UK children's laureate Frank Cottrell Boyce is to be chair of judges for the inaugural Children's Booker Prize

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In The Irish Times tomorrow, Anne Enright talks to me about her career as Attention: Writing on Life, Art and the world, a collection of her nonfiction, is published. David Gillick tells Laura Slattery about his book, The Race: The inside track on the ruthless world of elite athletics. And there is a Q&A with Elizabeth Day about her new book, One of Us, her Irish childhood and successful podcast series.

Reviews are Katy Hayward on For and Against a United Ireland by Fintan O’Toole and Sam McBride; Sinead O’Shea on A Mind of My Own by Kathy Burke; Pat Carty on Truly by Lionel Richie; Claire Hennessy on the best new YA; Micheál Martin on From Crown to Harp by David McCullagh; Ruby Eastwood on Flashlight by Susan Choi; Mei Chin on We Love You Bunny by Mona Awad; Kevin Gildea on Jesus Christ Kinski by Ben Myers; Naomi O’Leary on Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai; Andrew Lynch on Lithuania: A History by Richard Butterwick; Ian Hughes on The Nuclear Age by Serhii Plokhy; and Declan Burke on the best new science fiction.

This weekend’s Irish Times Eason offer is The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, just €5.99, a €6 saving.

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The Booker Prize Foundation has announced the Children’s Booker Prize supported by AKO Foundation, the first prize for children’s fiction from the charity that awards the prestigious Booker Prize and International Booker Prize.

The £50,000 prize will be launched next year and be awarded annually from 2027, and will celebrate the best contemporary fiction for children aged eight to 12 years old, written in or translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The aim of the prize is to engage and grow a new generation of readers by recognising and championing the best children’s fiction from writers around the world.

The UK’s Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce will be the inaugural chair of judges for 2027. The winner will be selected by a combined panel of child and adult judges. At least 30,000 copies of the shortlisted and winning books will be gifted to ensure more children can own and read the world’s best fiction.

Former Booker Prize and Carnegie Medal-winning author Penelope Lively will give the keynote speech at the Booker Prize 2025 ceremony to celebrate the new prize.