2026-2027 nile book award nominee

I'm honored that Kingdom of Dust is nominated for the 2026-2027 Nile Book Awards in the White Nile category (Grades 4 & 5 or Years 5 & 6 in the British system). The Nile Book Awards is currently the only one on the African continent for young readers.

The Nile Book Awards were started in 2009 by Clare Kybird from the Khartoum International Community School and Cathy Kreutter of the International School of Uganda. For a number of years it was just these two schools participating. In 2015, Jeanette Brooker, from the Khartoum International Community School, invited schools who had the Nile rivers running through them to participate. In 2019, the elementary librarians at the AISA conference in Addis Ababa decided to open the Nile Book Awards to all International Schools on the continent of Africa. 

The other wonderful books in the White Nile category include:

• One Chance Dance by Efua Traoré
• Afia In The Land Wonders by Mia Araujo
• Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
• May The Best Player Win by Kyla Zhao

Students will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite book in March 2027. Again, I am thrilled that students across the African continent will have the opportunity to read Kingdom of Dust!