The judging panel for the inaugural Children’s Booker Prize 2027, supported by the AKO Foundation, has been announced as submissions open for publishers and a nationwide search begins for three child judges aged 8 to 12.
The new annual award will honour outstanding fiction for children in that age group, written or translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland, with the first winner to be revealed on 2 February 2027. The adult judging panel includes children’s author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, actor and comedian Lolly Adefope, and bookseller Sanchita Basu De Sarkar. Together they will shortlist eight books before joining the child judges to select the winner. Applications for child judges close on 2 June 2026.
Speaking to Asian Voice, on being part of the inaugural judging panel for the Children’s Booker Prize, owner of The Children’s Bookshop and Children’s Booker Prize 2027 judge, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar said, “It's an incredible honour, really. I've always been a massive fan of the Booker Prize, so I was already thrilled when they announced a children's prize, especially after the loss of some really big meaningful awards in children's literature. It already felt like a really special thing, and being asked to judge the first one feels like a huge honour. Hopefully, it will build and inspire this huge love of reading all over the country.”
On the significance of the new prize for children’s literature in the UK and Ireland, Sanchita said, “I think it’s really going to help build it. The UK is unfortunately in a bit of a reading crisis at the moment, with growing concerns about how many children are reading or even owning books for pleasure. The Booker won’t just celebrate the best children’s book in the country, it will also help put thousands of books into the hands of young readers, allowing them to enjoy what will hopefully be a spectacular shortlist and be part of a big national conversation about what makes a really good book. And that’s quite fun.”
On how children’s perspectives differ from adults when judging books, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar said, “I think children read books in a much blunter and more honest way. Adults can sometimes give stories more room to develop, but children quickly know when a book isn’t connecting with them. They read with a very acute eye.” She added that she is most looking forward to judging alongside children because they bring “different perspectives” and “different requirements from a story” that adults may not always consider. “I think that makes it even more exciting,” she said.
Speaking about reading for pleasure among children being at a 20-year low, Sanchita Basu De Sarkar said the decline had been building for years due to a combination of factors, including the impact of Covid-19, increased screen time, and major cuts to public and school libraries. She said many children no longer have access to properly staffed libraries or librarians who can guide them towards new books and encourage curiosity around reading. “That journey of curiosity around books is really stifled from a lot of different angles right now,” she said, describing the situation as a “reading-for-pleasure crisis.” However, she added that initiatives such as the National Year of Reading and the Children’s Booker Prize 2027 could help create more opportunities for children to engage with books and rediscover reading.
On how South Asian voices being represented in the UK's children's publishing today, Sanchita said, “It’s tricky, because there are some amazing writers publishing at the moment, and it’s important that children are able to read about themselves as well as other people’s lives.” She stressed the importance of “sustainability” for diverse authors, saying writers should be supported to keep publishing “book after book” even if their early work is not an immediate bestseller.
Pointing to Philip Pullman as an example, she noted that his major breakthrough came years after his first book. She also praised writers including Sita Brahmachari, Chitra Soundar, Nizrana Farook and Jamila Gavin, adding that “the more perspectives and the more stories you have exploring people’s backgrounds, the richer it is.”
About the importance of South Asian children seeing themselves reflected in literature, Sanchita said, “It’s very important” because many aspects of South Asian history and culture “fall through the gaps” in schools and mainstream reading. She added that books help children “talk meaningfully about your background” and connect with others through shared experiences.
Reflecting on representation in children’s books, she recalled seeing Bengali script in Cookie by Konnie Huq, saying the “special spark of recognition was just brilliant.” She added that when Huq visits schools, children instantly connect with her experiences, saying, “There’s nothing like that.”
