Mireille Messier and Charis Cotter win Atlantic Canada's Hackmatack Children's Choice Awards
Mireille Messier and Charis Cotter are the 2022 English-language winners of the Hackmatack Children's Choice Awards.
The winning titles are chosen more than 1,000 students in Grades 4 to 6 over the course of the school year. They read the 40 shortlisted titles (20 French and 20 English) and voted for their favourite in each category.
The prizes are based in Atlantic Canada, but readers across the country can participate in the program. The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony on June 3.
Messier won the nonfiction prize for Sergeant Billy, which is illustrated by Toronto-based illustrator and artist Kass Reich.
Sergeant Billy is based on the real story of a goat named Sergeant Billy who travelled from his small prairie town to the trenches of the First World War and back, through harrowing moments, sad moments moments of camaraderie and moments of celebration.
Messier is children's book author of more than 20 books for children. She was born in Montreal, grew up in Ottawa and is based in Toronto. She is also the author of Nutcracker Night and The Branch.
The French-language version of of Sergeant Billy won the Forest of Reading Festival's Le prix Mélèze in 2022.
Cotter's Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland won the fiction category.
Illustrated by Toronto artist Genevieve Simms, Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland features stories about ghosts and spectres haunting the East Coast.
The 10 ghost stories are all set in and around Old Newfoundland and are based on family tales passed down over generations.
Charis Cotter is a Newfoundland author known for books such as The Ghost Road.
Karine Lachapelle, Marijo Meunier & Luc Michaud and Cindy Roy won the French-language categories for Cochon Dingue aime la terre and Clochat veut ses 9 vies Tome 1, respectively.
The Hackmatack program has been taking place since 1999. It is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Department of Education and the New Brunswick Public Library Service.
Hackmatack's 2022 author tour was predominantly virtual and the shortlisted authors conducted virtual visits to classrooms and libraries across the Atlantic region. Taking place alongside the author tour, Hackmatack's second annual Festival of Reading featured public events for authors and illustrators working in children's literature, with a particular focus on supporting emerging BIPOC creators.
