The CODE Burt Award “is a literary award and readership initiative that recognizes excellence in locally authored literature for young adults, ages 12-18. The objective of the prize is to champion literacy, build language skills, and foster the love and habit of reading by ensuring that young people have access to high-quality, culturally relevant, and engaging reading materials” (CODE Burt Award for Young Adult Literature).

Based in Canada, CODE first established the foundation in Tanzania, but it has eventually spread to Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Caribbean. This award was designed to honor authors from Africa who create and publish books in support of young literature. The importance of literature among young adolescents is growing in Africa and many authors are being awarded for their efforts. Authors in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and Tanzania are trying to encourage younger adolescents to read and become more interested in literature.

The CODE Burt Award for Ghanaian Young Adult Literature and the Ghana Book Trust have worked together to improve literacy within schools in Ghana. This specific award encourages authors who are improving language skills among younger readers and are instilling a love of reading among readers. Ruby Yayra Goka from Ghana was the winner of the 2018 CODE Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature for her book To Kiss a Girl. This novel is about a young girl who loses her older sister and must cope with her death. This is a coming of age novel that highlights the importance of family and adolescent life.

CODE-Ethiopia is another organization, located in Ethiopia, that works with the Burt Award for African Young Adult Literature. This is an award that recognizes authors of young adult literature. Publishing companies and industries are improving in Ethiopia, so recognizing talented authors is critical in the establishment of literate young adults.

Kenya and Tanzania also have separate organizations that work with CODE. For example, Kenya has the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK) that supports reading among young adults and reading in general in Kenya. These programs are helping schools and primary schools incorporate more reading and literature into the curriculum. Tanzania works with the Children’s Book Project (CBP), which is an “award-winning literacy organization.”

All of these organizations are critical in creating an environment for young adults in Africa where they can learn the significance of being able to read. Not only are these awards and organizations critical in creating an environment for readers, but they are creating an environment for authors in Africa. We tend to focus on American authors and their work on YA literature, but African authors are writing novels for YA readers as well and should be acknowledged. Being able to read and experience things we can relate to or learn from is tremendously important for young adults. Whether that be in the United States or in Africa, literature opens the doors for all younger adults.

Works Cited

“African Young Adult Literature.” CODE, CODE’s Burt Literary Awards, 2018. www.burtaward.org/african-young-adult-lit

When Tilly Maguire, an 18-year-old from Melbourne, Australia gets an internship with an impressive PR firm in London, she is faced with many awkward, yet exciting encounters. Tilly is a talented young writer who happened to become quickly popular among many for her high school work, including Roche PR. A new job opportunity in London puts Tilly in a tricky situation when she gets invited to a ball where she meets Jack Guthrie, Reuben Vaughan, and Princess Isabelle.

Tilly quickly realizes that her new job is going to be completely different than she imaged when she stumbles at the steps of the museum and breaks her shoe in front of her long-time crush and boy band idol, Reuben Vaughan. Tilly, who is usually good with words, is found caught off guard with no words to say. Her 13-year-old self is screaming with nervousness as Reuben sits in front of her, fixing her shoe, just like out of a scene from a movie. After being called into the museum by captivated Jack Guthrie, who just happens to be a friend of Reuben, Tilly can’t believe what is happening in front of her eyes. Surrounded by beautiful, wealthy A-list celebrities and royals, as well as her boss Henrietta, Tilly is caught between work and an unexpected love triangle.

When Tilly happens to snap a picture of Reuben Vaughan and Princess Isabelle in a close encounter at the ball and posts it onto Instagram with hashtags insinuating a potential engagement, things start to get interesting. What Tilly thought was a confession of love from Isabelle, turns out to be a coming out to Reuben. This completely shocks Reuben and relieves him, as their long history of friendship won’t be turned into something more romantic. Henrietta, Tilly, Isabelle, Jack, and Reuben all gather together to discuss what is really going on. Everyone sits in awe when they find out Princess Isabelle is interested in girls.

Tilly, who just flew in from Australia and lost all of her luggage, finds herself in a hideous green dress with messy hair and a broken shoe at a ball that she really shouldn’t be at and with people she really shouldn’t be surrounded by… yet here she is. She has happened to meet Reuben Vaughan, a handsome boy band celebrity who she has had a crush on since the age of thirteen. She has managed to witness a confession by Princess Isabelle that could change everything for the royals. She has managed to get an internship with Roche PR who just happens to work with Reuben, who just happens to be interested in Tilly. Not only is Reuben potentially interested in Tilly, but Jack has shown some attention, as well as Princess Isabelle! How has this work event turned into something so much more?!

As Tilly struggles with the stress and excitement of her new internship, she is faced with many things that other teenagers deal with in their own lives. Tilly deals with anxiety and lack of self-confidence. As a high school introvert who is sent to London by herself, Tilly must find the confidence to continue writing and to continue learning more about herself. Being a teenage girl can be hard. You’re constantly under pressure to do well and to make it seem like you have everything figured out, when you really don’t.

Emma Grey, author of Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess, does a great job at incorporating many young adult themes into her novel. She is able to include humor in her story as she writes about Tilly’s character and her teenage life. This allows younger readers to connect more to what they’re reading and feel as if they can relate to Tilly’s character. Grey also includes important issues within this novel like sexuality and mental health. American young adult literature tends to avoid writing about things such as sexuality and being apart of the LGTBQ community as a young adult. It is pretty rare to find a character that is openly gay or lesbian in a YA book. I really admire the fact that this Australian novel written by Grey included the character Princess Isabelle, who came out as lesbian early in the novel. It is important for young adolescents to read about those who may have a different sexual orientation or preference. This allows for open-mindedness and acceptance of others in the YA community.

In this particular novel, Tilly struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. This is also something that tends to go unnoticed and tends to be excluded in YA literature. The inclusion of mental health and mental health related issues is crucial in YA literature because mental health is extremely important in today’s world. Younger readers need to know that it is okay to suffer from something like anxiety and those readers who may suffer from anxiety themselves, can relate to Tilly and her struggles.

Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess is an excellent novel that all young adult readers should read. This novel shows the importance of being yourself and learning the importance of doing what you love. Teenagers, especially teenage girls, will enjoy reading about Tilly and her exciting love interests, as well as her thrilling internship in London. This Australian novel does an amazing job at telling the story of Tilly, a regular teenage girl who just wants to fit in and do what she does best, write.

Words Cited

Grey, E. (2018). Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess. HarperCollins Publishers Australia.