UK publishing commerce journal The Bookseller introduced titles in the operating for Book of the Year at the 2023 British Book Awards on Friday and two comics have made shortlist – Alice Oseman’s The Heartstopper Yearbook and Jamie Smart’s Bunny Vs Monkey: Rise of the Maniacal Badger.
The Bookseller’s commentary on every of the shortlisted comics:
The Heartstopper Yearbook, written and illustrated by Alice Oseman (Hodder Children’s Books)
“Last year was the year of Heartstopper, with the Netflix adaptation of Alice Oseman’s YA graphic novel series reinvigorating the genre and filling Hodder Children’s coffers. The Heartstopper Yearbook was the first in the collection to be published in full colour, giving fans a new entry into the much-loved universe with exclusive new content.”
Bunny Vs Monkey: Rise of the Maniacal Badger, written and illustrated by Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books):
“The fifth book in Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey series was a turning point. David Fickling Books championed the series’ uniqueness as a much-loved collection, securing a 94% increase in first-week sales on Smart’s last outing. He ended the year as the 28th-bestselling author in the TCM [total consumer market], having risen from 96th place.”
The British Book Awards contains twelve Book of the Year classes – together with two for fiction and nonfiction audiobooks. There is presently no separate class for comics or graphic novels. Bunny Vs Monkey and The Heartstopper Yearbook have positioned in the Book of the Year 2023 – Children’s Illustrated class.
The winners of the British Book Awards 2023 might be declared at a ceremony on May 15 – to be held at Grosvenor House, London, and by way of livestream.
According to their web site, the British Book Awards (that are additionally known as ‘The Nibbies’) “is a celebration of books: it affirms, connects and energises the world of reading by showcasing those who create stories and everyone who plays a role in bringing those stories to life.” The awards have gone by means of many incarnations with a lineage tracing again to 1990.
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