Donnelly Wins UK's Carnegie Medal

Judges cite teen novel 'A Gathering Light' for the 'striking luminosity of its prose'

By Meg McCaffrey -- School Library Journal, 9/1/2004

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the teen novel A Gathering Light (Bloomsbury), is winner of this year's Carnegie Medal, the most prestigious award for children's writing in the United Kingdom.

Donnelly is the second American woman in a row to win the honor, following Sharon Creech, who picked up her award last year. "I felt a bit like Smarty Jones; no one would have given me good odds to win this five years ago," says Donnelly, who joins a distinguished group of past winners, including C. S. Lewis and Philip Pullman.

Donnelly's competition for the prize was impressive. The shortlist included authors David Almond, Mark Haddon, Elizabeth Laird, and Linda Newbery.

The winning book, which was chosen by a panel of librarians, was inspired by the real-life story of Grace Brown, an unwed and pregnant 19-year-old who was killed by her boyfriend Chester Gillette. "I needed to deal with that emotion in the way that writers do, by writing about it," Donnelly says.

Colin Brabazon, chair of this year's Carnegie judges, says, "The striking luminosity of [the novel's] prose, its tangible sense of place, and the integrity of its vision combine to produce an extremely impressive first novel for this age range."

Donnelly, a 1986 graduate of the University of Rochester, has published two other books, Humble Pie (Atheneum, 2002), a children's picture book, and The Tea Rose (St. Martin's, 2004), an adult novel.

Donnelly was also awarded a Michael L. Printz Honor in June from the American Library Association. Her winning book was originally published in the United States as A Northern Light (Harcourt).