Mel Darbon, an author who lives in Bath and who studied at Bath Spa University, has been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2024. Darbon is nominated in the Books for Older Readers category for her novel, What the World Doesn’t See, a powerful and insightful novel about grief, disability and first love.
Every year Waterstones’ expert booksellers vote for the books they believe are the very best in new children’s writing and illustration. Now in its 20th year, the prestigious Waterstones Children’s Book Prize has launched the enduring careers of many authors and illustrators, such as Katherine Rundell, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Rob Biddulph.
Last year’s winner The Cats We Meet Along The Way by Nadia Mikail went on to become our April Children’s Book of the Month, achieving an impressive 1280% sales uplift across the Waterstones estate in the week after announcement.
Mel Darbon spent a large part of her childhood inventing stories to keep her brother, who had learning disabilities, happy on car journeys. Having worked as a theatre designer and freelance artist, as well as teaching young adults with learning disabilities and running creative workshops for teenage mums, young offenders and toddlers, Mel now writes young adult novels featuring characters with Learning Disabilities to counter the lack of representation of disabled people in popular culture.
She is a graduate of Bath Spa’s MA in Writing For Young People, where she found a channel to give voice to young people who otherwise might not be heard.
What the World Doesn’t See is a fast-paced, powerful novel about grief and disability, infused with love and warmth. Maudie and Jake’s family is falling to pieces – their mum’s been struggling with her grief since they lost Dad and one night she vanishes.
When Jake is put into care, Maudie can’t take it anymore. She comes up with a wild plan to pull their family back together – by kidnapping Jake. On the run in Cornwall, Jake and Maudie each find something they hadn’t expected – freedom and love. But can they find Mum and a way to heal together?
The book was inspired by Mel’s own experiences with her younger brother Guy who had severe learning disabilities and was unable to speak for himself. Guy, who Mel was very close to, sadly died while Mel was writing What the World Doesn’t See.
Mel said, “I couldn’t be more honoured or more delighted to have been shortlisted for this special award, not just for me as a writer, but for the voice it gives to people with learning disabilities. Thank you.”
The full list of shortlisted titles by category (in alphabetical order by author) for the 2024 Prize are:
Illustrated Books
- The Queen Next Door by Marcela Ferreira (author), Sally Agar (illustrator)
- Incredible Jobs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of by Natalie Labarre (author/illustrator)
- The Secret Elephant: The true story of an extraordinary wartime friendship by Ellan Rankin (author
- Wolf and Bear: A heartwarming story of friendship and big feelings by Kate Rolfe (author)
- Whose Dog is This? by Andrew Sanders (author) and Aysha Awwad (illustrator)
- The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage (author/illustrator)
Books for Younger Readers
- Crookhaven: The School for Thieves by J.J. Arcanjo
- The Beasts of Knobbly Bottom: Attack of the Vampire Sheep! by Emily-Jane Clark
- Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend by Lizzie Huxley-Jones
- The Swifts by Beth Lincoln
- My Name is Sunshine Simpson by G.M. Linton
- Greenwild: The World Behind The Door by Pari Thomson
Books for Older Readers
- Promise Boys by Nick Brooks, 2928377160722
- What the World Doesn’t See by Mel Darbon
- Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald
- Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis
- You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud
- Friendship Never Ends by Alexandra Sheppard
The winners will be announced at an evening ceremony on Thursday 21 March 2024. The winner of each category will receive £2,000, with the overall winner receiving an extra £3,000.