The organizing committee of the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award announced the expert jury for the “Children’s Literature” category

The expert jury of the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award has begun its work. The jury of the Prize in the category “Literature for Children” included 12 experts, among them: literary experts, university teachers, critics, journalists and other representatives of the industry. All experts are independent and do not represent the interests of any publishing house.

Anastasia Muzychenko – expert of Prostor Ukrainian children’s book BaraBooka

Natalia Bohdanets-Biloskalenko – Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Head of the Department of Teaching Languages of National Minorities at the Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, professor at Izmail State Humanitarian University, researcher of children’s literature, author of textbooks on literary reading for younger schoolchildren

Natalia Marchenko – leading specialist of the National Library of Ukraine for Children, head of the “Klyuch” portal

Diana Melnikova – writer, teacher of Ukrainian language and literature at Novopechersk School in Kyiv 

Julia Dzhugastryanska – literary critic, candidate of sciences

Larisa Lugova – Director of the Lviv Regional Library for Children

Maria Artemenko – expert of BaraBooka Ukrainian children’s book space, methodologist of the National Center “Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”, children’s author  

Oksana Davydova – children’s writer, from 2008 to 2019 – editor-in-chief of the children’s magazine “Invent, Think, Play”

Olga Punina – candidate of philological sciences, associate professor of the Department of Theory and History of Ukrainian and World Literature of Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University

Ihor Stepurin – member of the board of the Ukrainian Association of Publishers and Book Distributors, member of the Ukrainian Library Association  

Natalia Zimina – head of the subscription sector of the department of services for preschool and younger children of the National Library of Ukraine for Children

Mira Kyivska – literary critic, editor-in-chief of the Bukmol website   

At the second stage, each expert will process the Long List in the category “Literature for Children” from 35 books submitted to the competition by 14 publishing houses and choose their favorites. After voting, 3 finalists will be determined in three nominations, which will go to the third stage. 

Book prize “Espreso. “Readers’ Choice” was founded by the “Espreso” TV channel in 2017 and is supported by the NGO “Demforum” in order to celebrate the best domestic literary novelties of the year and to support interest in reading books in Ukraine. We strive for publishers to find an effective way to reach readers through recommendations, reviews and evaluation of books by readers and authoritative experts. The peculiarity of our Award is that its winners are determined by readers at the last stage by voting in libraries throughout Ukraine.  

The winners of the Prize will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and NGO “Demforum” websites.  

The organizing committee of the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award announced the expert jury for the “Literature for Teenagers” category

The expert jury of the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award has begun its work. The Jury of the Prize in the category “Literature for Teenagers” included 11 experts, including literary experts, university teachers, critics, journalists and other industry representatives. All experts are independent and do not represent the interests of any publishing house.

Oksana Proselkova – teacher of Ukrainian language and literature at the Kramatorsk Secondary School of Grades I-III, No. 11, author of the reading project to popularize the reading of modern Ukrainian children’s and adolescent literature in the East of Ukraine “School Readings” (as part of the All-Ukrainian Project “All Ukraine Reads to Children”).

Iryna Kuzmenko – head of the All-Ukrainian Children’s Competition “PeroDactyl”, project manager 

Natalia Nevmerzhitska – head of the service department for middle-aged and older children of the National Library of Ukraine for Children

Anna Dudko – a book blogger

Tatyana Kachak – literary critic, candidate of philological sciences, associate professor of the department of professional methods and technologies of primary education, doctoral student of Vasyl Stefanyk Prykarpattia National University, head of the Ivano-Frankivsk branch of the Center for the Study of Literature for Children and Youth 

Natalia Marchenko – leading specialist of the National Children’s Library, head of the “Klyuch” portal

Olga Novyk – doctoral student of philological sciences, professor of the Department of Ukrainian and Foreign Literature and Comparative Literature, Faculty of Philology and Social Communications of Berdyan State Pedagogical University

Anna Kobets – journalist, coordinator of the project to create an ecological space in the library “Green library”, librarian of the Kyiv library on Priotka for children

Olena Ryzhko – writer, adolescent reading expert, member of NSPU, candidate of philological sciences, doctoral student in social communications, associate professor of the department of social communications at the Institute of Journalism of the Taras Shevchenko KNU 

Valentina Zakhabur – writer (poet, novelist), librarian, organizer of literary studies for children and youth

Olena Fidkevich – candidate of philological sciences, leading researcher of the department of teaching languages of national minorities of the Institute of Pedagogy of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, scientific consultant of the international experiment of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Ukraine on the formation of multilingualism of national minorities with the support of the Office of the High Commissioner of the EU. 

At the second stage, each expert will process the Long List of 14 books submitted to the competition by 8 publishing houses and choose their favorites. After voting, 3 finalists will be determined in three nominations, which will go to the third stage. 

Book prize “Espreso. “Readers’ Choice” was founded by the “Espreso” TV channel in 2017 and is supported by the NGO “Demforum” in order to celebrate the best domestic literary novelties of the year and to support interest in reading books in Ukraine. We strive for publishers to find an effective way to reach readers through recommendations, reviews and evaluation of books by readers and authoritative experts. The peculiarity of our Award is that its winners are determined by readers at the last stage by voting in libraries throughout Ukraine.  

The winners of the Prize will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and NGO “Demforum” websites. 

The organizing committee of the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award announced the expert jury for the “Adult Literature” category

The expert jury of the book award “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” in the category “Literature for adults” has started its work.

The Jury of the Prize included 15 experts, among them: literary experts, university teachers, critics, journalists and other industry representatives. All experts are independent and do not represent the interests of any publishing house.

Maryna Lazarenko – coordinator of the “Open Library” project.

Nina Golovchenko – literary critic, candidate of pedagogical sciences, associate professor; a member of NSZHU.

Yaryna Tsymbal – literary critic, candidate of philological sciences, researcher at the Institute of Literature named after T. G. Shevchenko, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Oksana Shchur – curator of the Literary Laboratory of the “Art Arsenal”, literary critic.

Oleg Solovei – literary critic and literary scholar. Associate Professor of the Department of Theory and History of Ukrainian and World Literature of Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University.

Olga Derkachova – writer, Doctor of Sciences, Prykarpattia University (Ivano-Frankivsk).

Serhiy Pyatchenko – associate professor of the department of foreign literature of Sumy State Pedagogical University, candidate of philological sciences, poet, member of NSPU.

Sofia Filonenko – a professor at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University.

Sofia Chelyak – program director of the NGO “Publishers’ Forum”, cultural manager, translator.

Iryna Troskot – editor-in-chief of the “LitAkcent” website.

Khrystyna Bukatchuk (Kukharuk) – literary critic, poetess, journalist.

Bohdana Romantsova – editor of Tempora publishing house, literary critic, lecturer.

Vadym Vasylenko – researcher, Department of Ukrainian literature of the 20th century and modern literary process, Institute of Literature named after T. G. Shevchenko;

Svetlana Taratorina – book blogger, writer, project manager

Rostislav Melnykiv – critic, journalist, literary critic and poet.

At the second stage, each expert will process the Long List of 97 books submitted to the competition by 29 publishing houses and choose their favorites. After voting, 3 finalists will be determined in three nominations, which will go to the third stage.

Book prize “Espreso. “Readers’ Choice” was founded by the “Espreso” TV channel in 2017 and is supported by the NGO “Demforum” in order to celebrate the best domestic literary novelties of the year and to support interest in reading books in Ukraine. We strive for publishers to find an effective way to reach readers through recommendations, reviews and evaluation of books by readers and authoritative experts. The peculiarity of our Award is that its winners are determined by readers at the last stage by voting in libraries throughout Ukraine.

The winners of the Prize will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and NGO “Demforum” websites.

Longlist announced for the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award in the “Adult Literature” category (part three)

During the first stage, the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award received 165 applications from 38 publishing houses in Ukraine.

The organizing committee carefully checked all publications sent by publishing houses for compliance with the requirements. After that, Long lists of books for the competition were formed in three nominations: “Literature for adults”, “Literature for teenagers” and “Literature for children”

By the second stage, 97 editions from 29 publishing houses were included in the Long List of books in the “Literature for adults” category. 

The third part of the list: 

“Conversations about life and art”, Halyna Pagutyak (“Educational book – Bohdan” publishing house)

“Conversations about life and art” is a dialogue of famous writers on artistic, philosophical and socio-political topics. This is a fascinating conversation about the experience and knowledge that a person receives in the process of creative understanding of reality – during the writing of an artistic work. The book was written during the years 2014–2016, therefore, in addition to conversations about literature and creativity, it, as if in a diary, recorded important events of the Ukrainian present. 

“Tremolo”, Lesya Bilyk (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

Life, like an accelerated drum beat, may seem monotonous to someone, but in fact it is music, original in its creation and in tune with human moods. Who among us does not like to share his soul with a random traveler? And in such involuntary confessions, you suddenly discover that you haven’t lost your lyricism yet, and everything is fine with your sense of humor, and the accumulated problems – they are, in general, a serious matter, but not so much that you capitulate to difficulties. 

The name of the collection of short prose “Tremolo” is due to the nature of the individual style of the author, who behaves quite freely with the composition of the works, distinguishing three main sections: novellas-parables, novellas of mood and novels of everyday life. 

“Spore Flower”, Taras Kokovskyi (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

Taras Kokovsky’s short prose is a variety of layers of existence. At the center of every novel or short story is a person, his thoughts, joys, sorrows, temptations and atonements, hopes and accomplishments, gains and losses… But everything is sanctified by love. We are God’s seeds, sanctified by her. As long as love is still life. We grow up and trample paths or roads. They are equal before His face, they are equally important, only it seems different to us. A tiny flower of a sedge — the lowest grass of Ukraine — is almost more valuable than the most luxurious rose. Because try to trample that spore! Try to destroy such a stable, such a hardy people. 

This book is addressed to a wide range of readers, everyone will find in it something close, consonant with fate or soul. 

“Blessed is he who goes: Peter, Paul”, Lesya Romanchuk-Kokovska (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

This novel is an authentic and fascinating journey into the times of early Christianity. It is read as an interesting historical chronicle or saga and at the same time as an inspired sacred work. 

The author psychologically accurately conveys all the nuances of the behavior and actions of the characters: Romans, Hellenes, Jews… 

In the third book of the novel, we will meet Teklya and Kliment, we will once again experience stormy adventures together… 

But the actions and actions of the apostles will attract attention the most. We will feel their power, we will understand what leads the chosen ones to the age-old choice… 

For a wide range of readers. 

“Rope for a swallow”, Nadiya Humenyuk (“Nadstyrya” Publishing House)

The poet’s heart is a sensitive tuning fork that subtly reacts to even the slightest deviation in the harmony of the world, caused either by human pain, or by the interrupted flight of a bird, or by the cry of a stem, or by the silence of a dead river. Nadiya Humenyuk is a poet who hears both the rhythms and arrhythmia of time, and the breaths of human feelings. He hears and helps others to hear with His poetry. The new collection of the famous Ukrainian writer has a wide range of topics. However, the main theme of Nadiya Humenyuk’s work was and remains the theme of the human soul, the “cultivation” and preservation of which, according to her definition, is the main meaning of the existence of earthly civilization. Because only such a soul can withstand the onslaught of the newest hordes and save our imperfect but beautiful world. 

“Vision of Ukraine 2030” Ukrainian Institute of the Future; according to V. Andrusiv, A. Amelin (“SUMMIT-BOOK” Publishing House)

Ukraine existed for 28 years without a vision of its future. We moved chaotically, without understanding where we were going, what we wanted to achieve and what our role in the world was. During all the years of independence, we did not have an understanding of what Ukraine is in the international market of the division of labor and what the product and brand called “Ukraine” is. 

In the book, the experts of the Ukrainian Institute of the Future answer the questions: where will the world move in the next ten years, what new technologies and new trends will change the everyday life of a person, what problems will be relevant in 2030 and how will humanity cope with it. However, the main thing is the answer to the question: what place will Ukraine have in the new chaotic world. 

