Clare Harlow: Graduating and Shortlisting
News
MA graduate shortlisted for prestigious Children’s Literature Prize.
Thursday, 6 February, 2025Bath Spa University is proud to share the news that MA Writing for Young People graduate Clare Harlow has been shortlisted for the 2025 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, recognising the outstanding achievements of authors and illustrators in new children’s literature.
Shortlisted for her compelling tale Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit, Clare has been shortlisted alongside three other authors in the Books for Younger Readers category.
Clare is a former theatre actor, English tutor and a graduate of the BSU MA Writing for Young People course. She now lives in southeast London, where she spends a lot of time walking by the river, where she came up with the idea for Tidemagic.
Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit is brimming with adventure, wild and unreliable magic and a dark mystery to be solved. At the heart of the story is a gang of courageous and plucky children battling powerful, corrupt adults.
Reflecting on her shortlisting for the award, Clare said:
“This feels like a dream, to be honest. I’m so grateful to Waterstones, especially to all the brilliant booksellers who have supported Tidemagic and helped it find its way to readers.”
The announcement of this shortlisting is certain to be a career highlight in what has already been a memorable week, with Clare becoming part of our winter graduating cohort on Tuesday. Taking to Instagram, Clare described graduation as ‘literally one of my best days ever’, with the announcement of her shortlisting certain to compete for that title.
Every year, Waterstones’ expert booksellers vote for the books they believe are the very best in new children’s writing and illustration. Now in its 21st year, the prestigious award has launched the enduring careers of many authors and illustrators, including Katherine Rundell, Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Rob Biddulph.
Bea Carvalho, Head of Books, Waterstones said:
“We are so excited to announce the shortlist for the 2025 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Sharing a love of books with young readers is the most important thing we do as booksellers, and we have been proud to celebrate the very best emerging talent in children’s publishing for over 20 years with this special prize.”
The winners will be announced at an evening ceremony on 27 March 2025. The winner of each category will receive £2,000, with the overall winner receiving an extra £3,000.
Are you looking to start you career in the world of literature? Bath Spa University has a range of courses that can you help you write your next chapter.