Maisie Chan and Piccadilly Press commissioning editor Georgia Murray have been awarded the 2022 Branford Boase Award for the acclaimed Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths.
The prize – set up in memory of the award-winning author-editor team of Henrietta Branford and Wendy Boase – is awarded to both the author and editor of the outstanding debut novel for children.
Chan’s novel was selected from an eight-strong shortlist, with the judging panel lauding its “well-rounded characters” and “depiction of the inter-generational relationship.”
Published by Piccadilly Press and illustrated by Anh Cao; Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths tells the tale of its cartoon-crazy eponymous hero, and his relationship with his grandmother. Set in Birmingham, the whip-smart novel balances delicate insights into familial relationships and British Chinese culture with frequent bursts of laugh-out-loud comedy.
It’s latest honour for the book, which was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards, and recently saw Chan awarded the prestigious Jhalak Children’s and YA Prize.
Shining a light on the essential, and often unsung author-editor relationship and celebrating excellence in writing and publishing, the Branford Boase Award has been running since 2000. Recent winners include: Straun Murray and Ben Horslen; Liz Hyder and Sarah Odedina; and Muhammad Khan and Lucy Pearse.
Chan’s latest novel, Keep Dancing, Lizzie Chu – edited once again by Murray – has recently published with Piccadilly Press.
