German children’s book awards announced

The winners of Germany’s leading prize for children’s books, the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, were announced last night in Frankfurt by the German Association of Youth Literature. They include two Germans, and Australian, a Flemish writer, a Norwegian and an American.

The category prizes, worth 8000 euros each (divided between author and illustrator where a translation is involved), were given as follows:

• Picture Book
  Konigin Gisela (’Queen Gisela’) by Nikolaus Heidelbach (Beltz & Gelberg)
• Younger readers
  Schwester (’Sister’) by Norway’s Jon Fosse & German Aljoscha Blau (Bajazzo Verlag)
• Adolescent readers
  Wir retten Leben sagt mein Vater (’We save lives, my daddy says’) by Flemish Writer Do van Ranst (Carlsen Verlag)
• Nonfiction
  Mutter hat Krebs (’Mum’s Cancer’) by American Brian Fies (Knesebeck Verlag)
• Youth Jury Prize
  Der Joker (’The Messenger’) by Australia’s Markus Zusak (cbj)
• Lifetime Achievement Award
  Kirsten Boie

The awards were a great filip for Wir retten Leben sagt mein Vater, due to be made into a film called Supernova by Holland’s Revolver Films next year. Revolver Films owner Raymond van der Kaay told me that the tale of a family living in the middle of nowhere expectantly waiting for a car to run into their house was  ’a very rich story that will appeal to a wide audience.’ He is hoping that the award will increase the likelihood of a co-production with a German film company.

Posted in Book Fair