Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2018 Overall Winner:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Written in the turbulent wake of police violence in North America, The Hate U Give revolves around Starr Carter, a teenager whose life is split between the affluent school she attends and the much poorer suburb that is her home. Her best friend’s fatal shooting by a police officer abruptly brings those two worlds together, compelling Starr to defend her friend’s memory and force the media to understand the truth behind the tragedy. Wearing a serious message with wit, life and charm, The Hate U Give is an immediate 21st century classic: a book for all.
"The Hate U Give should have a readership far beyond a core audience of young adults. Ours is a children’s prize, but there is no upper age limit to being stunned by beautiful writing of this visceral power."
James Daunt, Waterstones Managing Director
Category Winners
Joining our Overall Winner, from our bookseller-chosen shortlist of 18, we’re also proud to present our category winners. Winning for Younger Fiction is the spellbinding Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend’s tale of a courageous young girl who must overcome a terrible magical curse. And our Illustrated Book winner is the breath-taking The Secret of Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton, where a strange, sea-born mystery reveals a moving message of care for our planet.
Older Fiction and Overall Winner
A truly ground-breaking work of fiction, destined to become a future classic, The Hate U Give is a gripping, fierce and unflinching novel of one girl’s struggle for justice. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, the story belongs to sixteen-year-old Starr, a young girl split between two worlds who finds herself the witness to a fatal tragedy. Powerful and unforgettable, her story exposes divisions of class, racial inequality and the misuse of power, opening up a fault line that lies at the very heart of modern America.
Older Fiction Shortlist
The place where new trends can be made and broken, attracting almost unprecedented writing talent: our Older Fiction shortlist celebrates fiction’s most exciting new reading.
Younger Fiction Winner
One of the most inventive fantasy novels for children of recent years, Nevermoor simply bursts with magic, intrigue and wonder. Its heroine Morrigan Crow is cursed to die on the eve of her eleventh birthday, but a mysterious visitor named Jupiter North has other ideas. Encompassing strange faraway lands, shadowy hunters, dangerous trials and an epic struggle to avoid the deadly hand of fate, Nevermoor is a thrilling adventure that launches a dazzling new world for readers to lose themselves within.
Younger Fiction Shortlist
Mysterious villages where everything is a little too perfect, to gods adrift on earth: our 2018 shortlist for Younger Fiction is the perfect library of new worlds, all set to be discovered.
Illustrated Book Winner
Erin is a born explorer who dreams of sailing far out to sea to find the secrets held within the distant deep. But her voyages are destined to take her deep into a mystery she never imagined, uncovering the secret that lies behind the long-feared legend of Black Rock. A beautifully evoked story that combines echoes of classic illustrated stories from Tintin and The Moomins to Japanese anime The Secret of Black Rock is both a whirlwind mythical adventure and a powerful reminder of the importance of treasuring and preserving our planet.
Illustrated Books Shortlist
Our Illustrated Books Shortlist celebrated this year where the reading adventure begins, stories of friendship, bravery and even irresistible cakes from a new wave of illustration superstars.
Previous Winners
Our winners on the night
PHOTOS: GREG CLEMENTS