A Creative Writing Lecturer at the University of Winchester has won a children’s book prize voted for by young readers.
Safe by Vanessa Harbour (pictured above) scooped the 2026 Weald Book Award.
The competition is run by the Weald Community School in Billingshurst, West Sussex which makes a shortlist of books for pupils at its feeder primary schools every year.
Pupils not only read the books and vote for their favourite but take part in activities based on the stories including writing letters to the main characters, drawing maps and creating short ‘trailers’ for film adaptations.
“Although this is a small award it means a great deal because it was the children who voted for it,” said Vanessa.
“Several of the teacher have told me how useful safe has been in teaching the children about empathy.”
Safe is an exciting adventure story, set in the chaos of central Europe at the end of the Second World War, which explores the themes of prejudice, friendship and loyalty. It tells the story of two displaced children Kizzy, who is Roma, and Jacob, who is Jewish, and their efforts to save a herd of rare horses.
During their journey Kizzy and Jacob also encounter a band of ‘Wolf’ children, homeless orphans fending for themselves in the woods.
Safe is a sequel to Flight, which also featured Jacob and Kizzy, inspired by a real-life joint operation between US and German troops to rescue the famous white horses of Vienna’s Spanish Riding School from the advancing Russians.
Flight was shortlisted for the Sheffield Children's Book Award and included in the Guide for Empathy Reading list by EmpathyLabUK.
After a career in public relations and management consultancy, Vanessa came to the University of Winchester in 2002 as a mature student after becoming disabled and completed a master’s degree and PhD in Creative Writing. She is now Programme Leader for Creative Writing.
Safe and Flight are both published by Firefly.
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