HA Young Quills Award 2021 shortlist

Children of the Benin Kingdom, by Dinah Orji was picked as a recommended read by the judges of the Historical Association’s prestigious Young Quills Award 2021.

This award is given for the best historical fiction for children and it is judged by historians, educational consultants and a children’s author. It also has a lot of input from young people - there’s more about the process on the Historical Association’s website. On the site you can also read honest reviews of all the shortlisted books from the most important readers - the children. Just tap the picture above.

The reception for Children of the Benin Kingdom from children, parents, librarians, educators, historians and children’s fiction experts has been fantastic, with praise for the cover, concept and content of this exciting story. The authoritative children’s fiction magazine Books for Keeps described it as a “riveting historical adventure”.

A tale of mystery, magic and adventure, it is the story of a girl’s search for her true identity and is set in West Africa in one of the world’s most amazing civilisations - the Kingdom of Benin. The story ties in with the history curriculum for primary school children and is popular with teachers seeking to broaden the scope of their history teaching.

Activity sheets are available to download from this site and the book also contains a useful factual section.