urgent. Sarah’s novel is such an important and glowing presence in this space and we hope it will help grow even more fabulous LGBTQ+ MG fiction”.
The winner was announced by Judge Jim MacSweeney from Gay’s the Word bookshop, at a ceremony in July, held at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in London.
Former winners including Jane Porter and Zanib Mian were there, and shortlisted authors and illustrators took part in a panel chaired by Darren Chetty, disucssing writing radical fiction for kids and the books that inspired them.
See the photos below! Credit to Lily Slaymaker, our photographer for the evening.
The Little Rebels Children’s Book Award 