16 books have been shortlisted in total, with eight in each category for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and Carnegie Medal for Illustration; whittled down from the 36 longlisted titles by the expert judging panel which includes 12 librarians from CILIP: the library and information association’s Youth Libraries Group. Click here to read more about the fantastic books that have been chosen.
- Picture books prevail on the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist, which includes previous winner Catherine Rayner and three-time shortlisted illustrator Poonam Mistry.
- Poetry dominates the shortlist for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing with three novels written in verse – two by former shortlistees, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, and one debut, Tia Fisher – alongside a poetry collection by prolific children’s writer Nicola Davies.
- The shortlists include a further two debuts; Nathanael Lessore for the Medal for Writing, and Chloe Savage for the Medal for Illustration.
- Independent Welsh publisher and British Book Award Small Press of the Year finalist Graffeg have a shortlisted title in each category.
- Journeys, literal and metaphorical, are a common theme across both lists, with books encouraging empathy and hope and promoting an understanding of historical and contemporary global issues, including the environment.
The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing shortlist is (alphabetical by author surname):
- The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)
- The Song Walker by Zillah Bethell (Usborne)
- Away with Words by Sophie Cameron (Little Tiger)
- The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner
(Otter-Barry Books)
- Choose Love by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Petr Horáček (Graffeg)
- Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher (Bonnier Books UK)
- Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)
- Steady for This by Nathanael Lessore (Bonnier Books UK)
The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):
- The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker (Walker Books)
- April’s Garden by Catalina Echeverri, written by Isla McGuckin (Graffeg)
- Lost by Mariajo Ilustrajo (Quarto)
- The Wilderness by Steve McCarthy (Walker Books)
- To the Other Side by Erika Meza (Hachette Children’s Group)
- The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry (Bonnier Books UK)
- The Bowerbird by Catherine Rayner, written by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan Children’s Books)
- The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfishby Chloe Savage (Walker Books)
Maura Farrelly, Chair of Judges for The Yoto Carnegies 2024, said:
“The judges have worked incredibly hard to select 16 outstanding books; books that celebrate the very best of writing and illustration for children and young people. These are books to empower young readers, and for some will provide validation and refuge; stories of courage, of characters striving to find themselves and their place in the world, often in difficult or dangerous situations. The books shortlisted for the writing medal exemplify immersive and compelling writing with the power to inspire and move readers across a range of forms. The illustration shortlist is entirely comprised of picture books, with a strong theme of the environment, underlining the way picture books can speak to all ages, and showing how nature and illustrated books can heal and empower. We are excited to share these lists with shadowing groups and young readers, and very much look forward to reading their reviews and discovering their winners, alongside our own, at the announcement in June.”