For the first time, the authors have formulated a complete vision of what the Ukrainian economy will be like in 2030, what industry, infrastructure, education, tourism, medicine, the army and other sectors will be. Which specialties and professions will be in demand, and which will disappear, which skills should be mastered in order to become competitive in the modern world, and about many other aspects of the life of Ukrainians. The book is written from the future. Therefore, first imagine that you are in 2030 and you are watching the changes in the world and in Ukraine over the last ten years. So today is December 31, 2030… 

“#Existence_and_me. One summer day” Lyubov Baz, Lyubov Yeremicheva, Vitaly Nishchymenko, Daniel Sviderskyi, Tetyana Sydorova, Nataliya Stepanchuk, Olesya Potarzhevska, Dipein, Ivan Ishchenko, Svitlana Belousova, Slava Serhiychuk, Yuliya Sheket, Larisa Dubas, Victoria Kryzhanivska (Motor Snail Publishing House)

A collection of short prose from members and friends of the informal literary community “#Екзыстенц_и_я” united more than a dozen authors to describe “One summer day”. The writers sought to “grab” one day from existence and show that it is also important, despite our haste to find ourselves in the dreamed distant future or the annoying habit of rushing into the past. Here it is, this day – in all its beauty, with an emotional palette (different for everyone), messages, lessons, adventures and even consequences. Who knows where it will lead us, but we are sure that we want to be totally present in it to fully experience all its subtleties.  

“Flower from Manhattan”, Iryna Vlasenko (“CONDOR” Publishing House)

Strange, in many respects tragic tests befell the fate of a small pretty woman, a famous American vocalist, who in 1998 was named the most recognizable voice of the USA. Indeed, more than 20 billion people have heard her sing at least once, which is three times more than the entire population of the planet. The name of this singer is Kvitka Tsysyk. Whoever heard the voice of this singer even once will never forget it, as if she knew some secret common to every human heart. It is said that her voice has mystical power, mesmerizes and heals. Where did the magical Ukrainian flower that knew the secret code of the Ukrainian soul come from in a foreign land, in the very center of New York? 

“Syndrome of the Embryo”, Iryna Vlasenko (“CONDOR” Publishing House)

Is it possible to invent rules of existence that would make you happy, even if the word “failure” is written on your forehead from childhood? A somewhat strange single mother of two children, who lives in today’s overpopulated Kyiv, is trying to do this. Having witnessed the suicide of an unknown woman, Lisa suddenly realizes that she is connected to her by an incomprehensible common fate. The diary of a suicide brings her to an orphanage and discovers the saving meaning of a strange genetic anomaly of humanity – embryo syndrome – a disease, the total infection of which can make us happy. 

“LIBERO”, Rudy Martin (“CONDOR” Publishing House)

Mattheus arrives in the Capital City with a letter that he simply cannot help but deliver. Having reached the place, he still has no idea that his life changed the moment he took the letter in his hands. Mattheus had no idea that he, a serious football player and ex-wartime intelligence officer, would become a detective. And not at all because he wants to, but because everything turns out that way. Life pushes him further, to new secrets and adventures. 

“All their demons”, Polina Kulakova (House of Chimera Publishing House) 

A seemingly ordinary family lives in one of the apartments of the gray “Khrushchevka”. However, behind the closed doors of that house, disturbing events are taking place that their indifferent neighbors prefer not to notice. A woman who suffers from domestic violence; a teenage boy looking for understanding and support on the street; a lonely nine-year-old girl learning to live with the “demons” of her parents…  

“All Their Demons” is an explosive social thriller about children deprived of childhood, alcoholism, indifference… and bloody murders in a small town. 

“The Ice Carousel”, Oleg Polyakov (“House of Khymer” Publishing House)

Her name is Khrystyna, but in fact she is a chrysanthemum – like a late autumn flower, which is not afraid of the first frosts and snows. She is looking for her Ukraine on the Maidan in the whirlwind of revolutionary events, and ends up in a scary and at the same time beautiful place, where an ice carousel spins like a giant record. And the whimsical carousel will metaphorically circle until it turns into a ruthless roulette that decides the destinies of little chrysanthemum people. Who and why set the ice trap on the river ice and in the souls of people? What invisible force turns this merry-go-round? And will it be possible, in the end, to stop her from going crazy? 

“The Book of Invented Non-Beings”, Evgeny Lear, Kshisya Fedorovych (“House of Chimer” Publishing House)

For your attention, a whimsical non-fiction – a trickster’s guide called “The Book of Fictional Non-Creatures”. It’s an exploration of strange creatures that should live in Dreamland, but live everywhere. It is what leads you into the deepest dreams, catches you in the middle of bright noon, looks behind you and lurks in the corners of your eyes. 

A fantastic illustrated bestiary of mythical spaces subconsciously familiar to each of us. 

“Abyss”, Vlad Sord (“House of Chimera” Publishing House)

“The Abyss” is a collection of incredible and at the same time surprisingly honest stories brought by the author from the war, which he saw with his own eyes and lived for four years in field trenches, in an abandoned mine, in forests that are constantly being shot at.  

There is no heroization of “our own” or demonization of “foreigners”, it is simply a war that fell to the lot of our generation. And the war does not choose words and does not spare bullets, the war continues, like each of these stories, which, sprouting from reality, acquire bizarre metaphysical meanings in the likeness of the Black God and the primordial horror that always waits for us beyond the boundaries of time and space. 

“Robbers of forest dumpsters”, Vlad Yakushev, Andriy Lototskyi (“DIPA” Publishing House) 

“Forest Dumpster Robbers” is the second book of a trilogy about the incredible adventures of the godfathers, who have been searching for treasure with a metal detector for years. The name of the trilogy is “Two with a shovel”, because, in fact, there are two godfathers. In addition to the main characters – Yasha and Bata – readers will again meet their favorite characters: San Sanych, Doctor and Galkin. And again adventures, and again searches, and again immersion in the history of each found thing and the story of how exactly it ended up in the place where it was found by searchers. 

This book is about true male friendship, love for the homeland and the secrets of the native land, which are hidden right under our feet. 

The book is based on real events. 

“Clavus Domini”, Serhii Baturyn (“Fabula” Publishing House)

In his new novel, the famous Ukrainian writer Serhii Baturyn joins the cohort of those who are still searching for answers to the ancient question: who was the “robber Barabbas” mentioned by all four evangelists? Did he really know Jesus, and why did the Jerusalem mob insist on pardoning him, and the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate had to “wash his hands”? There is a lack of historical evidence. And it is possible that everything happened exactly as the author of the book tells about it. And before the reader unfolds a bright and truly convincing panorama of the Roman world and barbarian Europe at the beginning of the first millennium of the new era. 

“Open Here”, Maria Kozyrenko (“Fabula” Publishing House)

The “Open Here” book is an emergency exit if you’re the last person on the planet or standing trapped by a hundred bodies in a subway car; fell in love for the first time, or hid his heart in a fireproof safe and buried it at a depth of three meters; choose among a thousand roads or lean against an endless wall; you feel everything on the verge of pain or cover yourself against your will with stone scales; are you desperately looking for it or have you already found it and don’t know what to do with it? “Open here” (in any situation).

“Forbidden”, Artemiy Kirsanov, Serhii Dzyuba (“Fabula” Publishing House)

A former graduate student, who worked on a dissertation on the life and work of the outstanding poet Vasyl Stus, and now, by the will of circumstances, became a nurse, was offered to take care of a woman who was dying of a serious illness. As it turned out, the seriously ill woman was a KGB colonel in the past and met Stus many times, especially in the last days of his life. In the novel, the poet’s life in his native Donetsk region, surrounded by friends, teachers and writers, and in a concentration camp – where prisoners of conscience were kept, were blamed for their beliefs. A lot of attention is paid to the novel and the fate of the poet’s last handwritten collection. On September 5, 2019, the premiere of the film of the same name “Forbidden: The Story of the Life and Struggle of Vasyl Stus” took place in all cinemas of the country.  

“Chernobyl: sketches from nature”, Oleg Veklenko (“Fabula” Publishing House) 

A book of memories of Oleg Veklenk, a participant in the liquidation of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP, artist, professor of the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, about his personal feelings experienced during his stay in Chernobyl in May–June 1986. The author tells about the daily life of the liquidators in the camp near the station, about the primitive means of protection and about the fact that the awareness of the real danger came much later. Sincere stories about those days are written in vivid language and supplemented with author’s drawings and photographs. 

“Power and Pleasure”, Andriy Maklakov (“Fabula” Publishing House) 

Andrii Maklakov’s book is controversial and sobering, which breaks the boundaries of perceived political correctness and forces the reader to look at many aspects of modern civilization in a completely unexpected perspective. What is a society that is like a sponge soaked in narcissism? What are the real motives of the powerful of this world? Is pleasure dangerous, and what are its consequences? Does everything in this world really revolve around money and power? The author managed to put together the disparate “puzzle” of our reality in a new way and offer original approaches to the most diverse spheres of social life: economy and politics, Western philosophy and culture, science and religion, glamorous environment and secret societies.   

“Chancellery of the Crusades”, Ostap Ukrainets (“Fabula” Publishing House) 

The author transports the reader to the Stanislavs of the 17th century, the action of the novel takes place on the eve of the global reconstruction of the fortress and the expected attack of the Ottoman Empire on Europe. Three different men arrive in the city in three different ways, each of whom has his own plans and interests. The story moves forward, leaving only a series of questions, so that from a distant perspective it may seem that these three are pursuing a common goal. Or that there really is no purpose. 

“Those Who Are Not”, Andriy Klimov, Svitlana Klimova (“Fabula” Publishing House)

A real disaster befell fourteen-year-old Marta: after a long absence, her mother’s brother returned, settled in the same apartment and began to pursue the young girl, pursuing her. Not finding understanding and support from her parents, Marta dares to do a desperate act bordering on crime – and at the same time learns that she is an adopted child, and the name of her real mother is a secret. A series of dramatic events, as it seems to Marty, leads her loved ones and herself to a dead end… “Those who are not” is a book about psychological violence and resistance to it, capricious forms of queer sexuality, problems of adopted children and generational conflicts that are still affected by the “scoop” reality. The novel takes place in the summer of 2013. In Ukrainian, “Those Who Are Absent” is published for the first time in its full version.   

“Repyakhi”, Serhii Martyniuk (“Fabula” Publishing House)

The magnetic lines of his poems echo with love for a woman, for a mother, for nature, for life, for the world… They settle on the teeth with a gritty, but so gentle, nostalgia. His poetry resounds as a refrain through revolutions, through seasons, through our souls, roads and cities. Each word flows through the fingers like cool mountain water and clings to hearts and minds like… burdock. Not giving any chance to forget them. His poems are a concentration of truth, sadness, universal love and all the magical worlds that found their place in Serhiy’s life. We know how long you all have been waiting for it! And here it is, a poetry collection 

“Night on Venus: 113 female writers who shine in the dark”, Hanna Ulura (ArtHuss Publishing House)

113 women writers: famous, known, forgotten. There are also unknown ones. 

Each of them did something first in literature or did something better than others. 

Each of them has an unusual biography. Their stories are about giving up something: for each of them, something was very important at the start and gradually lost its importance during the writing process. 

These are stories of sacred sacrifices and mystical rituals. 

This is a utopia of female solidarity and the continuation of tradition. 113 women writers write to each other. They read each other. They coexist side by side beyond the boundaries of time and space. 

And shine in the dark. 

“Creation of the world. Seven days with Taras Prokhasky”, Tetiana Teren (“Pabulum” Publishing House) 

On the pages of this book, this interview-book, journalist Tetiana Teren and writer Taras Prokhasko create their own map with seven important destinations. They think about the creation of themselves, about the landscape, the country and the world that shapes us. They look closely at plants, animals and people. They try to understand and explain creativity. During this seven-day journey into themselves, they go through each of the stages of the Act of Creation, trying to understand (at their level) the Creator’s plan. 

Before us is the most complete portrait of one of the most famous Ukrainian writers of our time. 

“Lessons of the king of horrors: How to write horror”, Rostyslav Semkiv (“Pabulum” Publishing House)

Why did Stephen King get the title “King of Horror”? How did he become a millionaire with millions of copies and the most screened author in world literature? What is the secret of his phenomenal writing productivity? After all, what can we learn from King? Rostyslav Semkiv tells the most interesting details from the writer’s life, shares the history and laws of horror. The author analyzes the creative techniques, writing principles and marketing moves that King uses and that others should use. 

