This Tuesday, April 22nd, saw the announcement of the grand winner of the youth award: the book by the students of Nice. On this occasion, five classes from the third cycle (4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade) were present.
“The objective of this prize is to give everyone the power to express their opinion on one or more books,” begins Maud Pouyé, president of the Association of Independent Booksellers of Nice and manager of the bookstore Les Parleuses. For this 3rd edition, four books were selected: Les Clopin-Clopant, bande de bras cassés by Agnès Marot, Un amour de tronçonneuse by Colin Thibert, Chun, le panda baby-sitter, 33 rue des Tilleuls by Florence Hinckel, and Laïka, chienne cosmonaute by Anne Pouget. It is thanks to her and her colleagues that nearly 280 students were able to receive four books during the school year.
Susie Morgenstern, the godmother of the award, reminded everyone of the great initiative being implemented. She also congratulates the schoolchildren present in the room and adds: “When I was younger, I would have loved to have a book just for me, they were rare.”
“I vote for…”
The students took turns on the stage of the Mediterranean University Center to give their opinions, perform skits on the theme of books, and read and recite. Each ambassador from their school was presented with a medal, a diploma, and a trophy for their entire class. The participating schools were seven in number: Port-Garibaldi, René Cassin, Jean Macé 2, Bon Voyage 1, St Sylvestre 1, as well as the Port Lympia and Maurice Jaubert middle schools.
“I vote for Chun the panda!” exclaims Célia, a 6th-grade student, holding the microphone standing on the stage in front of all her classmates. A bit later, Ismaël Climael declares: “Un amour de tronçonneuse, I loved it, very captivating, I read it in two days. They all deserve to win, but I prefer Chun the panda!”
After the students’ parade and the applause, Jean-Luc Gagliolo, deputy mayor in charge of Education, School Culture, Books, Fight against Illiteracy, Nice Identity, and Leisure for All, announces the lucky winner. A vote conducted by the young readers themselves. Everyone wants to know if their favorite author was selected. The deputy begins his speech: “54%” is the percentage of votes the novel received. The children’s excitement is audible. Indeed, it is Chun, le panda baby-sitter, 33 rue des Tilleuls by Florence Hinckel that wins this 3rd edition of the “youth prize: the book by the students of Nice.” The prize will be awarded on the upcoming Friday, May 30, at the Nice Book Festival.