On Thursday morning 28^th April 2022, Theatre Severn was packed to the rafters with children, teachers and authors all together at long last in a joyful, fizzing, buzzing celebration. 

It can’t be ignored that No Country by Joe Brady and Patrice Aggs, published by David Fickling Books, made a big impact on young readers across Shropshire and as such the children who responded so vigorously to this timely and deeply thought provoking story should be congratulated.

It is clear the children have been and continue to be touched by crisis situations raging in areas of conflict across the world such as Ukraine and this book has offered them a channel to express their understanding of this.  Their empathy shown has been championed and showcased throughout the Shropshire Bookfest Big Book Award 2022 project – a child-led reading development project to find the book published in the last two years that Shropshire pupils aged 9-11years LOVE the most.

Children commented on this book via the Shropshire Bookfest website as:

“This book makes you think about the importance of the little things in life and it opens up a whole new perspective on conflict and the idea of government. BEST BOOK EVER!!!  Helena – Prestfelde School

it’s like Ukraine so we can support the book (really well done).  Henry Bell, Longnor CE Primary School

No Country is an incredible story full of heart stopping moments. I was dragged into it and I could not stop reading it. Arabella Windsor – Packwood Haugh School

So on Thursday morning 28^th April 2022, Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury was packed to the rafters with children, teachers and shortlisted authors all together at long last in a joyful, fizzing, buzzing celebration to mark the end of the Big Book Award 2022 project.  As so many schools and children took part in the project, it was impossible to fit them all into the theatre, so the event was live-screened to all 42 primary schools across the county ensuring that every one of the nearly 2000 children taking part could join in the celebrations.

Since January 2022, 6 inspirational children’s books have helped sweep away the anxieties brought about by Covid to introduce contemporary literary landscapes to classrooms for children to immerse themselves in and allow their creative minds to run free.

“I just wanted to share with you what a huge success Bookfest is at our school. The children have never read so avidly, and there is so much book talk happening – it’s incredible. We have reluctant readers who are engaged, focused and getting such satisfaction from reading the books.”  Deputy Headteacher – Bicton CE Primary School

Nearly 2,000 pupils and teachers watched the Awards Ceremony unfold either in Theatre Severn or in their school halls via a live-stream and to celebrate the creative pieces of work produced by pupils inspired by this superb shortlist, chosen by and for children:

                The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook, published by Nosy Crow

                Harklights by Tim Tilley, published by Usborne Books

                Twitch by M. G. Leonard, published by Walker Books

                No Country by Joe Brady, illustrated by Patrice Aggs, published by David Fickling Books

                SkyWake Invasion by Jamie Russell, published by Walker Books

                The Small Things by Lisa Thompson, published by Barrington Stoke

The Awards Ceremony at Theatre Severn was a culmination of this unique reading development project delivered into Shropshire Primary schools by Shropshire Bookfest in the Spring term this year.   The shortlisted authors spoke about the inspiration behind their work, answered questions put to them by the pupils and were clearly moved by the sheer passion and enthusiasm for reading that the project had ignited within all the pupils. 

The Awards Ceremony also featured unique dramatic pieces on each of the books by actor, Mari Izzard.  Mari was also part of the Pentabus Theatre team who designed and produced online workshops for schools to access during the project in the Spring term which resulted in some highly creative and original dramatic winning entries for the Creative Response Competition.

During the reading and reviewing stage of the Book Award project in the Spring term nearly 2,000 pupils from 42 primary schools across the country had immersed themselves in the six shortlisted books.  They read, reviewed, commented on and expressed their opinions via three competitions.  At the Awards Ceremony, prizes were awarded to the winning entries of:

The Letter Writing Competition where children had composed letters to a character in a chosen shortlisted book offering them some advice at a key point in the plot.  All runners up and the winner received prizes: 

Nathaniel Hale – Lilleshall Primary School, Rosie Cashmore – Rushbury CE Primary School, Grace Fellows – St John’s Catholic Primary School Bridgnorth, Georgia Davison – Shrewsbury High Prep School and Edie Bell from Prestfelde School

Overall winner of the Letter Writing Competition was Erin Hogan from St Winefride’s School.  Erin and the audience had the privilege of hearing and watching Tim Tilley, author of Harklights read out the winning letter on stage in the theatre, where some stern and no nonsense advice is given to one of the key characters in the story.

With the expertise and support from Pentabus Theatre, The Creative Response Competition allowed children to unleash their imaginations, technological know-how and interpretation of the shortlisted books.  Pentabus Theatre Company had shared the innermost secrets of professional dramatic artists by way of bespoke workshops for schools on the Big Book Award 2022 project.  These workshops inspired children to produce either a soliloquy, a dialogue, a radio play short, a film trailer, or a three minute whistle stop narrative short trailer film of any of the books on the shortlist.  Elle While – Artistic Director of Pentabus Theatre – presented the prizes where the runners up in this category were:

Castlefields Primary School Bridgnorth, Packwood Haugh School and Cheswardine Nursery & Primary School.

