ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST AND WINNER OF THE LITTLE REBELS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

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The Alliance of Radical Booksellers (ARB) has announced that the winners of this year’s Little Rebels Children’s Book Award are Andrea Beaty and David Roberts for their book, Ada Twist, Scientist (Abrams & Chronicle Books). Now in its fifth year, the Little Rebels Award recognises children’s fiction which promotes social justice or social equality, challenges stereotypes or is informed by anti-discriminatory concerns.

Ada Twist is the story of a young girl with boundless curiosity who can’t stop asking ‘Why?’ Her quest for answers and her many scientific experiments occasionally lead her in to trouble. It’s second time lucky for Beaty and Roberts, who were shortlisted for the award in 2014 with Rosie Revere, Engineer.

Little Rebels judge Catherine Johnson said of the winning book: ‘This is a story where words and pictures work brilliantly together. Its subject matter shouldn't be radical but sadly given the nature of the world (of books and in general) it meets all the criteria for this award.’ Catherine Barter, co-manager of Housmans Bookshop which coordinated the award this year, added: ‘Ada Marie Twist is a true little rebel and, like the pioneering scientists she is named after (Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace), a fantastic feminist role model. We’re delighted that this book has won the award.’

The award was presented at the London Radical Bookfair, held at Goldsmiths University, on Saturday 24th June. Susan Van Metre, editor-in-chief of children’s book imprints at Abrams in New York, collected the award on behalf of Beaty and Roberts. Van Metre read a statement from the authors in which they heralded the power of stories to help children make sense of the ‘confusing and worrying times’ we live in and said: ‘We must help [children] become critical thinkers and doers. Encourage them to read, question, and think about everything so they will be ready to tackle the work ahead of them. We must offer them hope and comfort and understanding.’

The judges were Catherine Johnson, children’s books consultant Wendy Cooling and B.J. Epstein, senior lecturer in literature and public engagement at the University of East Anglia.

Also shortlisted for the award were Kiran Milwood Hargrave, with The Girl of Ink and Stars (Chicken House), G. R. Gemin with Sweet Pizza (Nosy Crow), Emily Gravett with Tidy (Macmillan/Two Hoots), Richard O’Neill, Katharine Quarmby and Hannah Tolson with Ossiri and the Bala Mengro (Child’s Play), and Bethan Woollvin with Little Red (Macmillan/Two Hoots).