Children’s author Ingunn Thon has been nominated for a 2021 CILIP Carnegie Medal Award for Ollis.

– I think it’s very good. It’s especially nominated in the UK, which is known for having so much great children’s literature, Thon said of the nomination, adding:

– If I think of Ollis as a real person, which I sometimes do, I’m proud of him. That the journey he went on meant so much to English readers that he was nominated for an award… Oh, he should have known that.

The story of 10-year-old Ollis marks Thon’s debut as a writer. The book focuses on friendship, family constellations, and courage, among other things, and is illustrated by Nora Brech. Evy Tillmann, literary agent at the Oslo Literary Agency, believes it is rare for a Norwegian children’s book to be nominated for a British literary award.

– Ingunn Thon’s debut book about Ollis being shortlisted for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal is truly extraordinary. Thon is good friends with international stars such as Meg Rosoff, Marcus Sedgwick, Patrick Ness and Michelle PaverTillmann said.

The CILIP Carnegie Medal Prize is the UK’s oldest children’s book award, and is awarded to the best children’s and young adult’s book from the previous year. The prize was awarded by the British library association, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), on 16 June 2021.

– This award is quite unique, in the sense that publishers cannot register their own books. Instead, librarians nominate books they have bookmarked throughout the year. That a small publisher like Wacky Bee got nominated is a huge honor, said Louise Jordan of Wacky Bee Books, the publisher that published the English translation of the book. Ollis.

The book has also been published in Germany, Italy, Spain, Albania, Denmark, Georgia and Turkey.

Ingunn Thon (born 1986) has worked at NRK Super, among other things, as a puppeteer. Kids also know him from Barne-TV. He received his education from the text and writing program at Westerdals and from journalism education at the NRK Nynorsk media center.