Josh Silver won the £2,000 (about $2,710) YA Book Prize, which celebrates fiction for teenagers and young adults written by authors living in the U.K. and Ireland, for his novel Traumaland, the Bookseller reported. The winner was named at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in a ceremony hosted by writer and former recipient of the prize Juno Dawson.
"Traumaland is everything I would want in a YA novel; it's original, it's darkly funny, it's authentic and stylishly written," said Dawson, who was on the judging panel. "What's more, there is something distinctly British about the novel; Josh Silver is a thoroughly deserving winner, showcasing emerging U.K. talent at its finest."
Chair of the judges Caroline Carpenter, the Bookseller's children's editor and deputy features editor, called Silver "a rising star of the U.K.'s literary scene. As ever, this year's shortlist was incredibly varied, showcasing exceptional ideas and writing, but our adult and teen judges picked out Traumaland for its unique premise and page-turning plot. This bold, exciting storytelling is exactly what the YA Book Prize was set up to champion."