It was 2.58pm when I stepped down onto the platform at King’s Cross, feeling extremely excited about the fact that I was attending the Waterstones children’s book prize award ceremony later that evening. It was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it just seemed incredible that I had been chosen to attend. Equally incredible was the thought that, in just a few hours, I might be meeting all of the 18 shortlisted authors.
In the three hours before the event started at Waterstones Piccadilly at 6.30pm, I ate, tweeted, responded to messages, set up my camera, reviewed the questions I had prepared on the train earlier for the author interviews I would later be conducting. Finding Waterstones wasn’t difficult at all. The six-story bookstore, which also operates as the head office for the entire company, lies only a minute or two along Piccadilly itself. The biggest bookshop in Europe, it surely is an impressive building, and I took a few moments to admire it before entering.
I decided to browse until the event started. The children’s section on the second floor, which I immediately went to see, had been closed off in preparation for the evening ahead. This caused some customers to be understandably upset, however, helpful booksellers were never far away to fetch any particular books that were requested. After browsing on the other floors instead, at 6.25pm I made my way back to the children’s section. Before I even reached it, I could instantly tell that the atmosphere had changed; from the other side of the huge black curtain which had been put up to give the event some privacy, there now came a collective murmuring and chatter as the guests began to mingle and converse.
I had been put on the ‘press’ guest list rather than the regular guest list, which was a bit strange, but equally it made me feel important and proud of what I was there to do. At first glance, the event space looked just like how I knew the children’s section of a Waterstones to look; rows upon rows of books on shelves, posters and pictures everywhere, and cuddly Moomins, Gruffalos and other fictional animals littered about. Then, looking around again, I noticed the stage and screens set up on the left-hand side, the bar area to the right with various drinks in glasses carefully arranged on it, the origami crane birds hanging artistically from the ceiling, and finally the cardboard printouts of the nominated books, which were also hanging from the ceiling. Perhaps not your typical children’s section after all.
Hosting the event were Melissa Cox, the head of children’s book buying for Waterstones, and James Daunt, Waterstones’ managing director. Introducing authors and revealing the winners of the individual categories, they were splendid and entertaining hosts for the entire evening. In the first instance, however, after calling for our attention and a hush had fallen, they introduced last year’s winner of the overall children’s book prize to give the introductory speech: Katherine Rundell, whose book Rooftoppers won her the prize in 2014. She spoke of how amazing and wonderful the award had been to receive and wished all of the nominees the best of luck, making everyone in the room laugh in the process. A large round of applause, therefore, was the only suitable response when she had finished speaking.
Following Katherine’s speech, a video was played across the two screens which had been placed on either side of the stage. This video showed all of the nominated authors and their books in a very artistic and cute animation.
Each book and author was cheered for, whistled at and applauded, making the whole event very positive and atmospheric to be a part of.
As the winner of each category was announced (Rob Biddulph with Blown Away for best illustrated book, Robin Stevens with Murder Most Unladylike for best younger fiction, and Sally Green with Half Bad for best teen book), speeches were given, tears shed, and trophies and golden envelopes handed over. It vaguely reminded me of my school’s awards assemblies, but with better prizes and genuine shock. I clapped as best I could while also taking photographs. [Read our story about the winners!]
Malorie Blackman was then introduced by James Daunt, and as silence fell, she launched into a very comical and inspiring speech as an introduction to the overall award.
Afterwards, she was handed the final golden envelope with the name of the overall winner inside. She opened it with a flourish and announced Rob Biddulph’s Blown Away as the children’s book prize champion for 2015, making this year only the second time (the first time being in 2012) that a picture book has won the overall award. Following this announcement, Rob was once again invited onto the stage to speak, receiving his second, larger trophy in the process. Looking shocked and very pleased, he said a few words before awkwardly attempting to shuffle like a penguin back out of the spotlight again, taking both his awards and envelopes with him.
James Daunt gave the final closing speech for the evening then I left the main space and went into a quieter one, where I set up my recording equipment for my short interviews with the winning authors. Rob Biddulph came first (still grinning and clutching his trophy), then Sally Green (also clutching her trophy), and finally Robin Stevens (not clutching a trophy). In each interview I asked a few questions – about the authors’ books, the award as a concept, writing in general. Watch the interviews below!
