I am so proud of the students in our first shadowing group who have been working really hard to read as many of the shortlisted books as possible, despite not being in school to have access to them. So far the group have completed 25 books between them.  I have been sourcing ebook copies where possible and posting books to students – I’ve even borrowed a set from one of my local schools and sent those out to our eager readers. The lady in the post office now knows me well and is impressed by the number of books our students want!

Special congratulations to Benigna Bernotaite, who has completed three of the eight books and has two more ready and waiting. 

Normally the event would be reaching its conclusion next week when the official Carnegie Medal winner is announced – this will be judged by a panel of librarians.  However, ‘The Shadowers’ Choice’, which is where our votes count, has been postponed until the Autumn to give groups time to meet and discuss the books in person. So, just for fun, our group of readers have voted on the books they’ve read so far and we have a very close call between Patron Saints of Nothing (9.7 out of 10), Lark (9.5) and Nowhere on Earth close on their heels with 9.3!  Of course, this could all change by the Autumn when we’ve had time to read more of the selection. 

Meanwhile, we eagerly await the official announcement on 17th June to see if our readers agree (so far) with the judging panel on which book provides the most outstanding reading experience for young people.