By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘Sweeping the Board of Prizes’
The great distinction of the United Kingdom’s Branford Boase Award, as many of our readers may recall, is that it recognizes both debut writers for young readers and those authors’ editors.
In its new round, the program has selected author Margaret McDonald and her increasingly applauded Glasgow Boys (Faber), along with McDonald’s editors Alice Swan and Ama Badu.
Glasgow Boys may ring a bell for you because it’s one of an extraordinary clutch of books that came to light in the work of the Carnegie Medals program this year, first on its longlists and then on its shortlists: a fine group of books dealing with serious issues for young male readers was a key part of the jury’s selections.
Unusual in young readers’ books—which in so many awards programs are focused on fine work for girls and young women—this was an inflection point, courtesy of the Carnegies, in which the increasingly urgent concerns about boys and men in many of world publishing’s markets were reflected in a book competition’s work.
Having created much superb, supportive literature for young women and girls in the past two decades, the publishing industry has an opportunity to recognize and respond to the deepening crises of boys and men today with literature.
This makes the selection by the Branford Boase Award (in its seventh year now) of special interest and va
lue, and it follows, in fact, the UK Literacy Association’s, award as well, which on June 27 named McDonald’s “astonishing debut novel Glasgow Boys” which “continues to sweep the board of prizes, after winning the Carnegie Medal for Writing.” This honor from the “UKLA” program was for readers in the 11- to 14-year category. In that program, Glasgow Boys also won the schools’ and student teachers’ vote.
In terms of the assertion that the book is “sweeping the board of prizes,” Glasgow Boys has also been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize this year and the 2025 “Read for Empathy” program.
Winning the Branford Boase
Winners of the 2025 Branford Boase Award for ‘Glasgow Boys’ (Faber) are, from left, editor Ama Badu, author Margaret McDonald, and editor Alice Swan. Image: Branford Boase Award
About her success with the Branford Boase Award, McDonald says that in working with editors Swan and Badu, she found that “They treated [her characters] Banjo and Finlay as I do myself, which is as real people.
“I worked on every single aspect of Glasgow Boys with Alice and Ama, and it wouldn’t exist as it does today without them, truly.”
Editor Alice Swan is quoted, saying, “I am so delighted that a story about two teenage boys emerging from the care system in Glasgow—with some of the dialogue in Scots—has received such extraordinary recognition.
“I fell in love with Glasgow Boys on my very first read, and the whole publishing journey has been one of mutual appreciation, trust, and respect for two very important characters. This book has so many powerful things to say, and I am utterly thrilled by the incredible reader response. For Ama and I to have our contribution celebrated by this unique award is a lovely bonus.”
And editor Ama Badu says, “It’s such a thrill to see the well-deserved praise and accolades Glasgow Boys has received.
“We knew just how special this story was from the start, and it brings me such joy to know that so many can see the same beauty. It’s a book that every reader can draw solace from. I’m honored to have played a part in its journey.”
The Branford Boase jury is led by Julia Eccleshare, who adds a comment of her own, saying, “Tender and insightful, Glasgow Boys is a deeply moving story shaped by the struggles against class and poverty that so many young people in today’s society must overcome to change their lives and opportunities.
“Despite all, Margaret McDonald’s characters are full of hope and the story is refreshingly strong and bold, too. The relationship between author and editor is generally invisible to readers but is absolutely vital to the success of individual books, authors, and the publishing industry. We are immensely proud to highlight this with the Branford Boase Award.”
At the Branford Boase Award, Nathanael Lessore, the winner of this year’s Waterstones Children’s Book Award and the 2025 Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal, was awarded the 2024 Branford Boase Award for Steady For This.
Lessore was a judge this year and says, “The Branford Boase Award is special. Celebrating the relationship with editors and writers, and focusing on debuts, it’s such an accomplishment to be shortlisted. It celebrates the collaborative aspects of literature, while directing a spotlight onto stories from authors we haven’t heard from before. I was one of those authors, and I’m eternally grateful for the shortlisting and the win. It was the first time I felt I could be proud to be a writer. And I got to share that with my editors.”
The 2025 Branford Boase Award Shortlist
- Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm by Ash Bond, edited by Ruth Bennett (Piccadilly Press)
- The Boy in the Suit by James Fox, edited by Lauren Fortune (Scholastic)
- Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence, edited by Katie Sinfield (Penguin Random House)
- All the Hidden Monsters by Amie Jordan, edited by Rachel Leyshon (Chicken House)
- Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald, edited by Alice Swan, assisted by Ama Badu (Faber)
- The Boy to Beat the Gods by Ashley Thorpe, edited by Sarah Stewart (Usborne)
The Branford Boase Award is made in partnership with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and is supported by Walker Books.
More from Publishing Perspectives on young readers’ books is here, more on publishing and book awards is here, and more from us on the United Kingdom’s market is here.