// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did October say to October? Let's fall into conversation.
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Katya Balen |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Angela Harding |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Publication date | 30 September 2021 |
| Pages | 304 |
| Awards | Carnegie Medal for Writing |
| ISBN | 9781526601933 |
| Website | October, October at Blooomsbury |
October, October is a children's novel by British writer Katya Balen, published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in 2021. It won the 2022 Carnegie Medal.
Plot summary
[edit]October and her father live a off-grid life deep in the woods. They love the natural world and do not feel any need for other people. Then, after October's eleventh birthday, her father falls from a tree, her mother comes back into her life, and her world changes. She moves to the city and finds the adjustment difficult.
Reception
[edit]October, October was awarded the 2022 Carnegie Medal for Writing and also received the Carnegie Shadowers' Choice Award for Writing Winners, selected by children's reading groups.[1][2]
The United Kingdom Literacy Association's Book Award for children of 7–10+, chosen by teachers, was awarded to the novel in the same year.[3]
The novel was also highly commended for the 2022 Wainwright Prize for Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation.[4]
In a review for Books for Keeps, Jane Churchill says "This is a sensitive and beautiful story showing the importance of storytelling to enrich our lives. The writing is lyrical and evocative and relishes in both the smaller details and the more powerful forces of nature"; she also praises the illustrations.[5]
Further reading
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Medal for Writing Winners". The Carnegies. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
- ↑ "Shadowers' Choice Winners". The Carnegies. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
- ↑ "Past Winners" (PDF). UKLA. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
- ↑ Shaffi, Sarah (2022-09-07). "Wainwright nature writing prize goes to 'inspirational' Goshawk Summer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2026.
- ↑ "October, October". Books for Keeps. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
- ↑ Katya Balen. "2022 Yoto Carnegie Medal Winner Speech". The Carnegies. Retrieved 2026-09-12.
- ↑ Joy Court. "Saved by Stories: An Interview with 2022 Carnegie Medal Winner Katya Balen". Books for Keeps. Retrieved 4 September 2026.
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