Ages 6-11: Picture Fiction

Debbie Thomas, Achieving for Children (panel chair)

Debbie is one of the founders of the Spark! School Book Awards, which she contributes to alongside her varied roles at Achieving for Children and the Open University.

You can find out more about her on our dedicated team page.

Anna Chaudhry, Lime Tree Primary School

Anna is a Year 2 Class Teacher and Reading Lead at Lime Tree Primary School in Surbiton. She is so excited to be a part of this year’s Spark! School Book Awards shortlisting panel and is most looking forward to finding out which talented authors and their great imagination will be a part of this celebratory journey to capture the minds of children and adults alike!

Emma Quigley, Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School

Emma is a Reading Leader and Year 1 Class Teacher at Corpus Christi RC Primary School. She is thrilled that the Spark! Book Awards are back for a second year and is really looking forward to sharing a new collection of exciting books for children.

Jamie Allen, Trafalgar Junior School

Jamie is the Deputy Head Teacher at Trafalgar Junior School in Twickenham, where he is also taking a lead on 'Reading for Pleasure'. The library is his favourite part of the school and he used to work in a book shop before becoming a teacher. He is particularly interested in the impact picture books can have in allowing children to access Big Ideas in an easier way, as well as how they can inspire children to tell their own stories.

Jordan Stirrat, Castle Hill Primary School

Jordan is a Year 6 teacher at Castle Hill Primary School. Since 2015, she has led writing in my school and been involved in the development of reading across the school. Jordan is really looking forward to being part of the 6-11 year old picture book fiction panel. She was fortunate to be a panellist last year on the 9-11 year old category and is so excited to be part of this fantastic award again. It is a fantastic opportunity to promote reading for pleasure and allows the children to unlock their full potential as lifelong learners. Jordan is also excited, once again, to be involved in broadening children's imaginations by transporting them off to new and wonderful worlds in new literature and deepening their knowledge. She cannot wait to see what amazing books will be chosen this year!​

Kate Priestley, Kingston Library Service

Kate is the Library Development Officer for Children, Young People and Families in Kingston. She has been involved with running Chatterbooks clubs for children aged 7-11 and secondary school book groups, as well as buying the book stock for the libraries. Kate has always been passionate about getting the right book to the right child at the right time, so is really looking forward to finding out which books they like best.