Pupils from Falkirk Council schools pick their winner in RED Book Awards 2023

It was a lively occasion at Grangemouth Town Hall, the venue for this year’s RED (Read, Enjoy, Debate) event, with hundreds of young people, teachers and librarians from the districts eight high schools celebrating the written word in a fun-filled ceremony. The majority were wearing red accessories to keep with the day’s theme.

This year's shortlist of books was selected by a panel of young people last September, with S2 pupils then encouraged to read the titles and vote for their favourite.

The books vying to pick up the coveted award this year were:

*The Younglings by Helena M Craggs

*Cardboard Cowboys by Brian Conaghan

*Last One to Die by Cynthia Murphy

*Needle by Patrice Lawrence

Setting the stage for a day filled with literary inspiration, Project Theatre treated the audience to a taster performance of Matilda which they were performing at the venue last week. Pupils from each high school then took to the stage to introduce the authors and showcase their digital interpretations of the shortlisted books.

A lively Q&A session with the authors followed, giving the young readers a chance to ask questions about the writing process and find out the authors’ favourite literary works.

Winners of the Alternative Ending and Design a Front Cover competitions were then announced, and prizes given to the pupils deemed to have fully embraced the wear-something-red theme with Bo’ness Academy taking the prize for best accessories.

Yvonne Manning, Falkirk Council's principal librarian, who founded the RED Book Awards 17 years ago, said: “The awards were launched to encourage more young people aged 13 and 14 to pick up a book and read for fun. Over the years the ceremony has evolved, with hands-on activities added to the mix to help pupils unleash their creativity. Each year I am totally blown away by the enthusiasm and effort the pupils put into their work, and how wonderfully imaginative they all are.”

Then it was the moment everyone was waiting for when the winning author was announced. This year’s RED Book Award 2023 went to Cynthia Murphy for Last One to Die, a thriller with a supernatural twist. Avid reader Provost Robert Bissett presented Cynthia with the top award and congratulated her on picking up the prize.

He said: “I’ve read many books over the years and often revisit my favourites, because you learn something new every time you pick up a book. It can be hard to encourage young people to read, but this event proves words still have power. It's fantastic to see all the young people here today and how enthusiastic they are about the shortlisted books. Congratulations to Cynthia, your book really caught their attention, and thanks to the Learning Resources team, and Yvonne in particular, for putting on such an amazing event.”

Cynthia Murphy said: “Receiving this award is extra special because the young people voted for it. I can honestly say I’ve never been to an event like this before. It has been incredible. Yvonne has done an amazing job, working with the schools to foster a real love of reading, making it a fun, accessible and exciting thing to do.”

Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for education, Councillor Iain Sinclair, passed on congratulations to everyone involved and reminded the pupils to “Keep reading. Keep enjoying. Keep debating”.

He added: “This event confirms what we already know – creativity and talent flourishes within our schools. Reading for enjoyment is one of life’s great pleasures. In just a few pages you can be transported to distant worlds, journey through time, or walk in someone else's shoes. From what we’ve heard today, the authors have hit all the right notes. I’d like to thank everyone involved in the event. By engaging young people in the shortlisting process and encouraging their active participation throughout the year, you will have helped instil a life-long love of books.”