Bristol Teen Book Awards Celebrated at Clifton College

On the final day of last term, a selected group of students attended a special event at Clifton College to celebrate the Bristol Teen Book Awards. The award, organised by Bristol and South West Children's Librarians, featured five shortlisted books that tackled a range of important themes.

After weeks of reading and discussion, the school’s book club got to cast their vote for their top choice, with Finding Phoebe—a story told from the perspective of a girl with autism—and Desi Girl Speaking, which explores mental health within a cultural community, emerging as their favourites. However, the overall winner, determined by total student votes, was the dystopian novel Electric Life by Rachel Delahaye.

The event featured four of the shortlisted authors, including Finding Phoebe author Gavin Extence, who led an inspirational creative writing workshop for students. A Q&A session with the authors provided fascinating insights into their creative processes and inspirations. Attendees were also excited to learn that a sequel to the humorous futuristic novel Apocalypse Cow is in the works.

Here’s what some of our students had to say about the event: 

‘I loved the Bristol Book Event because the authors were very interactive and happy to talk to everyone. I loved the activities they set out, especially the author workshop, giving us a chance to learn how authors think.’ - Ella 

‘I found the event amazing, all the activities were great, and the authors were great too.’ - Lily 

‘The event was a really lovely experience. Getting to talk to the authors and take part in the activities was really fun, but the winner of the competition was a disappointment!’ - Isla 

We want to say a massive thank you to Clifton College for hosting the incredible event. The experience left students feeling inspired and eager to continue exploring the world of literature.

See details below of this fantastic short list of young adult books!