Anthony McGowan has scooped the CILIP Carnegie Medal with his masterpiece, Lark. We take a look at the winning book and the three accompanying titles in his Truth of Things series.

British author McGowan has previously been longlisted and shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal with three out of the four books from his series Truth of Things - Brock, Pike and Rook. Lark is the fourth and final story of brothers Nicky and Kenny, a tale modern poverty, the highs and lows of adolescence, and life with learning difficulties told across a sequence of short novellas.

On winning the prestigious Carnegie Medal, Anthony McGowan said: “Every writer for young people dreams of winning the Carnegie Medal. Its incredible history, the rollcall of the great writers who have won it and the rigour of the selection process, makes this the greatest book prize in the world. It is also a magnificent way of connecting with readers. The hundreds of shadowing groups in schools and libraries around the country provide that one thing that writers cannot do without: a living, arguing, debating, biscuit-munching population of brilliant readers!

“On one level, Lark is a simple adventure story. Two woefully ill-equipped teenage boys, and their old Jack Russell terrier go for a walk on the North Yorkshire Moors. A blizzard descends and their fun day out, their ‘lark’ turns into a desperate battle for survival. On another level, the book is about the unshakable love between two brothers, one of them with special needs, after enduring family break-up, poverty, bullying and cruelty. Lark is also a story about the power of stories and the way they weave through our lives. The book ends with the words ‘Tell me a story,’ and with those words we are led back again to the beginning.”

The series began in 2013 with Brock, a bleak but powerful story introducing us to Nicky and his brother Kenny, longlisted for the CILIP in 2014, it heralded the start of an entralling and gritty tale of fraternal love. 

Pike followed in 2015 - "Not a word is wasted...there’s an extraordinary depth and elegance to this story...An outstanding novel". Asked if it was hard to go back to the characters two years after writing Brock, or were they still fresh in his mind, Anthony replied "What would have been hard was not returning to them! I don’t think I’ve ever ”˜known’ two of my own characters quite so well. I genuinely cared for them. Originally Brock was going to have a much sadder ending, but I simply couldn’t do it to them." 

The third novella was Rook, shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie in 2018, "This finely written story speaks directly to readers in language that is frill free but shines with original, precise imagery." One of our Reader Review Panel said 'Rook shows that everyone, no matter their background, condition, or social abilities, should be treated the same. The truly inspirational book shows that good always wins out in the end.' 

You can find all three fine stories collected together in The Truth of Things. 

Lark is the final book in the sequence. A simple walk on the moors, which begins in a light hearted way soon becomes a deadly dangerous adventure as a blizzard descends and the brothers lose their way. “When I began Brock, I never planned on writing a sequel. I certainly never thought there would be four books. But each time I typed ‘The End’ I had a feeling that somehow Nicky and Kenny’s story was unfinished. I’ve come to know them better than any of the hundreds of characters I’ve created over the years, and I felt an obligation to them. Their lives began in poverty and turmoil. Together we made it through to a brighter place. But I wanted one last trial, one last adventure”

This series aimed at 12+ readers, is published by Barrington Stoke, a specialist publisher of books for dyslexic and reluctant readers. Winning the Carnegie Medal has been a great achievement for this independent publisher and you can read more about their pride at this laudable win here. For more great titles for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers visit our special Dyslexia Friendly book selection.

And read more about the CILIP Carnegie Medal in our Awards section.