Congratulations to J. T. Williams whose middle-grade detective story Portraits and Poison (Farshore) was crowned the winner of this year’s Little Rebels Award at a ceremony at CLPE’s London offices last week.

Portraits and Poison is the second title in Williams’ highly-acclaimed Lizzie and Belle Mysteries series. Inspired by figures from Black British history, the book explores a history of Black British activism, transporting readers to Georgian London and exposing racist mechanisms at work in the conventions of Western portraiture.

Portraits and Poison was selected as this year’s winner by a panel of judges made up of authors, teachers and children’s book experts from a shortlist of eight titles. Judge Farrah Sarroukh described the book as “a fantastic means of countering erasure across all spheres including artistic, fictional, historical and political; challenging misrepresentations while encased in a brilliantly crafted, engaging and accessible story.”

The organisers of the Little Rebels Award said, “We love how Portraits and Poison, with its themes of civil disobedience and rebellion, channels the spirit, energy and optimism of the Little Rebels Award.”

Williams is the twelfth winner of the Little Rebels Award, which was set up by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers to celebrate books for children aged 0-12 that explore political ideas, challenge the status quo or promote social justice and a fairer and more peaceful world. Previous winners include Needle by Patrice Lawrence, Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu, Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts, I Am Henry Finch by Alexis Deacon and Viviane Schwarz and Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland.

For more children’s book awards, click here.