In one book, the practical advice that King gives in his On Writing, Danse Macabre and other texts, and the creative tools that “the King” kept quiet about, but they definitely work. The book will be useful to novice authors, king lovers, and anyone interested in the ins and outs of the literary process. 

“Duel for the truth. Mustafa Nayem’s interview rules”, Mustafa Nayem, Tetiana Teren (Pabulum Publishing House)

Mustafa Nayem has been in journalism for over ten years. In this book, he collected the most important things from his experience — the rules and techniques of interviewing. How to properly prepare for a conversation, build a strategy, how to ask and interrupt. How to properly start and end a conversation, how to adhere to journalistic ethics and not turn the interview into a speech from the podium. The author tells about all this with detailed examples. 

The book will be useful for journalists and bloggers who want to develop in the interview genre. And to everyone who is ready to improve their own communication skills. After all, every conversation is a small interview. 

“Excursions to Transcarpathia”, Roman Ofitsynskyi (“TIMPANI” Publishing House)

“Excursions to Transcarpathia” are aimed at all fans of the westernmost region of Ukraine – a region with a multifaceted past. In the introduction, the history of Transcarpathia is briefly described. The five sections of the main part are arranged according to the problem-thematic principle. The first chapter “Historical Milestones” describes possible routes along the roads of opryshks, heroes of Carpathian Ukraine, World War II (Arpad Line). The second chapter “Cultural space” tells about Transcarpathian castles, Austro-Hungarian architecture and wine cellars of the region. The third section “Museum treasures” is devoted to ethnographic and museum exhibits of Transcarpathia. “Sacred architecture” is the name of the fourth chapter, which talks about notable Transcarpathian churches and monasteries. In the fifth section “Unique natural attractions” mountain and water-healing routes are presented. The appendices contain reference materials about falling meteorites, musical organs, Transcarpathia in feature films. 

“Nation of vegetables? How information changes the thinking and behavior of Ukrainians”, Oksana Moroz (Yakaboo Publishing) 

This is a guide from a practicing manipulator on how to resist the information viruses that infect us every day. They are conduits for thousands of harmful claims. They kill consciousness and turn their victims into an obedient herd. They prey not only on us, but also on future generations. In the book, the author gives recommendations on how to protect yourself, children and loved ones from the virus industry, explains what information viruses are and how to recognize them and how they have already changed each of us. 

“You can do it! 7 components of a healthy lifestyle”, Darka Ozerna (Yakaboo Publishing)

This is a guide to a conscious attitude to life and improving health. It contains recommendations on diet, normalization of body weight and sleep, physical activity and medical examinations. All theses and conclusions are based on modern scientific data, medical recommendations and diagnostic and treatment protocols. The author easily and in detail explains how to take a balanced and conscious attitude to one’s health and lifestyle, not to go to extremes, not to believe in magic pills, magical thinking and not to resort to strict restrictions. In addition, the manual is written for and about modern Ukrainians, with a deep understanding and empathy for their daily challenges.  

In the second stage, each expert will choose five candidate books from this list, which they will place in order of ranking. 

Accordingly: 

1st place (5 points) — winner and further  

II place (4 points), 

III place (3 points), 

IV place (2 points), 

V place (1 point). 

The organizing committee, by counting points, will determine 3 books in each of the nominations, which will go to the third stage of voting. These finalist works will be presented at the discretion of readers in libraries almost throughout Ukraine. During this voting, the final winner will be determined.  

Book prize “Espreso. “Readers’ Choice” was founded by the NGO “Demforum” and the TV channel “Espreso”. Its presentation took place on May 18, 2017 as part of the “Book Arsenal” in Kyiv. 

The award is designed to celebrate the best Ukrainian modern literary novelties of the year, to support the interest of Ukrainians in reading domestic authors. To help readers choose interesting books, and publishers to find a way to readers. The winners of the Award will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and “Demforum” websites.

Longlist announced for the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award in the “Adult Literature” category (part two)

During the first stage, the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award received 165 applications from 38 Ukrainian publishing houses. The organizing committee carefully checked all publications sent by publishing houses for compliance with the requirements. After that, Long lists of books for the competition were formed in three nominations: “Literature for adults”, “Literature for teenagers” and “Literature for children”

By the second stage, 97 publications from 29 publishing houses were included in the Long List of books in the “Literature for adults” category. 

The second part of the list: 

“Unia”, Volodymyr Yeshkilev (“Folio” Publishing House)

“The new force was fermenting and foaming, like young wine, giving birth to wild hopes and ambitious projects. In dark and secret places, the new power met the old – gray and wild, infused with intoxicating honeys and witches’ brews. Mixing, these two formed a mixture full of energy, movement, joyful rage and enterprising madness,” — Volodymyr Yeshkilev about Ukraine in the middle of the 17th century in the historical novel “Union”, the first of the “Cursed Hetmans” trilogy. 

The novel tells the story of Ivan Ostapovich Vyhovskyi and the betrayed hopes of the hereditary Ukrainian nobility, which hoped for a worthy place in Ukraine-Rus in the most modern of the contemporary states — the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, about the role of the Orthodox Church in those events, about the catastrophe that befell the Hetman state after the victorious Battle of Konotop. As in Yeshkilev’s previous novels, the artistic reconstruction is complemented by a carefully checked “internal encyclopedia” of the work, which collects little-known and sometimes suppressed information about the Hetman era and events related to it. 

“History of civilization. Ukraine. Volume 1. From the Cimmerians to Russia (10th century BC – 9th century)”, compiled by Mykhailo Videyko (Folio Publishing House)

Two millennia of history on the territory of modern Ukraine appear on the pages of this publication. The book is divided into two parts: the first covers the period from the 10th to the 3rd centuries. n. e., the second – from the III century. to the 9th century The content of the book was developed with the aim of involving in its writing a wide range of specialists who have best researched and understood certain issues. Information about language, religion, mythology, technical achievements, economy, art and military affairs of ancient times is collected under one cover. The book contains a lot of unique information, the results of the latest research, some chapters became the first swallows in the coverage of certain topics in such a volume. 

“Galician saga. The Great War”, Petro Luschyk (“Folio” Publishing House)

“The Great War” is the first book of the “Galician Saga”, the events of which begin in 1914. 

In the Galician village of Peretyni, life is leisurely and even uninteresting. Perhaps the only exception in the middle of the gray Budenshchyna is the confrontation between supporters of the Ukrainian “Prosvita” and Muscophiles, which sometimes turns into a fight. However, the peaceful existence suddenly ends on a fine July day in 1914, when the inhabitants of Peretyn learn about the beginning of the war. From now on, each of them has his own path and his own destiny. The Talerhof concentration camp, the first in Europe, awaits Muscophiles; adult men are drafted into the Austrian army; patriotic young people join the ranks of the Ukrainian Riflemen. The peasants who remained at home fully enjoyed the “delights” of the Russian occupation and the arbitrariness of “their” Austrian gendarmes. When those who should have perished died, and the lucky ones returned home, it became clear that everything was just beginning… 

“Marichka Kyiv. Betrayal”, Halyna Horytska (Folio Publishing House) 

She is beautiful and smart. It should be added that most women would give anything to change their lives for the life of Marichka Bohdanivna, the wife of an influential businessman, who is also close to the political beau monde of Ukraine. Her husband – young, kind, handsome – adores his wife. However, this idyll is destroyed by a chance meeting… However, is anything in this world accidental? 

This novel is not about crazy love, not about psychopathy, and not even about friendship. It is about female friendship, which every girl is looking for, and only a few find. 

“The Exile and the Trained Witch”, Andriy Kokotyukha (“Vivat” publishing house)

Summer of 1911. Platon Chechel, a former Kyiv investigator and now an exile, carries out a delicate assignment in Poltava. But he is detained in the city by another story – not a criminal one, but a mystical one. Something strange is happening in the country. The weather is deteriorating, cattle are dying en masse, a young local landlady is accused of witchcraft, and behind all this are old family sins of strangers – bloody retribution for which is inevitable. What devils are hiding in the swampy corner of Poltava Oblast? Why do the owners smile and at the same time sharpen knives on strangers? Establishing the truth for Plato is a matter of honor. And survival… 

“Under a foreign flag”, Lora Pidhirna (“KM-BUKS Publishing Group”)

Holodomor reaps a bitter harvest in Ukraine. The Green Wedge can become the main support of Ukrainians in the fight against the Soviet occupation, “to keep Moscow in check”. Meanwhile, Old Europe is in anticipation of a new imminent disaster, because in the bowels of the Weimar Republic, Hitlerism is slowly rising to its feet… New dangerous tests await Mark Shved as well. Now, by the will of fate, he is a special agent of MI6 and together with the young British journalist Jan Fleming has to carry out a secret, dangerous mission in Harbin and Soviet Moscow… However, Marko remains a knight of the Secret Ukrainian Legion. It is not easy to solve the secret of his family and not lose the love given to him by fate. He is just as cruel: in the Far East, and even in London. 

The new adventures of the Ukrainian “James Bond” – Mark Shved, unfolding against the historical background of the 30s, masterfully written by the author, Laura Pidhirna, impress with their realism and drama. 

Dangers, secrets, love… And most importantly – Ukrainian history, the unlearned and unlearned lessons of which can have very painful consequences for contemporaries. 

“The last abode of rebellion. Leoburg”, Iryna Grabovska (“KM-BUKS Publishing Group”) 

“The last abode of rebellion” is a fantastic detective story, the action of which takes place in the city of scientists and inventors Leoburg, in a parallel world where powerful empires – British, Russian, Austro-Bosnian and Japanese – rule. The world is shaky and illusory, and the specter of a great war once again hovers over the continent. 

The first book is an immersion in the magical world of Leoburg, unraveling its secrets, and in the second book, difficult trials and espionage intrigues of bloodthirsty empires await the heroes. Is it possible to stop the world war? Will the small town survive under the onslaught of several big enemies? What will you have to sacrifice for your loved ones? 

The “Leoburg” dilogy is one of the few works in the steampunk genre in Ukrainian literature. Usually, the elements of steampunk – retrofuturism, entourage of the end of the 19th century, large-scale industrialization and the triumph of steam engines, experiments with electricity and the creation of controlled monsters – are closely intertwined with a detective story, a spy line, mysticism or an alternative history. As an example, you can cite the films “Van Helsing” (2004), “Death Machines” (2018), books from Scott Westerfeld’s trilogy “Leviathan”, the book “Station on the Street of Despair” by China Miéville. 

“Lovely Prodigal”, Valentin Tarasov (“KM-BUKS Publishing Group”)

Romantic fin de siècle is the border between the 19th and 20th centuries. Young gulvisa Mykhailo Svyridovych Lanovy, whom a caring uncle sent to Kyiv to study at the university, cannot waste his life on such mundane things when there are so many charming women around. And everything would be fine with Michel, as he always presents himself, if it were not for eternal debts. Creditors are encroaching on all sides, there is no salvation from them… Is there still? With a strict hand, the uncle decides to return Michel to the quiet provincial Zakopane, where a boring job in his uncle’s office awaits the lover. But who would have thought that even in a sleepy town, our hero will manage to find adventures on his head – stormy, funny and even very dangerous. 

“Planet Wormwood”. Oksana Zabuzhko (Komora Publishing House) 

This volume collects Oksana Zabuzhko’s most important essays of the last two decades, devoted to figures and events that the author considers culturally significant for today’s era of crisis of humanism. “Women’s”, “men’s” and “collective”, all these “portraits” are united by the author’s deeply personal experience of the current story, in which she inscribes her characters – and thereby reveals in it, even if it seems catastrophic, a previously invisible life-affirming meaning. 

“OUR SAVIOR. WE ARE WAITING”, Ihor Dovganyuk (Vic Publishing and Printing Company LTD)

Futuristic vision of a just “New Earth”. The author emphasizes the happy development of humanity with deep faith in God. 

“Bug”, Ihor Pavlyuk (SE “All-Ukrainian Specialized Publishing House “Svit”)

The novel “Bug” by the famous Ukrainian writer is about real events in Volyn Polissia after the Second World War. Schoolchildren from one of the local schools in Volyn, where the UPA was born, organized the Youth Organization of Nationalists, for which they were severely punished by the Soviet authorities. 

