A book about refugees and mass migration by the prolific British children’s author Cath Senker has won the UK’s £2000 Educational Writers’ Award. Far From Home: Refugees and Migrants Fleeing War, Persecution and Poverty (Franklin Watts/Hachette Children’s Group) looks at the reasons behind the worldwide mass migrations of people in the 21st century, whether that be war, extreme poverty or persecution, and explains the political situations and cultural issues behind the headlines.
The judges – teacher Philip Arkinstall, author Elspeth Graham and librarian Océane Toffoli – said: “This heart-breaking, powerful and very special book takes a thoughtful and relevant look at a subject we all need to understand and care about. It fully utilises every page, from the maps on the inside covers to the timeline, glossary and further reading section and is extremely readable and accessible for its secondary school audience. Never giving in to media stereotypes, it also provides a clear and compassionate catalyst for discussions about the plight of refugees, highlighting individual experiences and presenting different viewpoints in an impeccably non-judgmental way.”
The Educational Writers’ Award is run by the Society of Authors (SoA) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society and is for educational writing for readers aged 11-18.
Senker is the author of around 160 books for children of all ages, as well as two books for adults including Stranded in the Six-Day War Stranded in the Six-Day War, which tells the story of the 14 merchant ships trapped in the Suez Canal at the start of the Six-Day War in June 1967. She does not have an agent and Arabic rights in Far From Home have not been sold.