Bocas Children’s Book Prize Shortlist Announced

The 2023 Bocas Children’s Book Prize has shortlisted three Caribbean books for young readers.

The prize, valued at US$1,000 and sponsored by the Wainwright Family, aims to recognize exceptional books by Caribbean authors for children aged 7 to 12 and celebrate excellent English-language children’s literature.

On Sunday, November 19, 2023, the shortlistees were announced. Each of the three shortlisted books offers a unique literary experience for young readers. The debut novella by Zoanne Evans, an award-winning Barbadian writer with a PhD in English literature, titled Tameisha’s Adventure, is one of the shortlisted books.

Another is Anansi and the Fire Ants, by Garnet Lawrence, a Trinidad & Tobago playwright, poet, and screenwriter, which weaves socially relevant issues through an exciting adventure story.

The third book in the running is Save, Share, Spend: Basic Lessons in Managing Money, by Bahamian Hope McCardy and her daughters Adria Brooke and Kristi Lee, which uses engaging activities to teach financial literacy to young readers.

The 2023 Bocas Children’s Book Prize judging panel includes head judge Kevin Jared Hosein, an acclaimed novelist from Trinidad and Tobago, Desryn T. A. Collins, an Antigua-based Guyanese children’s author, and 11-year-old Josh Raphael Hansraj, winner of the 2020 and 2021 NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest Dragonzilla Short Story Writing Competitions and a Silver Award in the 2022 Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition.

The adjudication process is in keeping with the Prize’s tradition, which brings a youthful perspective to the panel. The winner of the Bocas Children’s Book Prize will be announced on December 10, 2023.