The Canada Council for the Arts announces the winners of the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Awards. These awards, among the most prestigious in literature, celebrate works published in Canada in French and English, in seven categories intended for readers for all ages: Fiction, Poetry, Theater, Essays, Translation, Children’s Literature – text and Children’s Literature – illustrated books.
The winning books were selected from 70 finalist books following a rigorous process. Note that eligible books had to be published between August 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
The peer review committee assigned to each of the seven categories finally made the decision.
The finalists in the Children’s Literature – Text category
Moving to Heaven (11 ans +)
Jean-Guy Forget and Mélodie Bujold-Henri (text) published by Éditions La courte scale
When his cousin dies tragically, a teenager — the narrator — cannot cry, despite being overwhelmed with emotion and overcome by great sadness. He postpones the moment of farewell as long as possible; but as the day of the funeral goes on, something in him gives way, until the flood. A novel written in a very colorful and poetic vocabulary allowing young people to come to terms with the contradictions that confront them deep down when death takes a loved one from them.
“My cousin Loïc was a born swimmer
when the swordfish in an electric blue jersey
made his way as fast as lightning
the water apologized for being in its path. »
Checked Kid (14 ans +)
Marc-André Dufour-Labbé (text) at Leméac Éditeur
Checked Kid stands out from the other secondary 4 students: raised by his father, he is a fan of grunge music and it shows in the way he dresses.
He is also secretly in love with the bubbly Adèle (who is, however, in a relationship with Aymeric, the school’s hockey captain). He dedicates covers of songs to his secret love which he plays on guitar and publishes on his YouTube channel.
“My dad, it worries him a little that I’m such a fan of Kurt Cobain because it really affected him when he committed suicide in 1994, but I don’t want to kill myself. Not before trying my luck with Adèle anyway. It was thinking of her that I started posting my covers of love songs on acoustic guitar on my YouTube channel. »
A bubble outside of time (14 ans +)
Stéfani Meunier (text) at Leméac Éditeur
Océane is not spoiled by nature, she is told. Roch lives in a youth center. Against all expectations, the trajectories of these two teenagers intersect, allowing them to take refuge outside of time, sheltered from the gaze of others.
In their bubble, Océane and Roch can exist without armor or artifice. Alternatingly, the point of view of one and the other is told chapter after chapter.
“Océane: It’s me, it’s me who’s so big and so ugly, it’s not a character from a film, from a novel, it’s not a nightmare, it’s me and I can’t do anything about it, I am condemned to be different, gigantic, all my life. Plus, I’m first in class.
Roch: Océane settles in, I give her a big charming smile. I’m not that bad, deep down. I’m not bad. According to the social worker, I’m just impulsive. The information goes to my fist or my mouth before it goes to my brain, like. So sometimes I hit, or hurt with words. »
Fly away, Mikun (14 ans +)
Moira-Uashteskun Bacon (text) aux Éditions Hannenorak
Mikun, a 15-year-old teenager, has to move because her family has just exploded: her parents are separating. This move is not ordinary: Mikun must leave behind her school and friends from her Innu community. What’s more, his sister leaves the family home.
For Mikun, the big city, this school and the new family life at home seem hostile to him. She wonders: if she were more like the other young people in the big city, if she were less Innu, would she find friendship and would she finally know love?
She is, in a way, searching for her place and what she really desires.
“For the last year and a half, I’m used to being more invisible. Noticing the effect of my presence here, the smiles it creates on the faces of my family… it’s like validating my existence, which for a long time seemed of lesser importance to me. The feeling is so foreign to me that I prefer to escape it by turning towards the living room. »
The four truths (14 ans +)
Dominique Chicoine (text) at Éditions du Boréal
Mireille’s family is turned upside down when her mother decides to return to school. Her father, angry and manipulative, disappears without warning… All of Mireille’s bearings fall away. She has to take care of her sister and keep the family in one piece.
Above all, being in fifth grade, she must decide what she will do in life! Fortunately, her friend Nath is there to bring her comfort and help her through these difficult times.
Even though the novel takes place in 1984, the author is convinced that teenagers will identify with her heroine. The hours spent on the phone communicating with friends in the 80s have been replaced today by written exchanges. Young people always have the desire to find their identity, to feel free to follow their own path and to share their lives with their peers.
This novel focuses on difficult situations that can affect several parent-sibling entities. It talks about friendship and the psychological violence that sometimes exists within a family.
“My father helps people, makes a difference in their lives. And what job will ensure that I don’t live for nothing? A hundred thousand bees buzz in my head. I like the arts. I like reading, writing. Nothing but crap. »
And the winning novel in the “Children’s Literature – text” category is… A bubble outside of time by Stéfani Meunier, at Leméac Éditeur! Find the winner of the Children’s Literature – Illustrated Book category on this link.
