Winner announcement of the Awesome Book Awards 2020

Cranleigh School is thrilled to offer their congratulations to children's author, Adam Baron, who has won the Awesome Book Awards 2020 for his novel, Boy Under Water. His Award was announced via a special online event.

"I am delighted and honoured to have won with such an amazing shortlist. These events mean so much to authors and I am always stunned at the effort that goes in from teachers, support staff, and of course all the children who read and review," said Adam Baron, who will visit Cranleigh on May 6th 2021 to present that year's winner with their award

Now in their fourth year, the Awesome Book Awards recognise the very best works of fiction for young readers between 7 and 10 – and what makes these awards extra special is that the winner is chosen by young readers who, over recent months, have been reading the shortlist and voting for their winner. 

To be eligible, the book has to be a debut novel and appeal to everyone in the listed age group. On the shortlist for 2020 were: The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson (published by Usborne), Boy Under Water by Adam Baron (published by HarperCollins Children’s Books), The Train to Impossible Places by P.G. Bell (published by Usborne), A Darkness of Dragons by S.A. Patrick (published by Usborne), and The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf (published by Orion Children’s Books).

Neil Brooks, Headmaster of Cranleigh Prep School which organises the Awards with Cranleigh School said: “The Awesome Book Awards are a fantastic way to encourage a love of reading and writing stories and we’re delighted to have thousands of children reading and voting for their favourites. Running the event virtually means that lots more schools can see it and hear the authors talk about their books and we'd love teachers to use the film as a home school activity.”

In previous years, the winner has been announced at a Gala Event. Although this year’s event cannot follow the format of previous years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the filmed event features author readings, special animations for each shortlisted book, and of course the announcement of the 2020 winner by Tamsin Winter — winner of the 2019 Awesome Book Award for her debut children’s novel, Being Miss Nobody.

If you are watching the event, make sure to tag us using the @CranleighABA handle on social media to let us know. Thanks for joining us and we hope that you enjoy the show! Photographs of the books and authors are available on request.