RAPIDS by Anna Bowles Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award

26th January, 2022

Rapids by Anna Bowles, published by ZunTold and edited by Elaine Bousfield, has been longlisted for the Branford Boase Award, given annually to both the author and the editor of an outstanding debut novel aimed at children. Previous winners have included Meg Rosoff, Mal Peet, Siobhan Dowd, Marcus Sedgwick, M.G. Leonard and Frances Hardinge.

The shortlist will be announced on 28th April 2022.

“This book nails it-not just the vertiginous flights of bipolar, but also the pure joy of youth.”  Marya Hornbacher, author of Wasted and Madness: a Bipolar Life

“Cleverly written, fast-paced and engaging. I rattled through it, desperate to know what happened.”

Nicola Morgan, author of Blame My Brain 

“You don’t want to miss this story, it will hit you like a tidal wave.”

Lucas Maxwell, UK School Librarian of the Year 2017 

“It’s impossible not to fall in love with Yan.”

Tabitha Suzuma, author of Forbidden and A Note of Madness

“Authentic, dazzling and a vivid demonstration of why neurodivergent “own voices” are so important.”

Eric Lindstrom, author of Not if I See You First and A Tragic Kind of Wonderful  

“Witty, inventive and incredibly immersive. Yan is a brilliant, heart-breaking character.”

Elen Caldecott, author of The Short Knife

Yan Harris is VERY EXCITED. Well, of course she is. It’s summer, she’s got over her depression and she’s in London for a week with her BFF Chelsea. After seventeen years in a sleepy village where everybody just knows them as The Chinese One and The Brainy One… life is calling. It’s a pretty cool prospect… if Chel can stop worrying about discourse in the Nordhelm fandom long enough to enjoy it. Chelsea’s worried about Yan, too, to Yan’s annoyance. Barely sleeping, barely eating, getting increasingly gobby, having an – ahem – close encounter in a toilet, giving a Tory MP a good kick in the shins, and running around kind of literally screaming… well, it’s all just good summer fun, isn’t it? Isn’t it? In the desperate battle of Yan vs. bipolar disorder, does the poor disease really stand a chance? Written by an author who lives with bipolar herself, this is a hilarious yet edge-of-your-seat ride, with friendship at its heart. Perfect for fans of Holly Bourne and Alice Oseman.