Excelsior Award Black (Aged 16+)

The Excelsior Award is the only fully independent, nationwide book award for graphic novels and manga - where kids aged 11-18 decide the winner by rating each book as they read it! In 2021, twelve graphic novels/manga were selected for the four age-appropriate shortlists and it now attracts over two hundred schools from all over the UK and Ireland! The overall goal of this scheme is to encourage reading amongst teenagers. However, its secondary target is to raise the profile of graphic novels and manga amongst school librarians and teachers. This storytelling medium has been a largely underused resource within education for many years. The Excelsior Award attempts to highlight some of the amazing books that are out there - books that fully deserve to be in our school libraries alongside regular fiction!

WINNER 2023

Midnight mission

MacKay, Jed ISBN: 9781846533495
Paperback / softback

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His mission is justice! The mysterious Mr. Knight has opened his Midnight Mission, sheltering his people from the weird and horrible. The Moon Knight stalks the rooftops and alleys marked with his crescent moon tag, bringing violence to any who would harm his flock. While Khonshu languishes in prison, Marc Spector's sacred duty must still be observed: the protection of those who travel at night. But what happens when those he would save are turned into weapons against him? When gangs of elderly residents leave a trail of bizarre violence, Moon Knight must put his body, mind and very soul on the line to end the carnage! A mysterious foe attacks from an unexpected direction, an old friend comes to visit and Marc finds himself answering the same question over and over again: "Why do you wear the mask?” 

- Browns Books Synopsis

SHORTLIST 2024

Wessel, Geoffrey D. ISBN: 9781506733746
Paperback / softback

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Cantwell, Christopher ISBN: 9781684159000
Paperback / softback

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Kraehn, Jean-Charles ISBN: 9781800441088
Paperback / softback

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Isukari, Yuba ISBN: 9781975350895
Paperback / softback

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Tamaki, Mariko ISBN: 9781779519924
Hardback

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The books on the Excelsior Award Black shortlist have been designated as suitable for children aged 16+ (or Sixth Form in schools).

We are avoiding topics that could be considered "offensive" or "too adult" for a school library, but books on this shortlist may include moderate swearing and moderate violence, akin to a 15-rated movie.