October, October: WINNER OF THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2022

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Yoto is an interactive audio platform for kids. Yoto offer a catalogue of stories, songs, activities and more to inspire creative play and learning without a screen. The carefully connected audio players – the Yoto Player and the Yoto Mini – put kids safely in control. No cameras. No microphones. No ads. David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. I've also just been introduced to the first two stunning children's books by Katya Balen, both published by Bloomsbury: The Space We're In and October, October. If you have a middle-grader, or know one, or are one ... treat yourself -- Daniel Hahn - Books of the Year, The Spectator I wanted October to have something to care for, and her relationship with the owl gently mirrors her own developing relationship with her mother. It also helps her understand what it is to be wild, what it is to belong, and when it's kindest to let go even though it hurts. I spoke to the Barn Owl Trust for some help with owl care and development, and also went to visit a local bird sanctuary to see some of their residents. They're such beautiful creatures.

Written in beautiful prose, it is a heartbreakingly tender story of growing up, childhood, finding your own space, learning to forgive and ultimately celebrating what it is in the human spirit that gives hope to us all - Dandelion October, October, illustrated by Angela Harding, is Balen’s second novel and is about an 11-year-old called October who must learn to spread her wings after a childhood spent living wild in the woods. I am so thrilled to have won the Yoto Carnegie Medal, not only because it’s the award every children’s writer dreams about, but because it is so committed to promoting reading and sharing stories. Sharing stories is something I believe to be one of the most important parts of our lives, simply because stories are our lives. They are threads that connect us all. They make us understand, they give us a shared experience, and they give us something special and private too. They give us wild freedom and they give us safety and comfort.

Shaffi, Sarah (16 June 2022). "Danica Novgorodoff wins Kate Greenaway medal for graphic novel Long Way Down". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 June 2023. a b "Balen, Novgorodoff win Carnegie, Greenaway medals". Books+Publishing. 20 June 2022. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022 . Retrieved 20 June 2022. October has a wonderful gift for spinning stories, and the run-on sentences that make up the book really capture the essence of her character; always moving, always interested, always looking. I admire her dedication to the woods and the charm it holds for her, though I have to admit it’s not a lifestyle I would personally choose! Still, Katya Balen describes them so vividly that they feel alive, and you can definitely see some of the appeal.

The Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in children’s writing and illustration respectively and aim to inspire and empower a new generation of readers. October prefers to live in the country rather than the city - what would be your choice? And how well would you cope with being self-sufficient like October and her dad in the woods? I think the knowledge that things aren't always perfect, and things don't always turn out how you expect, but that that's okay. You can find wonderful things in unexpected moments. I love owls - who doesn't?! The book begins with October finding a dead owl, and this is actually based on something that happened in real life. My father-in-law lives totally off-grid in his own woods, just like October and her dad. One day he found an owl that had sadly been blown out of a tree during a storm, and a story started in my mind. Readers learn a lot about owls, too, through October's story - why did you choose an owl to help October better understand some of the changes in her life?Both books “contain themes which help young readers build empathy, providing them with tools to create a better world,” she added. “They offer hope, comfort and enjoyment, and demonstrate the key role writing and illustration play in children’s development and wellbeing.” Morpurgo, Clare (Spring 2021). "October, October". The School Librarian. 69 (1): 46. ProQuest 2507263891 A ‘slightly surreal’ experience is how the Yoto Carnegie Medal winner, Katya Balen describes being told she had won both the coveted Medal and the accolade of also being the Shadowers’ Choice winner. She was in rural France with her mother and father when she received the news. It was boiling hot, and the reception was terrible, but as she was receiving the ‘best news of her life’ she had to step over the tiny corpse of a dead baby bird on the patio, which felt like a portent of doom and yet strangely appropriate for her book. Falling from a tree and a bird are indeed both significant features of October, October, which astonishingly is only Katya’s second novel.

She wanted me to go to school and spend my weekends with her far away, but then when would I ever be wild and free and climb trees and scavenge for treasure and tell stories by a fire? Bannerman, Lucy (22 April 2023). "The Thames and Tide Club by Katya Balen review — dive in to a magical underwater London". The Times . Retrieved 15 June 2023. I am honoured and humbled to receive the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal. Working on Long Way Down, interpreting Jason Reynolds’ beautiful text into images, was a dream project for me and its own reward, but I am thrilled to find that the graphic novel has resonated with readers as well. In 2022, the judging panel includes 14 volunteer judges from CILIP’s Youth Libraries Group. Find out more about this year’s judges hereBoyd, Carolyn (Summer 2022). "The Light in Everything". The School Librarian. 70 (2): 46. ProQuest 2681537096 KATYA: Oh, interesting question! Yes, actually, I do. October is kind of the mid-point between the two of them – she’s wild and thoughtful. I think she’d love to tumble head-first into the waves with Zofia, and I think she’d want to learn the secret, careful folds of origami with Tom. The theme of raising a wild bird is at the heart of Katya Balen's October, October ... Only it's about more than that: about the gap between life in the wild woods and in London, where October is saved by mudlarking, and friendship with a boy called Yusuf - Animal magic: children's books for Christmas, The Spectator

Eleven year old October – named for the month she was born in – lives in the forest with her dad. She refuses to see her mum who lives far away in London and, in October’s eyes, abandoned her and her dad. Yet October is happy with the way things are – she doesn’t go to school, preferring to live as wild as she can in the woods, learning about nature and doing things the old-fashioned way with Dad. Danica Novgorodoff’s illustrated edition of Jason Reynold’s 2019 Carnegie-shortlisted book, Long Way Down (Faber) wins the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal – the first graphic novel to win since Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas in 1973. It is her debut children’s book published in the UK and is an “innovative” adaptation of the original verse novel of gun violence and grief written by 2021 Yoto Carnegie Medal winner, Jason Reynolds ( Look Both Ways). The book features hundreds of “stunning” watercolours depicting the decision that 15-year-old Will must make when his brother is shot.

The world is not a simple place, and Balen draws a touching, spikey, sparky, dangerous, heartful portrait of a girl slowly learning that. - A.F. Harrold I would highly recommend this beautiful book not only for the heart tugging storyline but for the splendid descriptions of the woodland and the city. October's perspective of the city is alarming yet enthralling. With every new discovery of the modern world she makes, life seems to become more bearable. I find it breath taking how the descriptions can profoundly move you and how the comparison between wild and free run not only through the theme of the environment, but the main characters sense of belonging too.