The Waverton Good Read Award was founded in 2003 by villagers in Waverton,

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

, England, and is based on ''Le Prix de la Cadière d'Azur'', a literary prize awarded by a Provençal village. Adult

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

s written by UK residents and published in the previous twelve months are eligible for consideration and are read by villagers. "The aim was not only to stimulate reading in the village but to provide encouragement to British writers". Two of the main founders were Gwen Goodhew (b 21 October 1942) an educational specialist who established Wirral Able Child Centre and has written and edited books on teaching the gifted child, and Wendy Smedley. It is the first British award to be judged by normal readers rather than literary figures. Waverton Good Read Children's Award was first presented in 2011, for children's literature. Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2019/20 shortlist and winner were announced on the same day, and there was no Children's award.

Winners and shortlists

{, class="wikitable" , - !Year !Winner !Shortlisted , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2003/4 , ''

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Haddon and ''The Curious Incident'' won the Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year, the Commonwealth Writers' Pri ...

'', by

Mark Haddon Mark Haddon (born 26 September 1962) is an English novelist, best known for ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'' (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, the Guardian Prize, and a Commonweal ...

, *'' Astonishing Splashes of Colour'', by Clare Morrall *''

Brick Lane Brick Lane () is a street in the East End of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, borough of Tower Hamlets. It runs from Swanfield Street in Bethnal Green in the north, crosses the Bethnal Green Road before reaching the busiest, mo ...

'', by

Monica Ali Monica Ali (; born 20 October 1967) is a British writer of Bangladeshi and English descent. In 2003, she was selected as one of the "Best of Young British Novelists" by ''Granta'' based on her unpublished manuscript; her debut novel, ''Brick L ...

*'' Dissolution'', by

C. J. Sansom Christopher John Sansom (9 December 1952 – 27 April 2024) was a British writer of Historical mystery, historical crime novels, best known for his Shardlake series, Matthew Shardlake series. He also wrote the spy novel ''Winter in Madrid'' and ...

*''Spit Against the Wind'', by Anna Smith , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2004/5 , '' Boy A'', by Jonathan Trigell , *''At Risk'', by

Stella Rimington Dame Stella Rimington (born 13 May 1935) is a British author and former Director General of MI5, a position she held from 1992 to 1996. She was the first female DG of MI5, and the first DG whose name was publicised on appointment. In 1993, Rimi ...

*'' Betrayal in Naples'', by Neil Griffiths *''Perception of Death'', by Louise Anderson *'' The Two Pound Tram'', by William Newton , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2005/6 , ''

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian ''A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian'' is a humorous novel by Marina Lewycka, first published in 2005 by Viking (Penguin Books). The novel won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize at the Hay Festival, Hay literary festival, the Waverton ...

'', by

Marina Lewycka Marina Lewycka ( ; born 12 October 1946) is a British novelist of Ukraine, Ukrainian origin. Early life Lewycka was born in a refugee camp in Kiel after World War II. Her family subsequently moved to England; she now lives in Sheffield, South ...

, *''The Family Tree'', by

Carole Cadwalladr Carole Jane Cadwalladr (; born 1969) is a British author, investigative journalist, and features writer. She was a features writer for ''The Observer'' and formerly worked at ''The Daily Telegraph''. Cadwalladr rose to international prominence i ...

*'' Emotional Geology'', by Linda Gillard *''The Water Horse'', by Julia Gregson *'' This Thing of Darkness'', by

Harry Thompson Harry William Thompson (6 February 1960 – 7 November 2005) was an English radio and television producer, comedy writer, novelist and biographer. He was the creator of the dark humour television series '' Monkey Dust'', screened between 200 ...

, - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2006/7 , '' The Killing Jar'', by

Nicola Monaghan Nicola Monaghan, (also known as Niki Valentine) is an English novelist and author of ''The Killing Jar (novel), The Killing Jar'', ''Starfishing'' and ''The Okinawa Dragon''. She grew up in Nottingham, England, and gave up a career in finance to ...

