De Goldi Wins Children’s Book of the Year

News Release

Strictly embargoed until 8.30pm Wednesday 20 May 2009

Click to enlarge
Kate De Goldi's winning book The 10PM Question.

De Goldi Wins Children’s Book of the Year, No Question About It

Kate De Goldi has won the country’s highest accolade in children’s and young adult writing; tonight she took the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award for her novel, The 10PM Question.

The delightful tale of Frankie Parsons and his somewhat eccentric family and friends enchanted the judging panel, just as it captured the hearts of readers throughout the country, who have kept it on the bestseller lists for months.

New Zealand Post Book Awards judges’ convenor, Bill Nagelkerke says The 10PM Question has a rare quality.

‘De Goldi’s winning book invites you to become part of another family, to spend some quality time with its members, become engrossed in the family dynamics to the point that, when it’s time to leave, we very reluctantly shut the door on these new friends because we don’t wish to part from them, because this family has now become our family, too.

‘The judges predict, with reasonable confidence, that The 10PM Question will become an enduring classic. One could say in fact there was little to question about our choice of the 2009 New Zealand Post Book of the Year winner.’

Click to enlarge
Kate De Goldi

The 10PM Question also took the Young Adult Fiction category prize at a gala ceremony held in the Auckland Museum this evening.

The judging panel which also included career-bookseller, Jenni Keestra and children’s writer and reviewer, Rosemary Tisdall, said they thoroughly relished the opportunity to read nearly everything that was published for New Zealand children and young adults in 2008.

‘We applaud the authors, illustrators and their publishers for continuing to strive for stories that stimulate, excite, take risks, inspire and, ultimately, become part of the fabric of a reader’s memory. The importance of an early engagement with books, stories and reading, cannot be underestimated.

‘We recognise stalwart veterans of the art and craft of writing and illustrating and celebrate the emergence of new voices whose words and images will ensure that writing for children and young adults in this country remains in fine shape for the foreseeable future.’

The category winners and the honour award recipient in the 2009 New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are:

Picture Book
Roadworks written by Sally Sutton and illustrated by Brian Lovelock. (Walker Books).

Honour Award
Piggity-Wiggity Jiggity Jig written by Diana Neild and illustrated by Philip Webb. (Scholastic New Zealand).

Non-fiction
Back & Beyond: New Zealand Painting for the Young & Curious by Gregory O’Brien (Auckland University Press).

Junior Fiction
Old Drumble by Jack Lasenby. (HarperCollins Publishers).

Best First Book Award
Violence 101 by Denis Wright. (Penguin Group New Zealand).

Young Adult Fiction and New Zealand Post Book of the Year
_The 10PM Question by Kate De Goldi. (Longacre Press).

Children’s Choice Award
The Were-Nana written by Melinda Szymanik and illustrated by Sarah Nelisiwe Anderson (Scholastic New Zealand).

The winner of each category was awarded with $7,500. The winner of the New Zealand Post Book of the Year Award took home an extra $7,500. The winner of the Best First Book and the Children’s Choice Award received prize money of $2,000 each.

An honour award was presented in the picture book category this year. This award is discretionary and is awarded in recognition of particular features in a book. The honour award recipient received a monetary award of $500.

New Zealand Post has been a steadfast sponsor of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults since 1997. Its partnership has seen the awards flourish, growing from strength to strength over the last decade. New Zealand Post’s support of these awards reflects their deep commitment to promoting literacy and literature throughout the country. Working closely with Booksellers New Zealand, New Zealand Post and other dedicated segments of the community actively encourage New Zealand children to read and enjoy books. For those with limited access to new works, New Zealand Post also purchases and distributes books by the New Zealand Post Book Awards finalists to support the Books in Homes programme each year.

The New Zealand Post Book Awards for children and young adults are also supported by Creative New Zealand and Book Tokens (NZ) Ltd and are administered by Booksellers New Zealand Inc.

ENDS

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