The Whisperer’s Warning by Danielle Y. C. McClean Wins The 2022 Bocas Children’s Award

On Sunday November 30, the Bocas Lit Fest Committee released the news that The Whisperer’s Warning by Danielle Y. C. McClean and illustrated by Rachel Moss was the winner of the 2022 Bocas Lit Fest Children’s Prize. The book is the second in the Secrets of Oscuros series. The first book, The Protectors’ Pledge is also a prize winner, having captured the third prize in the 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature. The Whisperer’s Warning continues the fantasy, mystery, and magic of the series all built on the proposition that “There’s plenty, plenty more to this world than what we see with our eyes.” This prize seeks to recognise and celebrate excellent writing and intriguing storytelling that can capture young imaginations and help establish a lifelong love and habit of reading in our young Caribbean demographic. The Whisperer’s Warning was recognized by the judging panel and announced Winner of the Prize on Sunday. The Prize Winner receives a cash prize sponsored by the Wainwright Family.

The runner’s up for the 2022 prize were:

• The Land Below by Aarti Gosine (JAV Publishing, 2022) – Trinidad and Tobago
• I Write Rhymes by Nadine Johnson (123 Mango Tree LLC, 2021) – Jamaica
• Zo and the Forest of Secrets by Alake Pilgrim (Knights Of Ltd, 2022) – Trinidad and Tobago

This is the second year that this prize has been held. Another CaribbeanReads’ publication, Chaos in Castries by Carol Ottley-Mitchell was short-listed for the 2021 prize. Other award winners in the CaribbeanReads’ catalog include Musical Youth by Joanne C. Hillhouse which was a finalist in the 2014 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature and Barberry Hill which was shortlisted for the 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature.

Ms. McClean and everyone at CaribbeanReads are delighted with the book’s success in the prize. Read more about The Whisperer’s Warning here.