, *''Gang of Four'', by

Liz Byrski Elizabeth Ann Byrski (born 1944 in London) is an Australian writer and journalist. Biography After graduating from Lingfield Notre Dame School, Notre Dame Convent in Lingfield, Surrey, in 1960, Byrski furthered her education at the Central Sus ...

*'' Where They Were Missed'', by Lucy Caldwell *'' The Observations'', by

Jane Harris Jane Harris may refer to: * Jane Harris (producer), British television director and producer * Jane Harris (writer) (born 1961), British writer of fiction and screenplays * Jane Harris (''Neighbours''), a fictional character in the Australian so ...

*''Mr. Clarinet'', by Nick Stone , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2007/8 , ''

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ''Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'' is a 2011 British romantic comedy drama film directed by Lasse Hallström. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas and Amr Waked. Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Paul Tor ...

'', by Paul Torday , *''

Gifted Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average and is also known as high potential. It is a characteristic of children, variously defined, that motivates differences in school programming. It is thought to pe ...

'', by Nikita Lalwani *'' In the Woods'' by

Tana French Tana French (born 10 May 1973) is an American-Irish writer and theatrical actress. She is a longtime resident of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel '' In the Woods'' (2007), a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barr ...

*''Mosquito'' by Roma Tearne *''The Dead of Summer'' by Camilla Way *''The Solitude of Thomas Cave'' by Georgina Harding , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2008/9 , ''

Child 44 ''Child 44'' is a 2008 thriller novel by British writer Tom Rob Smith. It is the first novel in a trilogy featuring former MGB Agent Leo Demidov, who investigates a series of gruesome child murders in Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union. Themes Th ...

'' by

Tom Rob Smith Tom Rob Smith (born February 19, 1979) is an English author, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the author of Child 44, a novel about the investigation of child murders during the Soviet Union. The book was adapted into a film of th ...

, *''A Girl Made of Dust'', by Natalie Abi-Ezi *''The Outcast'' by Sadie Jones *''Spider'' by Michael Morley , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2009/10 , ''The Ghosts of Eden'' by Andrew Sharp , *''Girl in a Blue Dress'', by Gaynor Arnold *''The Coroner'' by M R Hall *''The Street Philosopher'' by Matthew Pamplin *''The Rescue Man'' by Anthony Quinn , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2010/11 , ''Major Pettigrew's Last Stand'' by Helen Simonson , *''Grace Williams Says it Loud'' by Emma Henderson *''The Breaking of Eggs'' by Jim Powell *''The Return of Captain John Emmett'' by Elizabeth Speller *''Luke and Jon'' by Robert Williams , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2011/12 , ''Tiny Sunbirds Far Away'' by Christie Watson , *''A Cupboard Full of Coats'' by Yvvette Edwards *''Into the Darkest Corner'' by Elizabeth Haynes *''22 Britannia Road'' by Amanda Hodgkinson *''Sister'' by Rosamund Lupton *''

Snowdrops ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single sm ...

'' by A D Miller , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2012/13 , ''

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ''The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'' is a novel by Rachel Joyce, published in 2012. Joyce's first novel, it was longlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize,Wakin, Daniel J. (25 July 2012). AshantMan Booker Prize Finalists Announced ''The Ne ...

'' by Rachel Joyce , *'' Tell the Wolves I'm Home'' by Carol Rifka Brunt *''Rhumba'' by Elaine Proctor *''The Bellwether Revivals'' by Benjamin Wood *''The House on Paradise Street'' by

Sofka Zinovieff Sofka Zinovieff (born 1961) is a British author and journalist. Early life Zinovieff was born in London. Her parents were Peter Zinovieff and Victoria Gala Heber-Percy. Her paternal grandparents were White Russians who had left Soviet Russia ...

, - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2013/14 , '' The Universe Versus Alex Woods'' by Gavin Extence , *''Just What Kind of Mother Are You?'' by Paula Daly *'' The Shock of the Fall'' by

Nathan Filer Nathan Filer is a British writer best known for his debut novel, '' The Shock of the Fall''. This won several major literary awards, including the Costa Book of the Year and the Betty Trask Prize. It was a ''Sunday Times'' Bestseller, and has b ...

