CLIP Carnegie Shortlist Revealed

The big Brit shortlist for teen fiction arrives!
The CLIP organisation have this week released the shortlist for the nominated books for the Carnegie medal. This medal commemorates the publication of brilliant teenage fiction in the past year, and this year's roster of books looks to provide no less of a difficult challenge for the judging panel to decide a winner. The shortlisted pieces (along with the official Carnegie synopses for each) are as follows...
My Name Is Mina (David Almond)- "Mina writes and writes in an empty notebook, and through her stories, thoughts, lessons and dreams, her journal grows into something extraordinary. A prequel to the author's CILIP Carnegie Medal-winning novel, Skellig."
Small Change For Stuart (Lissa Evans)- "Ten years old and small for his age, Stuart Horten moves to the dreary town of Beeton, away from all his friends. But before long he is swept up in a quest to find his great-uncle's lost workshop, a place stuffed with trickery, magic – and danger."
The Midnight Zoo (Sonya Hartnett)- "Under cover of darkness, two brothers cross a war-ravaged country carrying a secret bundle. One night they stumble across a town that has been reduced to smouldering ruins. Amidst the wreckage is a zoo, filled with animals in need of hope."
Everybody Jam (Ali Lewis)- "Danny lives in middle of the outback. His older brother Jonny was killed in an accident last year, but no-one ever talks about it. Meanwhile his sister is pregnant, the rains haven't come and it's time for the annual cattle muster, during which Danny is determined to prove he can fill his brother's shoes."
Trash (Andy Mulligan)- "Three friends, Raphael, Gardo and Rat live on a heap of trash and spend their days sifting through other people's rubbish. One day they find something extraordinary – a deadly secret. From that moment onwards, they are hunted without mercy, and their lives will never be the same again."
A Monster Calls (Patrick Ness)- "The monster shows up after midnight. It isn't the one Conor has been expecting; the one from his nightmare; the one he has had nearly every night since his mother started her treatment. But this new monster is ancient, and wild, and it wants something just as dangerous from Conor: the truth." Patrick is renowned for his Carnegie pieces, so I can't wait to see what this standalone novel based on a concept by the late Siobhan Dowd holds...
My Sister Lives On The Mantelpiece (Annabel Pitcher)- "Ten year old Jamie hasn't cried since his sister's death five years before. Though everyone kept saying they would get better with time; things are now worse than ever. Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie still has a whole heap of unanswered questions." Eager followers of this blog may remember that I handed this piece a strong 4.5/5 back in January, so I can't wait to see how the other novels on the shortlist match up to (or best?) it.
Between Shades Of Grey (Ruta Sepetys)- "Ten year old Jamie hasn't cried since his sister's death five years before. Though everyone kept saying they would get better with time; things are now worse than ever. Dad drinks, Mum's gone and Jamie still has a whole heap of unanswered questions."