The Carnegie Book Challenge has been running for years at The Abbey. It offers young bookworms the opportunity to enjoy new literature.

In my first year at The Abbey, this was a delightful experience, and I got to read some wonderful books! I relished reading new books and offering excellent reviews for other keen readers.

It works by releasing a list of books onto a website for us to read and review. A set of judges also read these books and choose an overall winner. The winner of this year’s Yoto Carnegie challenge was The Boy in the Maze by Joseph Coelho. It was described as, ‘powerful, playful, and poignant in equal parts.’  

Despite this, one of my favourites was Saffiyah’s War. The story had a series of intriguing plots and climaxes that had me on the edge of my seat! I also found it very interesting that the author, Hiba Noor Khan, included many hidden and dismissed facts. 

I also enjoyed the Song Walker by Zillah Bethell. I felt like I was going on a journey myself as I experienced what the character was going through by following the flow of words littering the pages. This competition was a great opportunity for me to read some wonderful books and give positive reviews on them.  I hope that many of you will choose to participate in this challenge as it is a great opportunity for us to enjoy some outstanding writing.

by Janani, Upper III