The novel, sprinkled with poems by the favorite poet of one of the main characters of the novel, Andriy Nayuk, is about psychology, philosophy, and the ideology of patriotism. It has a lot of romantic love and carnal pleasures, suffering, sacrifice and betrayal, visions and phantasmagorias, insights and predictions of modern war, although it was written back in 2007. The short stories about the Golden Fish naturally integrate the novel with the existence of Being in all its micro- and macro-dimensions and pulsations. 

“The Tenet of War”, Pavlo Derevyanko (“House of Chimera” Publishing House)

The year is 1852. Victory in the recent war between the Northern Alliance and the Two-Sea Alliance has cost the Gray Order many lives. The Red and Black Soviets are preparing for the election of a hetman, disturbing rumors are coming from abroad, and the Orthodox Church is openly opposing the Syromans, whose bloodless ranks are melting with their glory. Despite the decline, the knights of the Gray Order stand guard… 

“Tarana”, Serhiy Karyuk (“Green Dog” Publishing House (Gamazin))

The middle of the 18th century. The bloody meat grinder of Haydamachchyna mercilessly grinds the spines of human destinies. Everyone falls into its gear — from a nobleman to a peasant. And so, during the brutal attack, another village was destroyed. Almost all its inhabitants – young and old – were cut out. A young girl miraculously escaped death, but becomes the bane of those who took the lives of her relatives. In the pursuit of revenge, which stretched for seventeen years, she erases from the face of the earth both the good and the evil, and the guilty and the innocent. But in the end, the petrified heart has to calm down: the widow stumbles upon the trail of the last killer, but here too fate decides to play an evil joke with her… 

For connoisseurs of high-quality historical detective stories. 

“Zloty, dollar, euro. The story of a never-crying wage earner”, Olena Kosenko-Kabyuk (Green Dog Publishing House (Gamazin)) 

Ukrainians do not go abroad for a good life. But none of them puts a cross on themselves. Olena Kosenko-Kabyuk’s autobiographical novel tells about the life of a wage earner who overcomes obstacles and injustice for the sake of her children’s happiness. However, life abroad is not without surprises, when a person is open in his feelings and beliefs, happiness cannot bypass him and will definitely find its owner. For suffering and wandering in a foreign land comes a reward – a meeting with the beloved of a lifetime. 

This story is about the fate of a specific woman and at the same time about the fate of thousands of wage earners, about Europe from up close and Ukraine from afar. This story is typical and at the same time unique, bitter and funny, wise and naive – like all our lives. 

“The Second Line (Not) Tactical Stories”, Volodymyr Gadion (Green Dog Publishing House (Gamazin))

2015 year. ATO. The fourth wave of mobilization. Each from his military commissariat, each for personal reasons: first, many different people end up on training, and then on the second line of defense. The mass is so motley that making an army out of it is more than a victory. The two and a half dozen stories that make up this story are not simple chronicles of several years ago, but sketches of the artist, written from nature, experienced, understood, somewhere permeated with sadness and pain, because this is war, somewhere full of deep philosophical thoughts, because on the razor’s edge you feel everything sharper, but somewhere also flavored with humor, because even in war there is life with its own jokes and punctures, bores and weirdos. 

An original composition, a simple presentation, lively language, the effect of presence – in this book there will be a lot of new things for everyone! 

“Other People’s Sins”, Tanya Piankova (Family Leisure Club Publishing House)

Just before Easter, the pregnant Gapia tragically dies, leaving behind the great secret of her heart. Her mother makes two Motan dolls for her daughter’s suitors in order to punish the one who harmed her… No one, except for Yakov’s reproach, knows that because of the strange gifts of the two brothers’ lives, shards begin to fly.  

The interweaving of fates, strange and terrible events that take place in the village hold the reader’s attention from the first to the last page. And the events take place during forty days, because that’s how long the soul of Gapia walks around the world… 

The play “Bread Truce”, Serhii Zhadan (Meridian Chernovits Publishing House)

What to do when you don’t trust even your closest relatives? How to get out of the trap into which he drove himself? Who can you tell about the most important things, if the language is broken, and the ability to listen and understand has remained in the pre-war past? The events of the play “Bread Truce” take place in the summer of 2014. The story of one death gradually turns into the story of an entire generation, into the story of relations between children and parents, into a story of betrayal and mistrust, full of comic words and tragic meanings, which Serhiy Zhadan knows how to combine so perfectly. The war continues, and no truce can heal the wounds inflicted: they will continue to ache, forever changing the lives of people who never intended to fight. 

“List of Ships”, Serhiy Zhadan (“Meridian Chernovits” Publishing House)

Sixty poems about the memory born of love, and about the fire by which tenderness remains. Sixty attempts to outline the light and tell about the air above the city. Sixty fragments of other people’s conversations, sixty voices that fill the spring twilight. The “Ship List” is a list of those who are gone, but who cannot be forgotten. A list of names that accompany you throughout your life. List of cities where you are always waiting. Probably the author’s most intimate and painful book. 

“Yes, but”, Taras Prokhasko (Meridian Chernovits Publishing House)

Taras Prokhasko, who has been promising us to write a novel for a long time, has not written it again. But he wrote – in his unmistakable style – a series of skits or, perhaps, essays. About what? About the same thing: about the future that was a long time ago, and about everything that already is, but not knowing how long it will be. In particular, about such simple things as balconies and curtains, light and stones, swings and toilets, walking through the city and shooting a film in the Carpathians, the formula of happiness and the influence factor, Babinton and Selbsferstendlich, etc. And also about the fact that you need to sleep carefully, eat breakfast – in your own way, and look – by shifting the visor. Yes, but that’s not the main thing here. Because the main thing here is the type of story in which reflections become elements of the plot and appear not as written after the fact, but as spoken at the moment of birth. And therefore, these are not sketches or essays, but stories in the strictest sense of the word. 

“In Search of Barbarians”, Andrii Lyubka (Meridian Chernovits Publishing House) 

Andrii Lyubka’s new book is a story about the lands and peoples between Odessa and Trieste, about the regions where the Balkans begin and do not end. This is a private diary of numerous trips to popular places, capitals, but also to provinces and unrecognized republics lost in time and space. Why Serbs don’t like Croats, and Slovenians don’t consider themselves Balkans, how the Danube not only divides, but also connects Europe, where and when Macedonian traffic policemen cheat on bribes, which girl from Bucharest the author could fall in love with, how much rakija you can drink in Sarajevo and ouzo in a Greek tavern – Lyubka tells about this and other things, sometimes with humor, and sometimes with scientific thoroughness. overcomes borders and questions stereotypes, meets and quarrels, looks for lodgings and pretends to be a Slovak – in short, does everything that needs to be done, looking for barbarians. 

“Secret source” Andrii Kokotyukha, (“Educational book – Bohdan” publishing house) 

Early autumn of 1981. Party and Komsomol figures die one after another in Ternopil Oblast. The cause of death was drinking spring water. And not just: near the village where the bodies were found, there is a source of St. Barbara. Local legend says that the water in it is magical. He prolongs life for people with a pure heart, and kills the wicked. Mystique – has someone unknown announced their secret war to the authorities? What secret does the dense forest hide, where a secret spring flows? Kyiv detective Igor Knyazevich was assigned to investigate the strange case. So he ends up in the mysterious village of Hayvoron, cut off from big cities, where people live by their own laws and people like him, oh, how they don’t like it… “Secret Source” is a retro-style detective story, the plot of which is mixed with Ukrainian Gothic. And also – a historical novel that transports the reader to the not-so-distant past. Those who remember those times will remember how the Soviet empire crumbled before their eyes. Those who did not live those times will understand why it fell apart. 

“Crazy Raid”, Serhii Ukhachevskyi (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

The events of the novel take us to the hot May of 2014. Ukraine was changing. A war began in the East. One by one, under the pressure of the armed separatists, the cities came under their control. The unbalanced Ukrainian government, the army and law enforcement agencies did not want and could not resist it. But organized groups of patriots and armed forces still managed to resist and restrain the rapid advance of the enemy. The novel is about a successful operation carried out in 2014 by the people of Maidan to remove state valuables and documents from Luhansk, which is no longer under the control of the Ukrainian authorities. The main characters are known to readers from the novel “Such a Crazy Year”. With them are Maidan comrades who easily agree to risky operations and carry them out brilliantly. Despite thousands of obstacles, betrayals and tricks. The author, with knowledge of the material, conveys the contemporary Maidan life, life and mood in the cities controlled by the militants. The story is told in an accessible language, with light humor, interesting characters and brilliant descriptions. An exciting love line, a twisted plot with unexpected endings will appeal to a wide range of readers. 

“Murder in the Library at 9 Rynk”, Viktor Yankevych (“Teaching Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

It is not for nothing that they say that a writer can involuntarily prophesy the fate of himself or others, or even predict phenomena or events… The title of the detective presentation, which came to the author spontaneously and somewhat provocatively, intriguingly, suddenly became a reality, a real horror both for him and for the guests of the event, among whom we can find many well-known personalities in Ukraine. But “librarians know everything”, so in this story, as in the previous one, Yuliya Levytska – a librarian and detective – will be able to untangle the tight knot of family relationships and, of course, find the killer. For a wide range of readers. 

“Retribution”, Viktor Yankevych (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House) 

The main character of the detective story “Revenge” is a librarian who, by coincidence, not only managed to masterfully solve a crime in a foreign city, but also met her lover. But fortunately… Ancient Kremenets, in which the events take place, serves not just as a background or background of the depicted. He is alive. The author will inspire everyone who reads it to fall in love with it. 

“Fall” by Serhii Sinyuk, (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

The price of one’s solution to a complicated historical and psychological puzzle is a dozen young lives. The price of decency and professionalism is personal life. The detective “Fall” by Serhii Sinyuk is an experience of the nineties, poignantly relevant for today. For a wide range of connoisseurs of the thriller genre. 

“Alignment” of Zbruch. Palpation”, Oleg Klymenko (Educational Book – Bohdan Publishing House) 

The historical novel-chronicle “Palpation” is the first book of Zbruch’s “Alignment” trilogy. It talks about the duel between Polish and Soviet intelligence that took place in the Ternopil region on the eve and at the beginning of the Second World War. 

High-profile events related to the evacuation of the Bank of Poland’s valuables and historical characters, including dignitaries of Poland and the USSR, are revealed metaphorically, with irony and sarcasm. 

“Women’s Sultanate: Power and Love”, by Oleksandra Shutko (“Teaching Book – Bohdan” Publishing House) 

This edition contains letters from representatives of the “Women’s Sultanate” in the Ottoman Empire, which shed light on the style of conducting affairs and even their character, and are being published in Ukrainian for the first time. It is about the love correspondence of Hürrem (Roksolana) with her husband, Sultan Suleiman, and the diplomatic correspondence with the Hungarian Queen Isabella Jagiellonka, the Polish King Sigismund II August and the Persian Princess Sultan. Along with that, the messages of Roksolana’s successors, Valide Nurbanu and Safiye, addressed to the Doge of Venice, the French Queen Catherine de’ Medici, and the English Queen Elizabeth I. The letters of Ukrainian Valide Kyosem and Ukrainian Khatija Turkhan (Nadiyya), which they wrote to grand viziers and other dignitaries, have also been translated. 

The book highlights facts from the biographies of these women not known in Ukraine until now, which emerge not only from their personal correspondence, but also from archival documents of Turkey, Italy, France, England and Poland, Ottoman annals and discoveries of Turkish scientists. All this will enable the reader to assess the role and influence of women on state affairs and better understand the processes that took place at that time in the Ottoman Empire and the world during the 16th and 17th centuries. 

“The Black Soldier”, Oleksandr Yevtushok (Educational Book – Bohdan Publishing House)

After two devastating defeats of the German army – at Al-Alamein in Africa and at Stalingrad in the USSR – at the end of the winter of 1943, the Ukrainian police units in Volyn left the service and joined the ranks of the newly created UPA. In order to replace them, the German occupation authorities conducted another forced and voluntary mobilization among Volyn youth. It is about these “black soldiers” that is told in the story of Oleksandr Yevtush. 

“Bozhena”, Alina Chervonooka (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

“Through thorns to the stars” is the life credo of Bozhena, a student of a pedagogical university. A young ambitious girl from the province comes to the big city to get a higher education and ensure a better life for herself. Her favorite profession, financial freedom and independence are her dreams. But fate had something more in store for her — a burning, intoxicating love with a great fortune to spare. They say that dreams don’t betray – they just change them. Will Bozhena’s dream change? Will she dare to cross the chasm of social inequality for the sake of the embrace of her lover? Will she be able to trust him with a wounded heart? Only time will tell. 

