Emma Shevah’s highly original YA novel, MY NAME IS JODIE JONES (David Fickling Books) has won the Honour Award for Fiction at the 2026 KMPG Children’s Books Ireland Awards.
Selected by an independent panel of expert judges, including two young judges, and a network of Junior Jurors island-wide, a range of titles from picturebooks to Young Adult novels were recognised and celebrated at the awards.
The judges read 151 titles in total, with only ten books shortlisted. The judges’ praise for MY NAME IS JODIE JONES was: “This is a dark story about trauma and abandonment, but also about the power of love and literature. The author addresses complex issues for a young adult audience, effectively and with great insight. Her skill in scaffolding the story, with rich writing and believable characterisations, makes it sublime, authentic and believable.”
The KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards recognise excellence in writing and illustration in Irish or English and are open to books by authors and illustrators who were born in Ireland, are permanently resident in Ireland or are citizens of Ireland.
MY NAME IS JODIE JONES is a moving coming-of-age YA novel, exploring language and hidden trauma, with a whip-smart, complex and unforgettable protagonist. Published in September 2025, the novel has already received high-praise, described by The Guardian as “ A profoundly poignant, beautifully written YA contemporary novel with a brave, brilliant heroine”, “Beautiful, heart-wrenching and moving” by The Bookseller, and was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2025.
For the KMPG Children’s Books Ireland announcement and full list of winners, click here
Photograph (c) Julien Behal
