The UKLA Book Award, sponsored by MLS is a national award conferred by education professionals and it is held in high esteem by teachers, who regard the shortlist as a reliable indicator of the best books of the year for inclusion in class and school collections.
Criteria
The award is given every year for books in which the language is powerful. Language can be used in many ways when telling a story, giving information or even when adding meaning to picture books. Sometimes it is the effect of the use of language which remains with us well after we have read the story or book. This award seeks specifically to honour those writers whose use of language engages the young reader in just such a way.Language can be funny, expressive, descriptive, serious, explanatory, stark, telegraphic, observational but most of all it should be powerful. It must have an effect on the child reader and be memorable in some way because of the way it is used.The current award seeks to recognise the use of language in a fiction, non-fiction or picture book from those books nominated by some key publishers in children’s books.