“Trees on the Roofs”, Oleksandr Vilchynskyi (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

When life is at the bottom, whether it’s a glass, or broken illusions, or futile efforts to learn from one’s own mistakes, suddenly she appears and everything changes… It turns out that you can fall in love even at fifty. But the novel “Trees on the Roofs” is not only about the love of Yakov, a photographer and rebel with a long gray tail and a ball in his ear, and a black-skinned Ukrainian Anzhelka, but also about a city that looks like a ship, about its houses and trees, and also about the hangout “Penguin”, where “intellectuals and artists” from all the surrounding neighborhoods like to gather, and also about houses, trees and running errands in other cities, about eternal difficult relations between the artist and alcohol, and also about cats, male friendship and undigging potatoes at my mother’s in the village… In a word, it is dedicated to all Ukrainian intellectuals who have not finished reading Joyce’s Ulysses. 

“Gremyslava”, Olena Khodyuk (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

This is the first novel about the daughter of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Ingvar Yaroslavych, who grew up in Shumsk, from where she married Prince Lesko I Bily of Kraków. After becoming a widow, she was the regent of the young son of Boleslav V the Shy. Practically ruled the most powerful Polish principality. Her daughter and daughter-in-law are beatified saints of the Catholic Church. Gremyslava’s biography needs comprehensive research, but what is known shows us an example of a solid, strong-willed mistress, a faithful wife, a wise and selfless mother. For a wide range of readers.

“(Lies) Demetrius I: The Unborn Tsar”, Lana Perlulainen (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

(False) Dmitry the First (Yuriy Bohdanovich Nelidov-Otrepiev) (? – May 27, 1606) with the support of the magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with the help of Polish soldiers, Zaporizhzhya and Don Cossacks, won the Moscow throne and married our compatriot Marianna Mnishkhovna. Muscovites endured only 11 months on the throne of their best king, and after executing him, they tried to destroy even the traces of his reforms. We could now have a completely different Russia. But the story does not tolerate a conventional way… 

“Unnative Tsar” was written at the same time as “Empress of Trouble” and was originally part of the novel about Marianna Mnishkhovna, but the hero won back a separate territory for himself. Both novels are thematically and emotionally connected. Polish, Ukrainian and Russian sources were used in the writing. 

“Marina Mnishek: The Empress of Turmoil”, Lana Perlulainen (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

This is the life story of our compatriot Marianna Mniskhovna (1588–1614), better known as Marina Mniszek due to the Russians misreading her last name (in Polish, Mniszech means chenchik, and Mniszek means dandelion). The youngest daughter of the Polish tycoon Jerzy Mnishka was born in the Starosambir district of the Lviv region. Fate connected her with the (false) Dmitrys – the First and Second, the Cossack chieftain Ivan Zarutsky, made her the first empress of Moscow and the rival of the King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sigismund III Vasa. And in the end she took everything. 

“Unconquered Carpathian Ukraine”, Oleksandr Gavrosh (Educational Book – Bohdan Publishing House)

The famous journalist, writer, playwright Oleksandr Havrosh talks about his discoveries related to Carpathian Ukraine, which became the center of Ukrainian political life in 1938-1939. The author collected these materials for years, publishing them in the press, until he finally decided to publish them separately. In addition to journalistic investigations, the book also contains the author’s play “Last Tango in Khust”, which was successfully premiered on March 14, 2019 as part of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Carpathian Ukraine – it is the first dramatic work about those heroic and tragic events on the Ukrainian professional scene. 

In the second stage, each expert will choose five candidate books from this list, which they will place in order of ranking. 

Accordingly: 

1st place (5 points) — winner and further  

II place (4 points), 

III place (3 points), 

IV place (2 points), 

V place (1 point). 

The organizing committee, by counting points, will determine 3 books in each of the nominations, which will go to the third stage of voting. These finalist works will be presented at the discretion of readers in libraries almost throughout Ukraine. During this voting, the final winner will be determined.  

Book prize “Espreso. “Readers’ Choice” was founded by the NGO “Demforum” and the TV channel “Espreso”. Its presentation took place on May 18, 2017 as part of the “Book Arsenal” in Kyiv. 

The award is designed to celebrate the best Ukrainian modern literary novelties of the year, to support the interest of Ukrainians in reading domestic authors. To help readers choose interesting books, and publishers to find a way to readers. The winners of the Award will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and “Demforum” websites. 

Longlist announced for the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award in the “Adult Literature” category (part one)

The organizing committee of the book award “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” presented the Long list of books in the category “Literature for adults” (the first part of the list)

During the first stage of the book award “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” received 165 applications from 38 Ukrainian publishing houses. The organizing committee carefully checked all publications sent by publishing houses for compliance with the requirements. After that, Long lists of books for the competition were formed in three nominations: “Literature for adults”, “Literature for teenagers” and “Literature for children”.

By the second stage, 97 publications from 29 publishing houses were included in the Long List of books in the “Literature for adults” category.

The first part of the list: 

“Destination Country”, Tetyana Davydenko (“Publishing House 21”)

The letters of Stepan the bear are travel essays, written on behalf of an average Ukrainian bear, sometimes in the Western hemisphere, then in the Eastern hemisphere. These are stories from various exotic countries and cities, as well as cities of Ukraine, which Stepan actually visited. There is a lot of irony and intertextuality here. Writing letters to his landlady, Stepan conducts a short course in Ukrainian and world literature. The country of destination for the bear is always Ukraine.

“Strange People”, Artem Chapai (“Publishing House 21”)

Ukrainian scientists recreated a Neanderthal using DNA. He grows up in a secret institute disguised as a garage cooperative, and only after reaching adulthood does he go out into the big world. Due to the lack of life experience and peculiarities of thinking, the Ukrainian Neanderthal constantly gets into strange situations – and he looks at the local sapiens with the eyes of a somewhat naive outsider. However, it gradually turns out: everything can be more complicated. And this is not fiction. This, as one of the heroines will say on another occasion, is “rather a tragicomedy.” 

“Zashmorgy”, Lesya Ivasiuk (“21 Publishing House”) 

Journalist Oresta receives a task from an Austrian actor: to find information about Ostarbaiter Maria – his father’s first wife. These searches cover several layers of time and the lives of several generations in Austria and Ukraine. Step by step Orest unravels the tangle of secrets and finds people whose existence neither she nor the customer suspected. The journalist collides two different worlds: traditionally Austrian, with its specific style, and Ukrainian, her native one. In this intellectual-historical thriller, all the characters have their own stories and tragedies, but they have one thing in common: they finally discover each other with curiosity and fear.  

“House of Pure Light”, Simor Glasenko (“21 Publishing House”)

The events of the novel “The House of Pure Light” take place in modern times in Podillya, in the fictional village of Krutoyar, which is spread out on the rocky shores of the Dniester. A new paramedic arrives here to replace the village doctor who died under mysterious circumstances. Trying to find out what really happened to his predecessor, he sets off a chain of tragic events. 
All the dark secrets that have been hidden for so long in the kingdom of the thousand-year-old Tovtr will come to light. 

The author defined the genre of his third novel as “Podilskyi Gothic”, the main theme of which is redemption.  

“God[I] am free”, Yulia Hudoshnyk (“Publishing House 21”) 

The novel “God is Free” is a travel diary of a Ukrainian woman who is looking for her place in the world. These searches lead her through the worlds: from a German dormitory to a Thai island, from a Chinese village to an American metropolis, from the Danish capital to a Japanese temple. Each journey gives her wise mentors and reveals the secrets of happiness. This is a work about inner freedom, about the insatiable thirst for life and the art of being happy. 

“Kokliko”, Pavlo Matyusha (“Publishing House 21”) 

2014 year. There is a war in Ukraine. A young financier with a European education loses his beloved and packs his bags for Switzerland. On the day of his departure, a childhood friend offers him a high position in the Presidential Administration. It would seem that matters of state importance will push the personal drama of the hero to the background. Meanwhile, the real dramas in his life are just beginning… 

“12 Seasons of a Woman”, Ksenia Fuchs (21 Publishing House)

“12 Seasons of a Woman” can be called a novel if you consider that the main character is a modern woman. The 12 short stories, united by the main characters, but not chronologically connected, are devoted to social and psychological problems faced by modern women. Career or child? How to resist violence? How to define your own sexual identity? Do love and war really go hand in hand? These and other questions are asked by the 12 heroines of the book.

“Amadoka”, Sofia Andruhovich (Stary Lev Publishing House)

Mutilated beyond recognition in one of the hot spots in Eastern Ukraine, the hero of the novel “Amadoka” only miraculously survived. This is a dubious comfort, since the severe injuries have led to a complete loss of memory: the man does not remember his name, nor where he comes from, does not remember a single close person, not a single fragment of his previous life. This is how he is found by a woman whose love and patience can work miracles: reach the deepest layers of oblivion and memories, combine scattered fragments of mutilated consciousness, stitch together a common history. 
Amadoka is the largest lake in Europe, located on the territory of modern Ukraine, first mentioned by Herodotus and reproduced on maps by medieval cartographers for several centuries, until its sudden and complete disappearance. How do great lakes evaporate without a trace, how do whole worlds, whole cultures disappear – and what remains instead? Could there be a connection between the Jewish Catastrophe of Eastern Europe and the destruction of the Ukrainian intelligentsia during Stalin’s repressions? Can the oblivion of one person reach several generations underground? Do the marks and scars of mutilated memory bind us? Can love and patience make it possible to touch the consciousness of another person? 

“Mozart 2.0”, Batu Dorzh (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

“Mozart 2.0.” — a new story by Dorzh Batu, the author of the Ukrainian bestsellers “Francesca. Mistress of trajectories” and “Francesca. The owner of the officer’s token. 
Imagine Mozart in modern New York! Yes, yes, the same, Wolfgang Amadeus. In the modern city, he is impressed and surprised by everything: the subway and noise, clothes, especially women’s, lifestyle, habits and manners of people. Even the restrooms here are so fragrant and beautiful, as if in the emperor’s palace. And also, it turns out, the modern grand piano is significantly different from the clavichord Mozart was used to… But you will have to adapt, because even though the outstanding composer got a chance for a new life, something remains unchanged – music and Mozart are inseparable. This book intertwines fiction with real and very interesting facts about Mozart’s life and work, a detective story with the participation of the composer’s new friend, the waitress Stacey, and reflections on the meaning of life. And thanks to Yulia Samelyuk’s witty illustrations and QR codes with videos that reveal the secrets of the book’s creation, readers will immerse themselves in the special atmosphere of this story. 

“Ivan and Phoebe”, Oksana Lutsyshina (Stary Lev Publishing House)

“Ivan and Phoebe” is a novel by Oksana Lutsyshina, which takes place in the last years of Soviet rule and the first years of Ukrainian independence. 
After studying in Lviv and participating in the Revolution on the Granite, Ivan returns to his native Uzhgorod, where he marries the poet Maria, who calls herself Phoebe. 
Lviv and Kyiv are cities with turbulent political life, Uzhhorod, on the other hand, is distinguished by a somewhat grotesque atmosphere of patriarchal family structure and early capitalism in the Ukrainian style. Here it is easy to do without special effects from a horror or thriller: the very reality of everyday life suggests moves that can compete with the creations of King or Kusturica in terms of tension.

“The most important thing is at the end”, Galina Vdovichenko (Stary Lev Publishing House)

“The most important thing is at the end” is the long-awaited new novel by Halyna Vdovichenko, a Ukrainian writer and journalist.

A man and a woman are in a state of war, truce and disappointment, hope and faith. Thirty-five years together, adult children, a difficult period of life. The time when it is finally worth understanding what actually united and separated these two. 
This is a book about the ability to forgive and empathize, not to change for small things and to be attentive to each other and to yourself, appreciating every moment of this insanely fleeting life. 

