The Orange Prize Youth Panel’s shortlist:
A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore (1996 winner)
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels (1997 winner)
When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant (2000 winner)
Small Island by Andrea Levy (2004 winner)
On Beauty by Zadie Smith (2006 winner)
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie (2007 winner)
The youth panel members are Hazel Compton (18), Kate Edwards (17), Fergus Ewbank (18), Pooja Gohil (17), Conrad Landin (17), Kirsty Woodford (17).
The panel have been sharing their judging experience on Spinebreakers.co.uk, the site for book loving teenagers. The youth panel is supported by Research In Motion® who provided each panel member with a smartphone to help them discuss the books via text, email and BlackBerry® Messenger outside of the judging meetings.
Kate Mosse, co-founder of the Orange Prize, facilitated the judging meeting and commented: “Our first youth panel last year was so successful that we wanted to repeat the experience. Engaging with younger readers is essential, especially for the book trade to thrive and prosper in the future, so asking teenage readers to assess all of our winners seemed a terrific way to think about how novels live on after the first flush of publication.
“The panel members were engaging, enthusiastic, interested in the quality of writing, the subject matter and how well the author delivers what she set out to do. It was fascinating listening to their deliberations and it's a wonderfully inclusive, representative shortlist. Now, it will be intriguing to see if their 'Best of the Orange Best' is the same as the 'Best of the Best' chosen by previous jury chairs, who in 2005 voted for Andrea Levy’s Small Island as part of our 10th birthday celebrations.”
The panel in their own words:
Hazel Compton (18) on A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore
"The imagery in A Spell of Winter is fantastic with a totally unreserved strength of metaphors and deep entanglement. I have never read a book that put me so thoroughly with the characters."
Fergus Ewbank (18), Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
“A magnificent book which lays bare the difficulty of reconciling love and loss. The poetry of its language is like a flirtatious lure that reels you in. I never wanted it to end”
Conrad Landin (17), When I Lived in Modern Times by Linda Grant
“When I Lived in Modern Times beautifully captures the now-lost idealism of the foundation of Israel, while painfully foreshadowing the state in the present day and frequently prompting the reader to question and think deeper about the issues it raises.”
Kirsty Woodford (17), Small Island by Andrea Levy
“A truly moving novel, using a combination of honest characters and brilliant language to spin an unforgettable tale. The original take on controversial issues, written with depth, has created an outstanding novel.”
Kate Edwards (17), On Beauty by Zadie Smith
“On Beauty is one of my favourites, with its witty, sharp dialogue and perfectly flawed characters creating an engaging and often hilarious tale of two very different families.”
Pooja Gohil (17), Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
“I found myself drawn into Half of a Yellow Sun and developed a keen interest in the Biafran war, unknown to many of us today. Beautifully written and conveying a huge depth of emotion, it is definitely a must read.”
Waterstone's will also be asking the public to vote for their favourite Orange Prize winner from the past 14 years at waterstones.com/orange. The vote is open from 7th - 21st May and everyone who votes will be entered into a prize draw.
The Orange Prize for Fiction was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote international fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible and is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman. Any woman writing in English – whatever her nationality, country of residence, age or subject matter – is eligible.
Previous winners are Marilynne Robinson for Home (2009), Rose Tremain for The Road Home (2008), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun (2007), Zadie Smith for On Beauty (2006), Lionel Shriver for We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005), Andrea Levy for Small Island (2004), Valerie Martin for Property (2003), Ann Patchett for Bel Canto (2002), Kate Grenville for The Idea of Perfection (2001), Linda Grant for When I Lived in Modern Times (2000), Suzanne Berne for A Crime in the Neighbourhood (1999), Carol Shields for Larry’s Party (1998), Anne Michaels for Fugitive Pieces (1997), and Helen Dunmore for A Spell of Winter (1996).
www.orangeprize.co.uk
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