The shortlists

Are there too many lists? With something like a month between the Carnegie and Greenaway longlists and shortlists, it’s hard to keep up. Before them came the nominations lists.

Maybe not. I recall reading my first Tim Bowler, and taking the Carnegie medal on the front cover of River Boy as a guarantee I wouldn’t be wasting my time. It’s not just award winners who get a mention on their book covers. Many simply say nominated/shortlisted/etc for X award. It’s telling you this isn’t just any old book.

Perhaps this is the reasoning behind having three lists for the Carnegie Greenaway hopefuls. More book covers that could potentially be embellished with something awards related. Three lists are more than two.

The 2016 shortlists, which were announced last night, are still quite long. Eight books on each, of which I have read a total of four. 25%. It’s not for want of trying, but some books never materialise.

I’m sure the books on the lists are more than worthy, though I mourn some of the ones that didn’t survive the culls. Several of my best 2015 books were on the longlist.

It’s an honour to win, but I gather it also means a lot of hard work during the year until someone else wins and takes over the touring. Last year’s Carnegie medalist Tanya Landman seems to have been on the road, talking to young readers, virtually all the time since last summer.