“Magnetism”, Petro Yatsenko (Stary Lev Publishing House)

Pyotr Yatsenko’s new novel is a magical story about how people and cities are connected in an amazing way: they attract and repel, can easily destroy each other, and can give each other life… The main character Maria, nicknamed Hayka, flees from occupied Donetsk on the last train to Kyiv and finds herself alone in a foreign big city. Even as a child, she discovered a strange knack for seeing people’s stories written on metal, and now she hears the language of houses and knows their names. Day after day, new bizarre challenges appear before her, but the most important of them is whether she will be able to save her native city, whose heart has stopped beating, with her sacrifice? 

“I came back. Love”, Olga Gerasimyuk (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

The book of the well-known Ukrainian TV presenter and public figure Olga Gerasimyuk contains essays, travelogues and images for more than ten years – from 2007 to 2019. Exciting travels await the reader, acquaintance with the history, culture, customs and mentality of many peoples, but first of all there will be meetings with people. Thoughtful and sensitive to the finest details, to the deepest psychological nuances, the author (and the heroine at the same time) will not only tell a lot about the colorful and motley world, but also remind the forgotten, pause before the sacred, reflect on the eternal. Sincere and simple, joyful and sad, touching and wise on these pages intertwine, converge and diverge, create sensitive, like a pulse, patterns of a living story, where every word is passed through the heart. 

“My spare lives”, Iryna Slavinska (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

“My spare lives” is the debut of Iryna Slavinska in essay writing. This book is a patchwork quilt, assembled from memories, reflections and considerations. Journalist, translator and producer of “Radio Kultura”, member of the Ukrainian PEN, Iryna Slavinska reflects on her personal history, the history of her family and lineage, puts together the puzzle of memories from childhood, studies, travels, work situations in translation and journalism – up to recent events. This is the definition of important moments in life — certain anchors and cultural codes with which we log ourselves into modern reality. Marking lost links of memory that require awareness but are not always recoverable. The stories of other people, or even of other countries, which can be lived as if it were one’s own spare life. 

“Unequal Marriage”, Nina Fialko (Educational Book – Bohdan Publishing House)

In this collection, you will find short stories, novellas, and novellas written over the past few years. Some of them have already been published in regional literary magazines. These human stories are true and fascinating, they are taken from our lives, so they will not leave anyone indifferent. The book is intended for a wide range of readers. 

“Anthropos and the Bible”, Ivan Luchuk (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House) 

“Anthropos and the Bible” is a collection of various essays by the Lviv writer and scientist Ivan Luchuk. Deep and informative, they cover the most complete spectrum of the author’s interests: Ukrainian Latin, polyglot, peculiarities of the writing craft, modern realities and universal human problems. The reader will familiarize himself with little-known pages of Ukrainian history, learn interesting details from the lives of famous writers, and be amazed by the results of etymological research.

“Geometry for the 21st century. A book for inquisitive students and thoughtful participants”, Ihor Sharygin (“Teaching Book – Bohdan” Publishing House) 

The book of a well-known figure in school mathematics education, the author of numerous collections of original problems, textbooks and manuals for students and teachers, an active propagandist of in-depth study of mathematics and the Olympiad movement among schoolchildren I.F. Sharygina (1937–2004). The first part of the book presents a selection of the author’s inspired journalistic and methodical-didactic articles, in which the reader’s attention is drawn to the special and irreplaceable role of geometry in the overall cultural, creative-intellectual, and emotional-aesthetic development of a person. Numerous specific recommendations to teachers and education leaders to improve the teaching of geometry at school are substantiated. In the second part, the collection of “500 geometric problems” is presented, which represents an unbiased and unmasked by optimistic propaganda, the author’s measure of the real standards of school geometric training at three educational levels – low, medium and high. Solutions and methodical comments are added to the problems. Therefore, each student can from time to time “try on” this standard and make appropriate adjustments to his training, and each teacher can measure the achieved learning results of his students. The book is for everyone who is actively involved in school mathematics, that is, as the subtitle says, inquisitive students and thoughtful teachers. It will be useful for students of pedagogical universities of physical and mathematical profile, who see their future profession as a high calling. 

“Infections and people. Reflections of a clinician”, Mykhailo Adreichyn (Educational Book – Bohdan Publishing House) 

The author gave vivid memories of the patients he remembered most during his 55 years of professional work as an infectious disease doctor. An important place in the memories is given to reflections on cooperation with colleagues, individual achievements and mistakes made, the specifics of infections, and the moral and psychological characteristics of infectious patients. This is, without exaggeration, an exciting publication — the first of this genre and subject in Ukraine. 
The book is addressed to young doctors, medical students and a wide range of readers who are interested in infectious and parasitic diseases, their diagnosis, treatment and prevention. 

“Unfading force. Popular scientific and popular journalistic works with an appendix of analytical materials from the point of view of today”, Ivan Pulyuy (“Teaching Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

The book presents two popular scientific and two popular journalistic works of the outstanding domestic scientist-physicist, inventor, publicist and public figure Ivan Pulyuy (1845-1918). In the first of them, “Inexhaustible Power”, which determined the title of the entire book, it is about the discovery and universal manifestations of the fundamental physical law of energy conservation (according to the author’s terminology, “the law of inexhaustible power”), as well as about the beneficial influence of this law on the moral power of the human spirit. 
One of the manifestations of the physical law of inexorable force is the flashes, pulsations and extinction of stars. Ivan Puluy’s second popular science work – “New and Changing Dawns” – is devoted to detailing these physical-astronomical phenomena from the point of view of contemporary science. In it, the author also repeatedly throws bridges from the problems of natural science to the sphere of spiritual life, ethics and morality. The journalistic work “A few memories of Kulish and his wife Anna Barvinok” presents a wide range of information on the history of Ukrainian cultural life of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, in particular, on the history of the creation and publication of the first Ukrainian translation of the Bible, in which Ivan Pulyuy was directly involved. 
The brochure “Ukraine and its International Political Significance”, published at the height of the First World War, presents a penetrating historical and perspective analysis of the “Ukrainian question” in the pan-European context, which still has not lost its relevance. 
The second part of the book consists of analytical materials of leading domestic specialists, which present modern views on physical phenomena described in the popular scientific works of I. Puluy, and also characterize his ascetic activity in science, from the translation of the Holy Scriptures and the affirmation of the native language

“Transformation of the Ukrainian National Idea”, Editor – Oles Donii (“Nash Format” Publishing House)

In this collection, 30 famous Ukrainian historians, philosophers, political scientists, and cultural scientists give their own answers to questions about how the “Ukrainian idea” developed, why and at what stage it slowed down, and what should be done so that the “Ukrainian idea” becomes the “Ukrainian dream” again. Publication for those who want to understand Ukrainian values ​​and are ready for their renewal. 

“Ctoritelling for eyes, ears and heart”, Mark Levine (Our Format Publishing House)

Longlist announced for the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award in the “Literature for Teenagers” category

This year, the book prize “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” expanded its horizons.

165 applications for participation in the literary competition were received from 38 publishing houses of Ukraine. The organizing committee carefully checked all publications sent by publishing houses for compliance with the requirements. After that, Long lists of books for the competition were formed in three nominations: “Literature for adults”, “Literature for teenagers” and “Literature for children”. We wish success to the literary works on the next rung of the Espreso book award. Readers’ Choice 2020″ 

By the second stage, 14 editions from 8 publishing houses were included in the Long List of books in the “Literature for teenagers” category. 

“With Einstein in a Backpack”, Andrii Bachynskyi (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

The schoolchildren’s trip to the mountains, which was supposed to be a wonderful vacation, turned into an unexpected adventure for three classmates – the handsome football player Oleg, the beautiful Sol and Yurk, who is quiet and secretly in love with Sol. How knowledge of the laws of physics and the ability to apply them in practice helped teenagers in life-threatening conditions – read in Andrii Bachynskyi’s fascinating adventure novel “With Einstein in a Backpack”. 

“And I had my native land. Textbook of Ukrainian Diaspora Literature”, Compiler: Maryna Vardanyan (“ASSA” Publishing House)

“Where At Home” is 112 poems by volunteers and soldiers about love and war. The project was implemented with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.  

Fighting has been going on in the east of Ukraine for five years now. Among us there are people who received a traumatic experience in this war, but were able to sublimate it into creativity. Eight modern young poets and poets participate in the collection “There at Home”: four male soldiers who performed (or are currently performing) combat tasks in the ATO/OSS zone, and four women who in 2014-2018 volunteered and helped the army, waited for men from the war, supported and cared for those who devoted themselves to serving others.” 

The anthology contains works of various genres by more than 50 writers of the Ukrainian diaspora, intended for children and youth. They cover the most important topics for personality formation: patriotism, preservation of national memory and traditions, faith, gaining experience and knowledge, getting to know one’s homeland and discovering a foreign, hitherto unknown world. 

Among the authors whose works were included in the anthology are Ivan Bodnarchuk, Ivan Bagryany, Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Petro Volynyak, Bohdan Goshovskyi, Vasyl Dubyna, Roman Zavadovych, Bohdan Lepkyi, Olga Mak, Yuriy Tyshchenko-Siry, Lesya Khraplyva-Shchur, Dmytro Chub, etc. 

The publication is intended for secondary school students, teachers, parents, as well as for everyone who is interested in the literature of the Ukrainian diaspora and the education of the younger generation by means of the artistic word.  

“The Crow and the Black Butterfly. The voice of ancient dreams”, Olga Miguel (“ASSA” Publishing House)

Alice is used to hiding and running away from monsters that have been on her heels for a year. But she definitely did not expect to find herself in a world where magic is something everyday, and an endless prison wall stands on the border of sleep and death. The main secret of this whimsical place is known only to a hundred raven magicians, for whom the source of magical power is the last breath before death. But what to do when the way home is closed, and danger looms over the new home? After all, nightmares that have been waiting for their time for thousands of years challenge her to death… 

“Dan. Varvara and barbarians”, Olena Cherninka (Kartush Publishing House)

Urban fantasy adventure novel.  

Stories from life are not necessarily stories from the life of an adult. So sometimes it happens that a small person comes into this world, but he does not rush to open his arms to her, does not smile gently and does not say amiably: “Hey! Congratulations, baby! You are welcome! I am your happy life.” And it doesn’t matter when exactly the sun dims for these little ones: from the day of their birth or suddenly deprives them of parental care, protection, and love. But that’s when the child dives into the unknown, where she has to learn to swim on her own. And around are adults who seem to profess family values… 

In the picturesque town of Leopolis, which belongs to the mysterious Minerva monarchy, several lonely desperadoes (fatherless children and their friends) met to forever paint the gray world around them with colorful rainbow stripes. But will the adult world, which has long since replaced real human values ​​with a surrogate, hear them? 

Will children’s dreams come true? Will they save the city of Leopolis from the flood? Will the Minerva Monarchies help get rid of the invaders from a neighboring enemy country? Will the young heroes find parents and true friends? 

There are many adventures and many questions in the novel. But each of these questions will find its correct answer. After all, goodness and justice always win. 

“Don’t tell anyone”, Sasha Kaminska (Ranok Publishing House) 

Every girl or woman has many secrets. However, sometimes these are special secrets – ancient, terrible, so deeply hidden in the cells of the memory and subconscious that even the closest relatives do not know about them. The 14-year-old heroine of Sasha Kaminska’s novel “Don’t tell anyone” rebels against her parents, does ridiculous things, gets into dangerous situations and tries to understand and accept herself.  

“Spies from the shelter of Artemis”, Nataliya Dovgopol (“Vivat” Publishing House) 

This book is a ticket to the world of action-packed adventures, espionage missions and dangerous journeys, where every day is a test of courage and strength of spirit, and the ability to work in a team is almost the only chance for salvation. 

1907 year. A fight breaks out in one of the Kyiv theaters. A respectable Austrian gentleman publicly accuses a messenger boy of theft. Without a shadow of fear, the teenager rejects the accusation, not yet suspecting that this is his first exam, an invitation to a new life. Under the green hood, the elderly Austrian Herr Friedrich saw not only a disguised girl, but also a potential pupil for his orphanage – the secret school “Artemis”, where professional spies are trained. 

“Amaterasu Academy”, Natalia Matolinets (“Vivat” Publishing House) 

Randall is frankly unlucky: her life is in shambles, and she herself finds herself in the bizarre Amaterasu Academy, where the souls of proud gods come, reborn in the endless movement of the Wheel of Fate. Here, powerful forces slumber until the time when they answer the call of Words, and new acquaintances hide secrets that are dangerous to touch. But there is no going back for Ren, because she must find the answer to the question that rings in her head: “Who are you, Randall Savitri?” 

