The award organisers said:   “The Fights That Make Us is a beacon of resistance in this current climate. Last year’s research by PEN America and UK @indexoncensorship.org both revealed that children’s books representing people of colour and LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately represented..

..in book bans and pre-emptive censorship decisions by librarians. Add to that the chaos and harm being caused in this country by the recent Supreme Court Ruling on the legal definitions of sex and gender, alongside the creeping encroachment on LGBTQ+ rights across several western democracies..

..and Sarah Hagger-Holt’s novel could hardly be more timely and relevant for the queer community—particularly for young people, who are paying close attention to a history of both discrimination and resistance…