The overall winner of this competition was from Longden CE Primary school with their cleverly planned and beautifully acted film for The Small Things.

Following the Art CPD sessions offered by Shropshire Bookfest for all the teachers from schools on the Book Award 2022 project in February The Art Competition attracted hundreds of entries, which challenged the judges drawn from the Arts Society and the Shropshire Museums Service.  Superstar illustrator of the Horrible Histories series and patron of Shropshire Bookfest, Martin Brown awarded the prizes on stage during the Awards Ceremony in Theatre Severn:

First prize was awarded to Emily Wootton from Castlefields Primary School Bridgnorth;  second to Indigo Exham from Longden CE Primary School; third prize to Erin Jones from St Winefride’s School and and fourth prize went to Libby Dury-Scott from Lilleshall Primary School.

Exceptional primary schools…

During this showcase Awards Ceremony event at Theatre Severn, it was fitting that the spotlight was turned on three very exceptional primary schools in Shropshire.  Hinstock Primary School, Mount Pleasant Primary School and Packwood Haugh School were officially recognised as ambassador schools for Leading in Reading.  These schools had been identified by Shropshire Bookfest and had been assessed by Bookfest and the University Centre Shrewsbury against a list of criteria, including evidence of strategies such as promoting reading for pleasure as central to the school’s policy and reading, celebration and advocacy involving all groups in the wider school community and providing ideas for promoting reading integrated into the school CPD programme.  Award winning children’s author and patron of Shropshire Bookfest, Piers Torday presented the Leading in Reading accreditation awards to Hinstock Primary School, Mount Pleasant Primary School and Packwood Haugh School.

The Awards Ceremony on Thursday reached a crescendo of excitement and exploded, literally with streamers and flashing lights, into cheers and screams as finally ‘No Country’ by Joe Brady and Patrice Aggs was revealed as having secured the most votes from all the pupils in what was described by the organisers as an outright winner.

Even parents noticed the effect that this impactful reading for pleasure project has had on their children with one parent, Gemma Kennelly commenting on Twitter:

 “My son Bailey from @HarlescottJrSch has read 3 of the books – his favourite so far is “No Country” Bookfest has really inspired him to read novels that he might not always choose for himself! He has enjoyed sharing his reading experience with his class-mates”

The Big Book Award project has once again inspired a new generation of book lovers, generating a greater confidence in their reading and critical abilities. 

Sophie Peach, Chair of Shropshire Bookfest said:

“Book Award is the flagship event for Shropshire Bookfest.  During the Covid lockdowns, the Big Book Award 2020 award ceremony had to be entirely shifted to online with everyone watching alone, separated from classmates and teachers.  Today, being able to come together at long last Theatre Severn to see the pleasure the children experience having their own creative work recognised and giving them the opportunity to meet the shortlist authors marks the end of a very special project and of course the celebration of a very special book No Country and we look forward to the next Book Award project in 2024!”

BACKGROUND TO THE BOOK AWARD PROJECT:

Split into two age groups (Big Book Award for 9-11 year olds and Picture Book Award for 5-7 year olds) the Book Award 2022 project is currently reaching the highest number of primary schools and children ever before since it began in 2010.  Teachers across the county hold this project in high regard because of its positive impact on improving the reading ability and engagement of their pupils.

The shortlist for Big Book Award 2022 was chosen by pupils from 12 primary schools who were tasked with selecting the book(s) from a longlist of 70 that they thought their peers across Shropshire would enjoy reading.  Six books were chosen by these pupils for the shortlist for Shropshire Bookfest’s sixth Book Award project.  Each book has inspired in the pupils involved in the project high emotion, a greater understanding of what makes a good story and an appreciation of a world far beyond the everyday.  Since January, the pupils have been reading the six shortlisted titles. They voted for their favourite title at the end of March.  Hundreds of reviews of the books have been posted on the Shropshire Bookfest website, demonstrating the passion and engagement that have been ignited in the children reading the shortlist. 

BIG BOOK AWARD 2022 – KEY FACTS:

How many schools? 42 primary schools across Shropshire signed up to take part in Big Book Award 2022.

How many pupils? Nearly 2000 pupils, aged between 9 and 11 years were involved.

How many books? Just over 1,300 copies of the six shortlisted books were distributed to all participating primary schools.

When?  Children read, reviewed and commented on the shortlisted books, responded to them in creative outputs and voted for their favourite.

How? Shropshire Bookfest’s team secured funding from schools, charitable trusts and foundations.

The project was delivered by way of close partnerships with every school involved and the  dedicated team of experts and volunteers who form the Steering Group at Shropshire Bookfest.