2025

Southern Schools Book Award 2025 Presentation Evening

Friday February 28th 2025, 5.00 pm, Hurstpierpoint College

After weeks of preparation, the time had finally come to find out who had won this year’s Southern Schools Book Award. In the library, pupils gathered together to eat before the event. A gentle buzz of curiosity filled the room as the excitement mounted.

Then it was time to go in and, as music played, the New Bury filled with students. The audience went quiet as Chris Riddell began by sketching dragons, wonderful Italianate dragons, from a book he was working on. He then moved on to Donald Trump and students in the audience exclaimed “This is the best thing in the world”.

After a welcome by Mr Mott, 2024’s winner, Ravena Guron walked on to the stage. Last year’s ceremony was the first she had attended in person as well as the first award she won so she was very happy to be back. She spoke about how it was special to meet readers, especially as she was a massive book worm herself. Then she introduced the authors to the stage and the audience got to learn more about their books .

As the authors spoke, Chris Riddell drew. It was a beautiful pairing of speech and Chris’ gorgeous sketches.

Alexia Casale, sadly, could not attend as life and health don’t go to plan. She spoke about how she came to write the book and how proud she was of it. There was a gap in the market for a book that spoke about loss of mobility. She was told it was too personal, too close to her own life, but she wrote it anyway and with a bulldozer of a human being as her main character. The book was a success and one reviewer said that the book spoke to them because of their own condition, which was exactly what she wanted it to do.

Claire Furniss spoke about how she first had the idea for the book seven years ago and that completing the book was a struggle. She wrote the whole book out of order; it was hard to keep a secret for an entire book. She told the audience how it had changed form – it was initially a diary but she felt the reader needed to be closer to the main character. She looked into different authoritarian governments to make the book feel “real”, like it “could happen next year”: it was important that every story of refugees needs to start with ‘that could be me’. In the end, it is often the things you find hardest that you will be the most proud of, she admitted.

Nevin Holness’ book was a story that celebrated North London, where she comes from. Although it is not a fantastical setting, she infused the area with a rich magic through her writing. She found herself drawn to stories where magic exists where it shouldn’t. She admitted she was writing to please her family as well as using the storytelling as a way of unpacking grief. Her book, she said, was a love letter to that phase of her life. She advised budding writers to picture themselves telling the story to someone they knew.

Tess James-Mackey was also inspired by a real place for her book. She imagined her characters in this Welsh hamlet she knew as the Welsh mountains had always captured her imagination. During the day when the weather is nice, these places are lovely but when the weather turns and the sun goes down the contrast is disturbing, turning the postcard views into a creepy place that nobody would want to visit. With her writing she likes to take a group of characters, dump them somewhere and make them survive. She certainly put these characters to the test!

 S.J. Wills spoke of flipping normality, of taking your fear and using it. The idea for this book came to her during the Pandemic. This made her consider what ‘normal’ means, how this differs around the world and also how these definitions can change very quickly. The Pandemic was weird, but we all got used to it very quickly and things we hadn’t considered before became routine. It made her think that if we could get used to Covid, could we get used to werewolves? She also spoke about how reading horror books could be a positive experience. That the right amount of spookiness could help readers overcome their fears and become more resilient.

Then it was time for the questions. Alexia Casale was asked whether any parts of her main character were based on her. She answered that Ven came from her head but there were parts of her in the character. It was a happy medium between the two of them.

When asked about her inspiration for the theme of injustice Claire Furniss spoke about stories in her family history. When she read a story of fleeing the war in Syria she thought that it could just as easily be her.

Nevin Holness was asked if she wrote her book in the area of London she describes. She spoke about how her parents had a stall at Camden market  market and said that her locations were fictionalised versions of areas she is familiar with.  She wrote most of her book in her bedroom, coffee shops and libraries.

Tess James-Mackey was asked if there was anyone who encouraged her to write. She said that after she had a baby, she remembered a Year 8 English teacher who really positively responded to what she had written.

When asked if her book was based on something in the real world, SJ Wills talked about the claustrophobia of Lockdown and social media data gathering, but admitted that The Truman Show was an inspiration.

Then it was time to find out who had won.

Highly commended went to Tess James-Mackey for You wouldn’t catch me dead. She said it was “a really big deal and makes all the time hunched over a laptop worthwhile.”

As students drummed their feet, Clare Furniss was announced as the winner for The things we leave behind and the auditorium erupted into applause. She was not expecting to win and spoke about how much it meant to her as young people’s opinions really matter. She felt that people underestimate young people and what they want to read, thinking that some subjects are too dark or too serious, but books at their best build empathy.

Afterwards, everyone flocked to the booksellers, snapping up a copy by their favourite author. Queues of excited pupils waited patiently to have a moment with their favourite author and everyone else was able to have a J2O and a snack while they waited.

One librarian said “our youngsters are still buzzing with excitement about the authors they met and the books they have been inspired to read next.”

Twenty one years after its inception, this remains one of the most beloved reading awards for young people. Tess James-Mackey said she had the best time “such a fantastic event and I met so many brilliant bookish people”. Thank you, we loved it too, Tess, and look forward to next year.