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IBW 'Best of the Best' books announced
Titles by Edmund de Waal and R J Palacio have been named as the favourite of booksellers and their customers from the last decade.
The Hare With Amber Eyes by de Waal (Vintage) was named as booksellers' and readers' top title in the adult category, while Wonder by Palacio (Corgi Children’s) was the winner in the children’s category.
The Booksellers Association launched the ‘Best of The Best’ book campaign earlier this year as a one-off award to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Independent Bookshop Week (IBW) to find readers’ and retailers’ favourite books from the previous winners of the IBW Book Award since it launched in 2006.
On receiving his award, de Waal said: “To be amongst this gathering of writers is a huge honour and to win this prize is overwhelming. Independent bookshops are places of encounter and discovery. They are loyal to readers and to writers and I want to express my loyalty in turn to what they do and what they represent so beautifully.”
Palacio received her ‘Best of the Best’ IBW Book Award at the Children's Bookshop in Muswell Hill yesterday (11th October) at an event attended by pupils from Year 7 of Fortismere School, north London.
On receiving her award, she said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have won the Independent Bookshop Week ‘Best of the Best’ award. Wonder has been in great company over the last ten years with the other IBW children’s category winners. I am eternally grateful for the incredible support booksellers have shown me over the years, they took Wonder to their hearts and have been instrumental in sharing the story with readers all over the UK.”
Independent booksellers and their customers voted on the adult category via instore voting cards. A separate panel of junior judges comprising five children, chosen from national competition with National Book Tokens’ Caboodle, voted for the children’s category.
Meryl Halls, head of membership services at the BA, said: “IBW’s 10th anniversary seemed to be an ideal opportunity to celebrate and showcase once again all the wonderful books that have won the IBW Book Award over the past decade. The quality and range of titles that have won previous awards has always been outstanding and we have two lovely winners in Edmund de Waal and RJ Palacio - congratulations to both authors on behalf of us all here at the BA.”
