YA BOOK PRIZE: The Shortlist 2016

Hello readers! Today I am very excited to be writing this post- the shortlist for the YA Book Prize 2016 was finally announced at 2pm today, and although I was in a seminar, I seriously couldn't wait to find out what books were on the shortlist this year. Twitter exploded with news of the shortlisted authors, and I was so happy when I saw the list. SO MANY AMAZING AND WONDERFUL BOOKS AND AUTHORS people! 

If you don't know what the YA Book Prize is, it is the first book prize in the UK and Ireland to specifically focus on fiction for young adults, open to young adult novels published between 1st January and 31st December 2015. The prize celebrates great books for teenagers and young adults, which is awesome obviously, and shows just how prominent the YA book industry has become in recent years.  To be eligible, a book can be written in any genre – romance, realism, dystopia or fantasy. The only requirement is that the author must have been resident in the UK or Ireland six months prior to publication.

Authors Catherine Johnson, Sarah Crossan, Frances Hardinge, Holly Bourne, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, William Sutcliffe, Patrick Ness, Louise O’Neill and Jenny Downham are all in the running for the £2,000 prize, which will be awarded at a ceremony at Hay Festival on 2nd June 2016. 

The ten books on the shortlist for this year’s prize are:

 Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne (Usborne)

 One by Sarah Crossan (Bloomsbury Children's)

 Unbecoming by Jenny Downham (David Fickling Books)

 The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Macmillan Children’s Books)

 The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo by Catherine Johnson (Corgi/Penguin Random 
House Children’s)

 The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness (Walker Books)

 Asking for It by Louise O’Neill (Quercus)

 The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury (Scholastic)

 Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe (Bloomsbury Children’s)


 The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (David Fickling Books)

Charlotte Eyre, Children's Editor at The Bookseller, says: ‘We have a fantastic line-up of diverse YA books on the shortlist this year, from contemporary fiction to historical novels, showcasing the brilliance of the YA fiction market at the moment. I'm also thrilled that so many wonderful judges have agreed to help judge the prize. I can't wait to see which book they pick as a final winner.’

Check out my interview with Charlotte Eyre from last year here!



 (the gifs sum up my feels)



Isn't that the most incredible shortlist you have ever seen? Do you have any favourites you're rooting for? Let me know in the comments! Keep an eye out for a lot more posts about the YA Book Prize as the weeks go on. 

Check out the YA Book Prize here: http://www.thebookseller.com/ya-book-prize/

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2016/mar/10/ya-book-prize-2016-shortlist-in-pictures

Until next time :)