2023 Awards
We are pleased to be able to confirm our winners!
The winners for the 2023 Dudley Children’s Book Awards have now been confirmed!
Short & Sweet Category
The Storm and the Minotaur
Money is scarce in George’s family and so at the age of nine he has to join his father underground, hewing coal in the local mine. It’s far from the dreams George had of continuing his education, and it’s also a dangerous way to earn a living that has already claimed the life of his dad’s older brother.
Not long after he starts work, a summer storm leads to flooding in the mine. Trapped down in the dark, George spots a shadowy figure that seems to be telling George to follow him.
Children’s Category
Bella Bright and the Ghost Game
Eleven-year-old Bella Bright has just moved into Darkling House in Castleton. On her first day at her new school, she is spotted by a pair of manipulative mean girls, Skylar and Regan. They push her into inviting them to a Halloween sleepover. Another much friendlier girl, Lex, comes to Bella’s rescue and offers to join the sleepover to support Bella, who is delighted to be making a real friend.
On Halloween night, things start getting spooky for the four girls, when the huge front door appears to shut itself, and their mobile phones lose signal.
Teen Category
Crossing the Line
Erik’s life has been falling apart ever since his dad died. Homework and being good at school stop feeling important when you’re the new man of the house. When Erik’s bad behaviour attracts the wrong crowd, he’s sucked into a terrifying new world of drug dealing, trap houses and violence.
Making money feels good but Erik soon learns that a small favour can become a huge debt.
And when his sisters’ lives are threatened, Erik will have to cross one more line to save them.