This is a story about the fact that the fiercest battles are always with oneself, the most important journeys are in the depths of one’s own soul, and love and friendship are worth going beyond one’s capabilities, the walls of laws, and even beyond the edge of life and death. After all, you don’t have to be a mighty god to be a man. 

“Tales of Grandma Havryshikha”, Oleg Havrysh (Time of Masters Publishing House)

I offer you a journey to the ancient spirit of Ukrainians. 

…and this is not a “pink” trip, it’s scary. 

Leave all your “rushes”, take the children by the hand: Ukrainian green tourism with emotional roller coasters awaits you. 

Together, we will dive into the depths of the subconscious to the level of connection with our roots, we will restore this path so that we are better nourished by the power of our foundation and we cling to the ground more tenaciously, and we will touch a variety of emotions from horror to happiness. 

I will take you to the usual Ukrainian village of Nekreminne, which is lost among meadows, forests and cool streams. The smell of freshly baked bread at dawn, cherries, apricots straight from the trees, young potatoes, fishing, climbing on the pond… During the day – labor therapy, and when the sun sets, we all gather at Grandma Havryshikha, who lives in a small tidy house with a reed roof on Kozachka, on the edge of the village. She tells fictional-not-fictional stories that once happened in Nekreminny. The main characters of her stories are fellow villagers and creatures that scientists attribute to Ukrainian mythology and about whom the grandmother tells stories, as if they were very real neighbors. No matter what happens in those fairy tales, human dignity, mutual help, and kindness always win. And even though it’s scary to even listen to those stories, you still can’t tear yourself away, because you feel that Bereginya – Baba Havryshikha – is covering you with her invisible, love-woven wings.  

“Tomorrow is a new day, or On the branch of an old apple tree”, Tetyana Novatska-Titarenko (“Time of Masters” Publishing House)

Margarita dreams of having what is the norm for many of her peers: branded fashion items, expensive gadgets, wealthy parents. And he doesn’t want to spend weekends and holidays in the village, but to hang out with his friends in the city. And, of course, she stares at the most handsome boy in school — Igor. She is sad that instead of discos or meetings with her friend Neleya, she is forced to go to the village with her grandfather Stepan. Vitko’s friend is faithfully waiting for her there. But is he just a friend? Is there something more, say, love between them? Because that’s exactly how classmates decide and make fun of Rytka. And all would be fine, but Nelya also joins the band, makes fun of Rita. And it’s really cruel. It’s not fair. 

At the most unexpected moment, when the world seems to be against her, Rytka receives both the gadget of her dreams and a new friend. And also valuable life experience and the knowledge that all school troubles, quarrels with girlfriends or misunderstandings with parents are trifles, because tomorrow will be a new day… 

Margarita discovered the basic things to live by, now it’s your turn to grow up… 

“Sulphur on Gunpowder”, Ivan Andrusiak (“Fountain of Tales” Publishing House)

May 1637, the town of Berezan near Pereyaslav. A girl with a strange nickname Sulfur watches over a saltpeter mine at night. But robbers burst into the mine to interrogate two abducted strangers by the light of a bonfire – a Cossack and a Jew. Hiding in a grave, Sulfur becomes a witness to an interrogation and learns something very secret and dangerous… The chemical industry “from the graves”, the secrets of making gunpowder, a chase in the swamps, a saber duel, “long-distance runners” of the 17th century and many other curiosities and surprises await you in the new story of one of the most popular modern Ukrainian children’s writers, Ivan Andrusyak. A story about friendship and betrayal, about meanness and honor, about the birth of the first feelings and the eternal Ukrainian problem of self-awareness. 

“A termite explosion. With the eyes of a hawk”, Anatoliy Marushchak (“CONDOR” Publishing House)

1788–1789 years. Right-bank Ukraine — Poland — Germany — Paris — the Turkish fortress of Hajibey. Such an unexpected route fell to the fate of fifteen-year-old Hnat Doroshenko, a descendant of the famous Ukrainian hetman. And it all started with the swamp, in which the noble Mr. Andrzej, the owner of the village of Olshanky, where the Hnatov family lived, almost drowned. A boy rides a Cossack to the tycoon’s palace. And there he is unfairly accused of stealing jewelry. The executioner had already brought the ax over the unfortunate man’s right hand. Will the boy’s hand be cut off, and he will never paint a portrait of his idol – Ataman Anton Holovaty? The white crow knows well how the case will end. And the wedding cortege of the Polish tycoon is speeding towards Paris, 
where a duel awaits you. Gnat rushes to the rescue. But how not to lose track? There is a hawk for such a case. A characteristic Cossack taught the boy to catch a bird’s eye and see 30 kilometers around. So go ahead. But will the young rescuer make it? Events on the eve of the Great French Revolution force Mr. Andrzej to leave Paris, and Hnat to return to his homeland. New journeys with the Chumaks to the south, fierce battles in the steppe of the Cossacks with the Horde and, finally, the young man takes part in the storming of the Turkish fortress of Hadzhibeya, where the glorious Odesa will later emerge. What awaits Gnat: a victorious victory or an insidious bullet? Or maybe first love? All the secrets will be revealed when you read this exciting adventure story. 

“A termite explosion. The winged lion”, Anatoly Marushchak (KONDOR Publishing House)

1789–1790 years. The main character of the story, sixteen-year-old Hnat Doroshenko, after successfully storming the Khadzhibeya fortress, is preparing for a new battle under the strong walls of Akerman. Every day is filled with adventures and friendship with the young Venetian Ornella, whom the boy saved from death in Turkish captivity. A pirate ship raises its sail above the waves of the Black Sea. The captain is not interested in fortresses, he is 
wants to kidnap a young Italian woman in order to receive a large ransom for her. A young Cossack appeared on time on a horse, but will he have time to rush to the gate with the girl? Bullets are already flying towards us. 
Akerman’s fortress surrendered. But Hnat didn’t have to worry. Ornella persuades the boy and his older friend, the giant chumak Taras Two Backs, to accompany her to Venice. This is how the Italian adventures of our heroes begin. Gnatko quickly develops his talent as an artist, and Taras becomes a favorite of the local population. A terrible fire in 1790 of oil warehouses engulfed the entire ghetto island of Jewish settlers. Hnat, together with other honest citizens, hastened to help the victims. But the robbers with whom young Doroshenko crossed paths had completely different plans. Who came out victorious in the fierce duel, as well as about other adventures, the reader will find out quickly, because the events in the story fly by, as if the Winged Lion is a symbol of Venice. 

“A termite explosion. In the shadow of a snake”, Anatoly Marushchak (“CONDOR” Publishing House)

1791 year. The famous Venetian Carnival. It is not a happy event for everyone. Here is a young woman walking on a tightrope. She is not a circus performer. The path over the abyss is her punishment. Our hero Hnat Doroshenko and his friend Taras Dvi Spiny are ready to catch her below. Taking advantage of their absence, the insidious pirate Good Antonio kidnaps young Ornella. The chase begins in the Adriatic Sea. Not the last. Seventeen-year-old Hnat receives the task of returning to Venice the ancient Jewish Torah, a precious scroll that was taken to Alexandria, Egypt. But the search for the torah leads to a trip along the Nile, where it is not known who is more dangerous: crocodiles, hippos or local rulers. The crew of the pirate Good Anthony also has its own insidious plans. After the adventures in the desert, they converge on the walls of the main Christian shrine of Egypt – the temple of St. Catherine. Who will get the ancient torus, who will be favored by Meretseger, the snake goddess? On the way to the house where the gentle waves of the Mediterranean Sea 
caressing the shores of Crete, a test awaits Hnatus in the famous labyrinth, where, according to legend, a monster with the head of a bull, the Minotaur, lived. You will solve all the secrets of the island together with the heroes of the story. 

“A termite explosion. Agate secrets”, Anatoly Marushchak (KONDOR Publishing House)

1791 year. Sicily – Sardinia – Valencia – Venice – Frankfurt am Main – Turkish fortress Izmail. The path that our hero seventeen-year-old Hnat Doroshenko and his friends will have to go through. The road to Venice first led them to Sicily, where the Etna volcano is erupting, and then to Sardinia and the treasures hidden there. The pursuit of the pirates ends in the Spanish city of Valencia, where the sacred agate Grail cup is kept in the temple. It is here that the last battle between Hnat and his fierce opponent, the pirate Good Antony, takes place. How it will end, the reader will find out when you get to the middle of the book. But this is not the end of the friends’ adventures. Unexpected meetings with contemporary geniuses await them: composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe. And at the coronation of the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in Frankfurt am Main, the young man performs another heroic act. Having vowed to return to his beloved Ornela, Hnat Doroshenko hurries to his brothers, where the Cossacks are preparing to storm the Turkish fortress of Izmail at the mouth of the Danube. 

In the second stage, each expert will choose five candidate books from this list, which they will place in order of ranking. 

Accordingly: 

1st place (5 points) — winner and further  

II place (4 points), 

III place (3 points), 

IV place (2 points), 

V place (1 point). 

The organizing committee, by counting points, will determine 3 books in each of the nominations, which will go to the third stage of voting. These finalist works will be presented at the discretion of readers in libraries almost throughout Ukraine. During this voting, the final winner will be determined. 

Book prize “Espreso. Readers’ Choice” was founded by the “Espreso” TV channel and is supported by the NGO “Demforum”. Its presentation took place on May 18, 2017 in the framework of the “Book Arsenal” in Kyiv. 

The award is designed to celebrate the best Ukrainian modern literary novelties of the year, to support the interest of Ukrainians in reading domestic authors. To help readers choose interesting books, and publishers to find a way to readers. The winners of the Award will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and “Demforum” websites. 

Longlist announced for the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award in the “Children’s Literature” category

A total of 165 books from 38 publishing houses were submitted during the first stage of the “Espreso. Readers’ Choice 2020” book award.

After carefully checking all publications submitted by publishing houses for compliance with the requirements of the Prize, the Organizing Committee formed Long Lists of books for the competition in three nominations: “Literature for adults”, “Literature for teenagers” and “Literature for children”. 

Children vote sincerely, children vote with their hearts, children are not indifferent to Ukrainian books, they are eagerly waiting for this year’s literary novelties in their libraries all over Ukraine. 

By the second stage, 35 editions from 13 publishing houses were included in the Long List of Books in the “Literature for Children” category.

“Knight of the Emerald Order. Inquisitor”, Yulia Cherninka (KM-BUKS Publishing Group)

The second book in the series about the adventures of the boy Yaroslav. In the first book, Yaroslav became a Knight of the secret Order of the Emeralds and took initiation in the lands of the magical city of Lumburn. In the second volume, Yaroslav goes to Lumbern again. This time he must avert a terrible danger from the inhabitants of the city. The Lumberna inquisitor broke the witchcraft rule and set Varena XIII’s oak tree on fire. Since then, a deadly threat has been hanging over the city. The scourge of the plague is mercilessly mowing down the ordinary people of Lumber. Ugly gargoyles roam the city, and from every bonfire on which a witch was burned, a living torch crystallized in space. Live fireballs roll through the streets of the city, and God forbid you stumble upon that torch. He comes to life, starts flailing his arms and legs and spitting fire. Will Yaroslav manage to guess the icons of the schemers and save the city from the onslaught of angry dark forces? Great adventures, many secrets and new friends await the boy. And together with real friends, you can overcome any obstacles!

“Kitty Girl”, Halyna Vdovichenko (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

Six little kittens found themselves on the winter street, where they are cold and hungry… But they are not the type to whine and despair. Instead, the kittens get together and turn winter into fun: they play in snowsuits, build a maze in the snow, pretending to be archaeologists, and build a very cozy snow cat house. And then they find something to decorate it with. Kitten heroes will delight children with their vivacity and rich imagination and will suggest many ideas for winter games. 

The picture book by Halyna Vdovichenko and Natalka Hayda is a story for children about true friendship and New Year’s miracles. After all, soon the kittens will find a big cat family – and these will be the adventures of 36 and 6 cats.

