The Frisian children’s book author and ‘Berneboeke ambassador’ Lida Dijkstra is on the long list for the Flemish literature prize de Boon for children’s and youth literature with her book Schaduw van Toet. Schaduw van Toet is a youth novel about the young pharaoh Tutankhamun and his half sister, who lived like a shadow by his side.
In 2021 a new Flemish literature prize saw the light: the Boon. The prize is divided into two categories: the Boon for fiction and non-fiction and the Boon for children’s and youth literature. For a year, expert juries have read the massive entries. They selected 15 books for each category that have a chance to win the Boon.
The shortlist (5 books per category) will be announced in mid-January. On March 24, 2022, De Boon will award a book in each category for the first time in CC De Grote Post in Ostend. The winners will each receive €50,000.
About Schaduw van Toet
In Shadow of Toet, author Lida Dijkstra and illustrator Djenné Fila take you to the court of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt. Behind all the pomp and circumstance, a young king’s daughter tries to survive in a world full of trickery and deceit.
Ankhesenamun grew up in the court of her father, Pharaoh Akhenaten, in ancient Egypt. Despite the luxury of a beautiful new palace and a life full of parades and parties, her life is not easy. Her family is hungry for power and her father is not popular with the people. Ankhesenamun already has five sisters when she gets a half-brother: Tutankhamun, a weak boy with a crooked foot – the future pharaoh of Egypt. She becomes his protector and teaches him everything he needs to know to stay alive. Like a shadow she lives by his side, and everything seems to be going well. Until disaster strikes and her own life is in grave danger…
