KUCHING, March 23 — Sarawakian author Nadia Mikail has won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize with her apocalyptic road trip story entitled The Cats We Meet Along the Way.
The Guardian reported that Nadia, who is from Kuching, won the older readers category as well as the overall prize, along with £5,000 (RM27,236).
The book chronicles a family’s trip across Malaysia during the impending end of the world.
The Guardian reported that the tale was inspired by the recent Covid-19 pandemic when Nadia was far away from her family members.
The former SMK St Teresa student is currently studying law in London.
The Guardian quoted her as saying the book is a “sort of a worst-case scenario situation, like what would happen if the apocalypse was about to happen, and I was away from my loved ones”.
Waterstones head of children’s Florentyna Martin called Nadia’s book “a phenomenal debut”.
She said Nadia’s prose sparkles in the growing market for older readers.
“Booksellers were overwhelmed by the tenderness woven through each chapter; the moments of silence between the characters are as truthful and evocative as their conversations.
“Mikail has ultimately crafted a novel of hope, set against an eventful road trip, that encourages us to share stories and dreams,” added Martin.
Waterstones is Britain’s last surviving national bookshop chain.
Besides the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the chain’s other book awards are the Waterstones Book of the Year and Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. — Borneo Post