*''What the River Washed Away'' by Muriel M Macleod *'' The Rosie Project'' by Graeme Simsion , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2014/15 , ''If I Should Die'' by Matthew Frank , *''A Song for Issy Bradley'' by Carys Bray *''Wake'' by

Anna Hope Anna Hope (born 1974) is an English writer and actress from Manchester. She is perhaps best known for her ''Doctor Who'' role of Novice Hame, who first appeared in the webcast TARDISODE, TARDISODE 1 - "New Earth" before appearing in the televisio ...

*''Daughter'' by Jane Shemilt *''After Before'' by Jemma Wayne , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2015/16 , ''The Death's Head Chess Club'' by John Donoghue , *''Letters to the Lost'' by Iona Grey *''I Let You Go'' by Clare Mackintosh *''Burnt Paper Sky'' by Gilly Macmillan *''The Improbability of Love'' by Hannah Rothschild , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2016/17 , ''Anatomy of a Soldier'' by Harry Parker , *''Crisis'' by Frank Gardner *''The Words in My Hand'' by Guinevere Glasfurd *''Belonging'' by Umi Sinha *''The People We Were Before'' by Annabelle Thorpe , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2017/18 , ''

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine ''Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine'' is the 2017 debut novel by Gail Honeyman, and the winner of the 2017 Costa Debut Novel Award. The story centres on Eleanor Oliphant, a social misfit with a traumatic past who becomes enamoured with a si ...

'' by Gail Honeyman , *''Montpelier Parade'' by Karl Geary *''Not Thomas'' by Sara Gethin *''The Pinocchio Brief'' by Abi Silver *'' A Boy Made of Blocks'' by Keith Stuart , - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2018/19 , '' White Chrysanthemum'' by Mary Lynn Bracht , *'' White Chrysanthemum'' by Mary Lynn Bracht *''Call of the Curlew'' by Elizabeth Brooks *''Bitter by Francesca Jakobi *''Killer Intent'' by Tony Kent *''The Sealwoman's Gift'' by

Sally Magnusson Sally Anne Stone (''née'' Magnusson; born 11 October 1955), known professionally as Sally Magnusson, is a Scottish broadcast journalist, television presenter and writer, who recently presented the Thursday and Friday night edition of BBC Scotl ...

, - style="vertical-align:top;" ! , 2019/20 , ''Island Song'' by

Madeleine Bunting Madeleine Clare J. Bunting (born March 1964) is an English writer. She was formerly an associate editor and columnist at ''The Guardian'' newspaper. She has written five works of non-fiction and two novels (''Ceremony of Innocence'' will be publi ...

, *''Sunfall'' by

Jim Al-Khalili Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili (; born 20 September 1962) is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist and science populariser. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. He is a ...

*''Nightingale Point'' by Luan Goldie *''Pieces of Me'' by Natalie Hart *''She Lies in Wait'' by Gytha Lodge

Waverton Good Read Children's Award

In 2011, the inaugural Waverton Good Read Children's Award was presented. ; Winners: * 2011 Stephanie Burgis, ''A Most Improper Magick'' * 2012 Caroline Green, ''Dark Ride'' * 2013 L A Jones, ''The Nightmare Factory'' * 2014 Erika McGann, ''The Demon Notebook'' * 2015 Simon Mayle, ''Shoutykid - How Harry Riddles Made a Mega-amazing Zombie Movie'' * 2016 Kerr Thomson, ''The Sound of Whales'' * 2017/18 Katie Smith, ''The Pumpkin Project'' * 2018/19 Andrew Clover, ''Rory Branagan, Detective''

External links

Waverton Good Read website
* ttp://keeperofthesnails.blogspot.com/2005/09/waverton-good-read-award_112777292759809244.html Keeper of the Snails: The Waverton Good Read Award(interview with one of the organisers) British fiction awards Awards established in 2003 2003 establishments in England First book awards