Late Paul O'Grady honoured at St Helens Schools Library Service book awards
The late Paul O'Grady was among the authors recognised as St Helens Schools Library Service held its annual reading for pleasure event.
Article date: 4 April 2023
Over the past few months, hundreds of young bookworms from 15 primary and four secondary schools across the borough have been hard at it, deciding on their favourite reads of the year as part of BASH (Book Awards St Helens).
BASH encourages children and young people to read the latest, modern and enticing fiction written specially for them before taking part in library workshops to agree on which book should be crowned number one from a short-list of nominations in their age category.
Celebration events, held at Chester Lane Library, saw winning titles announced by prominent children's authors, with Mayor of St Helens Borough, Sue Murphy, among those in attendance.
Award-winning author Guy Bass was on hand to announce Not That Pet! by Smriti Halls and illustrated by Roaslind Beardshaw, as well as Eddie Albert and the Amazing Animal Gang by Paul O'Grady and illustrated by Sue Hellard, which were given the thumbs up in the age 5+ and 9+ age categories respectively.
Special guest for the 11+ event was illustrator, animator and author Curtis Jobling who declared Julia and the Shark written by Kiran Millwood-Hargrave and illustrated by Tom de Freston as the winner of the 11+ category.
Congratulating pupils for their efforts this year, Councillor Anthony Burns, St Helens Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Communities and Culture, said:
"It's wonderful to see so many young people from the borough get involved in BASH to share their valued opinions on books produced by some of the country's most talented and much-loved authors and illustrators, not least the brilliant Paul O'Grady whose recent death has saddened the nation and this nomination before it was known is testimony to his popularity - even with the younger generation - and adds to his legacy.
"Reading is such a wonderful gift which has the ability to spark creativity and broaden learning and St Helens Library Service is committed through a number of initiatives like this to ensure young people have the opportunity to keep on reading."
All books featured on the BASH shortlists are available to borrow from your local library, with selected titles available online by visiting https://sthlibrarieswp.koha-ptfs.co.uk/book-awards-st-helens-bash/
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