A finalist in the 2026 Gertrude Warner Award for Middle Grade Fiction at the CIBA Awards. Winners to be announced April 2026 at the Chanticleer Authors Conference
"Cried the Raven" came into being through a love of classic poetry and has been quite joyously received by its audiences! Children have enjoyed being mildly worried followed by entertained by the antics of a late night guest to the campsite.
Awards programs are loving it as well. With Honourable Mentions in the Poetry and Middle Grade categories of the 2025 Purple Dragonfly Awards, it also performed well at the NYC Big Book Awards in New York City becoming a Distinguished Favourite in the Children's Humour category! We are so proud of where this bird has flown and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it!
Drawing only on the rhyming structure of the original by Edgar Allen Poe, this poem mimics the classic in style but not tone. While the original was full of anxiety and darkness, this is filled with some trepidation as strange noises are heard outside the tent, and then the reader is filled with giggles and lots of warm and gooey s'mores! Come see what lurks beyond the firelight!
Awards programs are loving it as well. With Honourable Mentions in the Poetry and Middle Grade categories of the 2025 Purple Dragonfly Awards, it also performed well at the NYC Big Book Awards in New York City becoming a Distinguished Favourite in the Children's Humour category! We are so proud of where this bird has flown and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it!
Drawing only on the rhyming structure of the original by Edgar Allen Poe, this poem mimics the classic in style but not tone. While the original was full of anxiety and darkness, this is filled with some trepidation as strange noises are heard outside the tent, and then the reader is filled with giggles and lots of warm and gooey s'mores! Come see what lurks beyond the firelight!
What People are Saying:
They say that S'mores are yummy!
They say that the dark is scary!
They say, please sir, can I have some more?
~Ruth Amanda
2025 North Street Book Prize
Judges Comments
While Cried the Raven did not win the North Street Book Prize, the judges feedback from Annie Mydla of Winning Writers was very positive. A couple of excerpts are below:
"Cried the Raven had lovely, funny illustrations, and I wouldn't even be able to choose favorites, they were all so good."
"The adaptation of Poe is funny and made me smile. I think kids will absolutely love a lot of the lines (page 9, 'But I confess that, yes! I SWORE!' and page 15, 'And why is he obsessed with s'mores?'"
"Cried the Raven had lovely, funny illustrations, and I wouldn't even be able to choose favorites, they were all so good."
"The adaptation of Poe is funny and made me smile. I think kids will absolutely love a lot of the lines (page 9, 'But I confess that, yes! I SWORE!' and page 15, 'And why is he obsessed with s'mores?'"
2025 Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Judges Comments
Cried the Raven was entered in the 2025 Wishing Shelf Awards, but did not make the list of finalist. I am pleased, however, with the feedback and to share these comments from the judging panel, comprised of children of the age the book was designed for (ages 9-12). The judges were at the top end of the age category:
"This is a fun book. It might get kids interested in going amping. The Raven's cool. I liked the camping tips too."
~Boy, aged 12
"There's humour, originality, and the writing style is strong."
~English Teacher, aged 46
"Sinister sounds in the campsite--a scary treat for 9-12 year olds!"
~Wishing Shelf Book Awards
"This is a fun book. It might get kids interested in going amping. The Raven's cool. I liked the camping tips too."
~Boy, aged 12
"There's humour, originality, and the writing style is strong."
~English Teacher, aged 46
"Sinister sounds in the campsite--a scary treat for 9-12 year olds!"
~Wishing Shelf Book Awards
