Joseph Coelho, who has become an advocate for libraries during his reign as Children’s Laureate, has won the Yoto Carnegie medal for writing. The awards, which celebrate achievement in children’s writing and illustration, are judged by a panel of librarians. Coelho won for his novel The Boy Lost In The Maze, which blends Greek mythology with the modern-day quest of a teenage boy in search of his biological father.
The Boy Lost In The Maze by Joseph Coelho (Yoto Carnegie/PA) Coelho, who lives in Kent, said he felt “completely honoured” that it was librarians who deemed his book “worthy of a Carnegie medal”. “The Boy Lost In The Maze is a novel that means a great deal to me and so to have it recognised by the UK’s, if not the world’s, most prestigious award for children’s literature feels particularly special,” Coelho said. “During my tenure as laureate I have had the pleasure of joining a library in every local authority in the UK, meeting librarians and patrons of libraries on buses, in converted flats and in gorgeous Carnegie buildings.
“The one thing that has been consistent between all libraries has been the passion, skill and creativity of the librarians. “Through their essential work they are tackling social isolation, providing access to essential services and of course creating the readers of the future.” Maura Farrelly, chairwoman of the judging panel, described his work as an “extraordinary novel told through poems about two boys searc.
