The Extraordinary Book 2022

For the tenth year in a row, the authors of the young ilb programme select outstanding books for children, teenagers or young adults to be specially recognized with the award »The Extraordinary Book«. The international literature festival berlin is pleased to announce the award-winning titles for 2022.

Kate Allen awards:
»Dig« by A.S. King
»A.S. King sees young people and Dig is an unusual, brilliantly crafted story that emphasizes the sensitivity and wisdom of its young characters.«

Angeline Boulley awards:
»The Marrow Thieves« by Cherie Dimaline
»Whenever Indigenous people have a resource desired by the dominant society, our very existence is threatened; for example, in this near-future dystopian thriller in which government forces hunt Indigenous people whose bone marrow holds the secret to curing a worldwide plague of insomnia.«

Paula Carballeira awards:
»Cando petan á porta pola noite« [»When there’s a knock on the door at night«] by Xabier P. Docampo
»This book, full of scary stories, compiles and recalls the most sublime oral tradition. It unfolds the most delicate literary style, a true reminder of those private, intimate moments, all by ourselves, in the dark, when we are able to embody and picture some of our fears, helping us to face and fight against them.«

Laura Carlin awards:
»Duck, Death and the Tulip« by Wolf Erlbruch
»This book takes one of the most difficult and avoided subjects, death, and walks around it. The story is perfectly edited and the marriage of the images and text brings humour, poignancy and beautiful observation to its reader.«

Tatia Nadareischwili awards:
»Війна, що змінила Рондо« [»How War Changed Rondo«] by Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv
»The War was scared because he and a dozen flowers were singing in unison despite everything, and even the slightest ray of light disperses the darkness.«

Lika Nüssli awards:
»De verjaardag van de eekhoorn en andere dieren« [»Not A Day Went By: forty-nine tales of the squirrel and other animals«] by Toon Tellegen and Kitty Crowther
»Inexhaustibly funny, touching, full of observations for humanity on both a small and large scale.«

Kristina Sigunsdotter awards:
»Dom som bestämmer« by Lisen Adbåge
»Genius and empowering story for schoolyard underdogs!«

David Van Reybrouck awards:
»No Future without Forgiveness« by Desmond Tutu
»Archbishop Tutu, who died last December, played a crucial role in reconciling South-Africa after decades of apartheid. His wisdom, based on the African philosophy of connectedness, are what we need today in times of polarization.«

Sabine Rufener awards:
»Die Gans im Gegenteil« by Wolf Haas and Theresa Präauer
»Written in verse with incredible wit and combined with wonderful illustrations!«

Tàssies awards:
»La Composición« by Antonio Skármeta
»A perfectly balanced picture book by Antonio Skármeta and Alfonso Ruano, showing that even being a child, you have the power to decide who to be loyal to and who not. Especially when you live in a military dictatorship and the police are looking for your parents.«

Sam Thompson awards:
»A Wizard of Earthsea« by Ursula Le Guin
»When I read ›A Wizard of Earthsea‹ at school, Le Guin’s novel made me believe in a beautiful fantasy world – but it also helped me understand how the real world is created through the power of words.«

Hana Tooke awards:
»Northern Lights« by Philip Pullman
»This book made me fall in love with reading, as I couldn’t help but be completely immersed in the fantastical world Phillip Pullman created.«

David Wiesner awards:
»Alle Jahre wieder saust der Presslufthammer nieder oder: Die Veränderung der Landschaft« [»The Changing Countryside«] by Jörg Müller
»Told in pictures alone, ›The Changing Countryside‹ is a profound visual story that also redefines the form of the picture book.«

Hassan Zahreddine awards:
»Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes« [»A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings«] by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
»I’m always fascinated by this fabulous story for its wonderful depiction of sadness and joy in a piece of literature that was written for everyone, regardless of the reader’s age.«

Sven Beck awards:
»Fallensteller« by Saša Stanišić
»It made me laugh a lot and sometimes cry, too. Great book!«

Lola Li Bothe awards:
»Death in the Spotlight« by Robin Stevens
»I love this book because the story is full of surprises and the ending is very unpredictable.«

Celia Chung awards:
»Seekers #1 – The Quest Begins« by Erin Hunter
»›Seekers‹ teaches the reader just how important family and trust are – more important than prejudices and fear, more important than catching and eating a salmon.«

Agony Tonda Montasser awards:
»Amok Per Vers« by Martin Piekar
»Trigger warning: ›Amok per Vers‹ is full of wonderful humour, and the poems can be interpreted in many different ways. Appropiate for everyone aged 11 to 99.«

Jona Valentin Rose awards:
»De Brief voor de koning« by Tonke Dragt
»›The Letter for the King‹ impressed me because it’s so thrilling and Tiuri is braver than I could ever be.«

Berfin Sönmez awards:
»Ellbogen« by Fatma Aydemir
»From and for everyone standing between two cultures on their search for home and belonging – this was the first time I saw myself, my lived reality, my struggles, and my questions represented in a character, the first time I felt understood.«

Justus Amias Stohwasser awards:
»Amulet« by Kazu Kibuishi
»The book invites the reader into a magical, fantastic world and is beautifully and impressively illustrated.«

Anna Pilar awards:
»The Once and Future Witches« by Alix E. Harrow
»The book unites fantasy, family and the fight for women’s rights with exciting storytelling and a poetic language.«

Mieko Kawakami awards:
»Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit« by Jeanette Winterson
»We start out our lives in a box, stuffed full of things, that we didn’t chose ourselves. We are stuffed into this box without ever having been asked. How hard is the box? What shape is it? What do we have to do to get out of it? I believe that after reading this story, you will have a clear idea as to how these questions might be answered.«

The award-winning books will be exhibited in the Philipp Schaeffer Library and can be borrowed there after the festival ends. During the festival, the titles will also be exhibited in the foyer of the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. A complete list of the Extraordinary Books of the past years can be found here.