The Globe Theatre in London will host the Muslim Book Awards presentation on 22nd November. The following books have been shortlisted in the Published Children’s Book category:
The Friendship Matchmaker by Randa Abdel-Fattah (Omnibus Books, Scholastic)
Far From Home by Na’ima B Robert (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, Janetta Otter-Barry Books)
Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan (Groundwood)
A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master (Bloomsbury)
Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera (Puffin)
I would say the judges are going to have their work cut out… The great thing about these awards is that they also welcome submissions from unpublished writers, including children’s stories: you can see the shortlist for that and all the other categories here. Also, running tandem to these Awards, are the Young Muslim Writers Awards, which are announced in June each year – go here for this year’s event.
Rukhsana Khan is going to be coming over to the UK from Canada for the Announcement and she would love to visit a school at the same time. Rukhsana’s school visits range from presentations around her award-winning picture books for primary-aged children to “serious issues like teen suicide, loss and abandonment and child refugees. But even my more serious presentations are laced with humour and are age appropriate.” Her visit will also coincide with the UK’s National Anti-Bullying Week, another subject Rukhsana has touched on in her YA novel Dahling, If You Luv Me, Would You Please, Please Smile, and discussed in a Guest Post here at PaperTigers. You can find full details, including how to contact Rukhsana to invite her to your school, on her website.
