The 2023 Yoto Carnegie winners

The winners of the 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing and Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration have been announced!

The Carnegie Medal for Writing is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. The Carnegie Medal for Illustration is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.


The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing has been awarded to Manon Steffan Ros for her young adult novel, The Blue Book of Nebo.

Dylan was six when The End came, back in 2018; when the electricity went off for good, and the ‘normal’ 21st century world he knew disappeared. Now he’s 14 and he and his mam have survived in their isolated hilltop house above the village of Nebo in north-west Wales, learning new skills, and returning to old ways of living. Despite their close understanding, the relationship between mother and son changes subtly as Dylan must take on adult responsibilities. And they each have their own secrets, which emerge as, in turn, they jot down their thoughts and memories in a found notebook – the Blue Book of Nebo.


The 2023 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration (formerly known as the Kate Greenaway Medal) has been awarded to Jeet Zdung for his graphic novel, Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear.

When endlessly curious Chang discovers a bear farm near her home in Vietnam, she decides to do everything she can to save wild animals – by becoming a conservationist! After teaching herself survival skills and learning all she can about the rainforest, Chang is finally accepted as a rescue centre volunteer. But her toughest challenge yet comes when she makes a vow to return Sorya - the sun bear she raised from infancy – back to the wild. Because despite being a different species, Sorya is Chang’s best friend. And letting a friend go is never easy, even when it’s the right thing to do.


The Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration has been awarded to Joe Todd-Stanton for his picture book, The Comet.

When Nyla has to leave her home in the countryside to start life again in the city, all she can think about is everything she misses from before. So when a comet comes crashing through the city streets and starts to glow and grow, Nyla can’t resist a chance to head somewhere that feels closer to what she had before . but what starts as an escape could be just the thing to make her finally feel at home.


The Yoto Carnegie Shadower's Choice Medal for Writing has been awarded to Ruta Sepetys for her young adult thriller, I Must Betray You.

Trapped by an evil dictatorship, will Cristian be forced to betray his family or will he risk everything he loves to resist?

Cristian has lived his entire life in the grip of a repressive dictatorship. The country is governed by fear. When the secret police blackmail him, Cristian has an impossible choice. Save the life of his sick grandfather by informing on his family, or risk his life - and all of theirs - by resisting? At 17, Cristian dreams of being free but doesn’t know where to turn. In this climate of constant suspicion, can he trust his best friend, his girlfriend or even his family?


Find out more about the awards here.

Cover image for The Blue Book of Nebo

The Blue Book of Nebo

Manon Steffan Ros

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