Debut author Margaret McDonald added the Branford Boase to her impressive list of awards at a thoroughly enjoyable ceremony held at the Centre for Literacy for Primary Education earlier this week. McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu are winners of the 2025 Branford Boase Award for outstanding debut novel for young people with Glasgow Boys, a moving, beautifully written coming-of-age novel exploring the power of identity, community and masculinity. This brings to three the number of awards Glasgow Boys has received (it also won the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the UKLA Award) but the Branford Boase Award is unique in honouring editor as well as author.
The Branford Boase Award was set up in 2000 to commemorate prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase. As this year’s winners, McDonald, Swan and Badu join a list that has shaped children’s literature over the last quarter century. Winning and shortlisted authors include Frances Hardinge, Kevin Brooks, Meg Rosoff, Patrick Ness and Maisie Chan, and winning editors include David Fickling, Fiona Kennedy, Barry Cunningham and Bella Pearson.
Nathaniel Lessore Winner of Branford Boase Award 2024 Photo: Anne Thompson
Nathanael Lessore, winner of this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Award and the 2025 Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal, was awarded the 2024 Branford Boase Award for Steady For This. Lessore was a judge this year and says, “The Branford Boase Award is special. Celebrating the relationship with editors and writers, and focusing on debuts, it’s such an accomplishment to be shortlisted. It celebrates the collaborative aspects of literature, while directing a spotlight onto stories from authors we haven’t heard from. I was one of those authors, and I’m eternally grateful for the shortlisting and the win. It was the first time I felt I could be proud to be a writer. And I got to share that with my editors.”
In her excellent speech at the award ceremony Julia Eccleshare, chair of the judges, stressed the importance of today’s books being written for today’s young people, not for the children and young people of her, and my, generation. Nathanial Lessore’s entertaining speech which brought laughter to the room also highlighted the strength of this year’s shortlist and drew attention to the fact that diversity is about much more than race and colour but includes religion, class and much more. All children should be able to see themselves in the books they read. In the light of recent research regarding reading for pleasure and the importance of own choice in reading material it is vital that the stories and characters are relatable for current readers. The Branford Boase Award shortlist in its diversity and range should be a source of hope for those whose role is to bring books and young readers together.
That a book should win both an award for debut novels and the Carnegie in the same year and for the role of the editors to be recognised by the Branford Boase Award is important. This is recognised by the winning author, Margaret McDonald who said,
“Glasgow Boys is a piece of my soul and to have it recognised in this way is unbelievably special, but also to have my incredible editors Alice and Ama recognised for the magnificent work they did, taking such care of Banjo and Finlay, is more than half of the joy.”
Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu Winners of the Branford Boase Award 2025 Photo: Anne Thompson
This year’s Branford Boase Award Ceremony was the type of celebration that engenders enthusiasm and positivity and there was a warmth and sense of hope in the room. Thank you to everyone at CLPE for their friendly welcome and a special thank you to Andrea Reece for organising the event with aplomb.
The Branford Boase Award was set up in 2000 to commemorate prize-winning author Henrietta Branford and her editor Wendy Boase. As this year’s winners, McDonald, Swan and Badu join a list that has shaped children’s literature over the last quarter century. Winning and shortlisted authors include Frances Hardinge, Kevin Brooks, Meg Rosoff, Patrick Ness and Maisie Chan, and winning editors include David Fickling, Fiona Kennedy, Barry Cunningham and Bella Pearson.
Nathaniel Lessore Winner of Branford Boase Award 2024 Photo: Anne Thompson
Nathanael Lessore, winner of this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Award and the 2025 Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal, was awarded the 2024 Branford Boase Award for Steady For This. Lessore was a judge this year and says, “The Branford Boase Award is special. Celebrating the relationship with editors and writers, and focusing on debuts, it’s such an accomplishment to be shortlisted. It celebrates the collaborative aspects of literature, while directing a spotlight onto stories from authors we haven’t heard from. I was one of those authors, and I’m eternally grateful for the shortlisting and the win. It was the first time I felt I could be proud to be a writer. And I got to share that with my editors.”
In her excellent speech at the award ceremony Julia Eccleshare, chair of the judges, stressed the importance of today’s books being written for today’s young people, not for the children and young people of her, and my, generation. Nathanial Lessore’s entertaining speech which brought laughter to the room also highlighted the strength of this year’s shortlist and drew attention to the fact that diversity is about much more than race and colour but includes religion, class and much more. All children should be able to see themselves in the books they read. In the light of recent research regarding reading for pleasure and the importance of own choice in reading material it is vital that the stories and characters are relatable for current readers. The Branford Boase Award shortlist in its diversity and range should be a source of hope for those whose role is to bring books and young readers together.
That a book should win both an award for debut novels and the Carnegie in the same year and for the role of the editors to be recognised by the Branford Boase Award is important. This is recognised by the winning author, Margaret McDonald who said,
“Glasgow Boys is a piece of my soul and to have it recognised in this way is unbelievably special, but also to have my incredible editors Alice and Ama recognised for the magnificent work they did, taking such care of Banjo and Finlay, is more than half of the joy.”
Margaret McDonald and her editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu Winners of the Branford Boase Award 2025 Photo: Anne Thompson
This year’s Branford Boase Award Ceremony was the type of celebration that engenders enthusiasm and positivity and there was a warmth and sense of hope in the room. Thank you to everyone at CLPE for their friendly welcome and a special thank you to Andrea Reece for organising the event with aplomb.