Write a story
Love being creative with words and pictures? Why not...
Right now, children all over the country are previewing some brilliant new books that have been shortlisted for this year’s big awards.
The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Awards are for outstanding writing and illustration in books for children and young people. The standard is high: previous winners have included famous novelists such as C.S.
Lewis and Terry Pratchett.
By signing up to
“shadow” the judging process, you get to read the entries and argue which is the best. You post reviews online and vote for your favourite
(although you’re not part of the official judging of the awards), before the winners are announced on 19 June.
If you miss the shadowing scheme this year, ask a teacher to sign you up for next year. If you’d like to see what’s on this year’s shortlist you’ll find it at tinyurl.com/TWJ-bookshortlist. Would you like to have a go at writing and illustrating a story yourself? Stuck for a story idea? Just search for ideas in everyday life. Perhaps a place that you have visited could set the scene for a spooky tale, or a headline in The Week Junior could inspire you. Sketch the pictures that pop into your mind as you’re writing, to illustrate the story as you go along. If you enjoy creative writing or English lessons and want to take your writing a step further, look out for competitions. Most importantly, keep reading. Absorb yourself in books to feed your imagination. You’ll soon be producing
a masterpiece.