“Pirate Route”, Galina Malik (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

The fun picture book “Pirate’s Route” by the famous Ukrainian writer Halyna Malik and illustrator Grasi Oliyko is a playful journey in dreams, and at the same time a fun geography lesson for kids. Because each of us in childhood wanted to be a daring pirate who obeys the seas and oceans.

“Miya and the Lunar Eclipse” by Olya Rusin, (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

Mia is never bored. With their classmate Matviy and his younger brother Lyudozherchyk, they constantly get into adventures. And these adventures become even more when a stranger appears on the doorstep of Mia and Grandpa’s apartment – her dad. Wariness turns to delight – it turns out that dad works in an astronomical observatory! So, Mia, Matvii and Lyudozherchyk will also be able to get there one day. 

But is it really so? Read Ola Rusina’s witty story full of funny pranks and jokes.

“The story told by Zhuka”, Grasya Oliyko (Stary Lev Publishing House)

Beetle lives at a gas station with his brother Sirius. They are fed by a good woman, but she disappears somewhere. Now the dogs don’t have enough water, because winter is coming, and at the gas station they decide to get rid of them and take them as far away as possible. Who knows what would have happened to them if one day the family’s car had not stopped on the side of the road to give the dogs shelter and love. 

“The Story Told by Zhuka” – the first picture book of Ukrainian illustrator Grasi Oliyko – is a direct and touching story that will touch the hearts of children and adults.

“Journey with the Magic Atlas: Paris”, Nadiyka Gerbish (Stary Lev Publishing House)

They say Paris is always about love (and croissants). So Luka and Terezka will go on their third journey with the Magic Atlas not by themselves, but by taking a couple in love with them. 

Together they will feast on traditional French pastries, reveal the secrets of the Eiffel Tower and the incomprehensible Montmartre, walk along the Seine, get acquainted with the paintings of famous impressionists and see the glorious Notre Dame. 

And they will also learn why the capital of France is called the City of Light and why they want to return to it so much all the time. 

“Who grows in the forest”, Kateryna Mikhalitsyna (Stary Lev Publishing House)

This is a completely ordinary story about how a grumbling badger and mischievous squirrels saved the world… that is, the native forest. But also about how many shades the autumn leaves of beeches and hornbeams have, how spruce and larch prepare for winter, or oak moss – actually moss, and why you can’t burn dead trees, even if it seems that no one lives there. In addition, this book encourages readers to think about the value of memories, trains attention (try to find all the soldier bugs hidden in the drawings by the artist Oksana Bula!) and offers a “recipe” for making a wonderful eco-style garland.

“R(z)dny people”, Tetyana Stus (Shcherbachenko) (“Stary Lev Publishing House”)

The book “Di(z)dni lyudi” is about understanding, about our human difference, which enriches and unites small and large worlds. You can be surprised or even wary of the variety of emotions, appearance, and actions of people. This diversity should not stand in the way of closeness in the family and kinship in the limitlessness of cultures and traditions, – urges Tanya Stus. 

“The World Around Us”, Halyna Guzovska-Korytska (“Dyke Pole” Publishing House)

“The world around us” is a life-giving treasury of universal human values, people’s experience. Life wisdom, which is dominant in the stories, teaches readers to be generous, clean, to be able to see the sun, to enjoy life, to help nature, to create harmony and not to disturb it…  

The book consists of sixteen works. The author’s reflection, which is contained in one word at the end of the stories, testifies to the writer’s development of her own style, the ability to write original and accurate: “Kitty” – wisdom, “Domestic” – friendliness, “Dandelion: grandfather or grandmother?” – the future, “Poppy miracle” – awe, “Stem” – vitality, “Traveller” – healing, “Stream” – life-giving, “Egorko” – gratitude, “Stork” – friendship, “Cuckoo” – stinginess, “From the sea” – authenticity, “Nuts for a squirrel” – cordiality, “Autumn” – generosity, “December 1st” – humanity, “Tiny” – kindness, “Birch” – recklessness.  

Short works that leave a deep mark on the reader’s soul are impressive with a wealth of artistic means: epithets, similes, author’s neologisms, personification. This is a testament to mastery of the word.  

Today, this is one of the best collections of short stories, which will not leave indifferent to the world around everyone who is rooting for both plants and animals, who cares about the future of our children. This book will replenish the teacher’s methodological treasure trove in language or literature lessons, reading.  

The texts are examples of socio-cultural issues that will contribute to children’s assimilation of spiritual and cultural values ​​and moral norms, will shape their aesthetic taste, are developmental and interesting for generation “z”. 

“A Bunny Nicknamed TOYSCHO”, Iryna Lindley (SE “All-Ukrainian Specialized Publishing House “Svit”)

The lazy bunny woke up at noon, did not plant the garden, but only did what he did, playing with butterflies and snails all day. “So what? It’s not my problem” – answered the lazy man, if one of his friends asked him for help. That’s how the forest animals nicknamed him – a bunny with the nickname TO Y SCHO. But somehow our SO and SCHO got lost in the forest and got into a big mess. And now, in order to return home and not fall into the clutches of the Cunning Fox, he will have to forever forget about his laziness and never leave his friends in trouble again. 

“Diary of happy girls”, Alyona Pulyaeva (“ASSA” Publishing House)

A modern book for modern girls! Every girl is special. So, her desires, secrets and dreams are special. But each of the special girls wants one thing – to be happy. To achieve this goal, you will need “Diary of happy girls”. 

The diary consists of five sections, each of which has its own color: 

– blue pages will help you acquire various skills – practical skills that will be useful in modern life; 

– yellow ones are designed to get to know yourself better, to understand your features; 

– purple pages give you the opportunity to try different hobbies; 

– green pages are chosen for entertainment; 

– turquoise can be filled together with your best friend, sister or mother. 

The diary contains QR codes, by scanning which you can get useful audio and video materials. 

The main goal of the secret man is to make his owner happy. 

“Our Lady Mary painted animals”, Svitlana Taratorina (Publishing House “Publishing House” (FOP Omelyanenko L.S.))

“Otsia Maria painted animals” – 68 pages of an exciting story about the incredible adventures of a little artist from the village of Bolotnia. Maria experiences a serious illness, because of which her world changes. It seems that you should not wait for something good. But Maria has paints and a great desire to paint. Fantastic beasts are watching Maria from the dark forest. They know her secret, which the girl herself does not even know about yet. 

This is a book about the fact that dreams save. And not only us, but also everything around. That illness will not stand in the way of perseverance. That imagination can do everything. 

Vivid illustrations by Natalka Levytska recreate the unique atmosphere of the mysterious world of Maria Prymachenko. This is also the first artistic attempt to tell about Maria’s childhood and how she managed to achieve her dreams. 

“Otsia Mariya drew animals” is a direct continuation of the two-volume book “She did it” and the first story book of the “Girls can do everything” project about outstanding Ukrainian women. And by “first” we, of course, mean what will happen next! 

“Limericks” Sashko Dermanskyi, Oleg Petrenko-Zanevskyi (illustrator) (“Crocus” Publishing House)

Here words are puns in plums, 

Common sense is absolutely harmful. 

Here are the weirdos — 

For all tastes. 

Even the rhymes and lines here are sharp! 

“I – Kilimanjaro”, Valya Vzdulska, Larisa Chaika (illustrator) (“Crocus” Publishing House)

The little heroine of this book imagines herself as a resident of Africa – her imaginary magical and gentle world, in which friendly people and animals live. She lives a day full of bright impressions, which helps her to understand her inner world more deeply and to love the people around her even more. Written in delicate verlibres and elegantly illustrated, the book is perfect for both family reading and discussion in school lessons… 

“Cities of Ukraine”, Maryana Gordienko (Ranok Publishing House)

This is a travel book through the cities of Ukraine. She will guide you through famous ancient and modern streets, show you unusual buildings, and introduce you to amazing people. More than 40 windows will tell interesting stories, facts from the past and present, reveal what historical places looked like. Well, the most observant readers will meet famous figures of culture and art on city streets: Oleksandr Dovzhenko in Kyiv, Lev Landau in Kharkiv, Ivan Fedorov in Lviv, and many others. Let’s start the journey!  

“Bird Alphabet. Ukrainian birds”, Irena Panarina (Ranok Publishing House) 

436 species of birds can be found in Ukraine. Many of them are rare, listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, protected by European legislation on nature protection. Artist Irena Panarina chose 33 birds that live or fly to Ukraine and created a unique bird alphabet. The book is illustrated in the original author’s thread image technique. This edition is not only for those who master literacy, but also for everyone who loves and protects nature. 

“Bean Squirrel and the Midnight Gobbler”, Halyna Tkachuk (Ranok Publishing House)

In ancient Kyiv, in Podil, there lived a girl named Kvasolya. In those days, many people from Kyiv knew how to turn into animals or birds. The bean was a squirrel, because it fell on the squirrel. Once upon a time, a mysterious and elusive thief appeared in Kyiv – Midnight Eater. Kvasolin’s dad, the witch Beet, decided to find a way to scare away the glutton. Together with the elder man Patikoslav, Kvasolya and the elder man Patikoslav set off in search of ingredients for the magical potion of Buryak through the dangerous and whimsical outskirts of Kyiv.

“Sapiens”, Volodymyr Aryenev (“Ranok” Publishing House)

2178, Kyiv, the world of the distant future. One day in April, an ordinary schoolboy Mykhailo Neborak met a newcomer named Oleksandr Nenarok. He has two mothers, a necromancer grandfather and an iron heart. But this is only the beginning of heart-breaking adventures in the long-awaited science fiction novel for teenagers by the writer Volodymyr Aryenev, known in Ukraine and Europe.  

“Cosmic agents against the Cheese Monster”, Anya Khromova (Ranok Publishing House) 

Vitya Malchenyuk, but in fact secret agent Jotan Yotog, lives on Earth, goes to the second grade and has to prepare a bridgehead for the aliens to land. During another communication session with the management, Jotan receives a secret task, but does not have time to complete it. Now a terrible threat hangs over our planet, because the Cheese Monster has landed on Earth. 

“The Land of Naughty Children”, Valentina Kohan (Ranok Publishing House) 

After a quarrel with his parents, Danylka was sucked into a portal that opened directly in his room. And in a moment the boy landed on some arrogant girl who called herself Katrusya. Amazingly? Perhaps. Only Danylkov has no time to think about it. After all, he was transported to a wonderful world where you can ride rides and eat sweets to your heart’s content, where there are no adults and their stupid rules… 

“When I was a fox”, Tanya Postavna (“Vivat” Publishing House)

A grandfather tells his granddaughter that she is actually a fox. The girl believes. From this day, the adventures of Lysichka, her dog Mercury and a personal angel named Re begin. 

This book is about childhood and belief in miracles. About the power of children’s imagination and relationships with elders. About the fact that sometimes grandparents can replace parents, and the family does not necessarily consist of mom and dad. This book helps children to better understand adult problems, and adults to remember their childhood. 

“When I was a fox” is an important book about the perception of the world, which requires not only reading, but also discussion with the child. Turn on your imagination and welcome to the world of Lysychka! 

“Business magicians”, Serhii Shcherbakov (“Vivat” Publishing House) 

Maksym Derevyanko, who a year ago dreamed of a magic wand, and now founded a computer literacy school for grandparents, suddenly finds himself in the center of attention of the entire school. Run a virus on the history teacher’s computer? No problem! But, it turns out, the problems are just beginning! The best friend supports a fierce enemy, a tax woman appears to a young businessman, and the profit from lessons with grandmothers has to be spent on organizing a battle for a million! And how to do lessons, maintain an Instagram account, and a YouTube channel at the same time?  

Quickly open the book to find out why the school semester ends so spectacularly that even students are jealous, as well as what Maxim will write in his entrepreneur’s diary. 

“I know one secret”, Oleg Maiboroda (SE “All-Ukrainian Specialized Publishing House “Svit”)

Ukrainian poet. His poetry is presented at international conferences and exhibitions, in particular, in Canada, the USA, Great Britain, and Hungary. The new book contains funny poems, idioms, texts, riddles, anagrams, word games. In which the names of the main characters are encrypted. Reading this book is an exciting game. 

For children of preschool and primary school age. 

“Ship of Bright Dreams”, Lyubov Viduta (SE “All-Ukrainian Specialized Publishing House “Svit”) 

The book will interest a wide range of young readers – preschoolers and elementary school students, will invite you to a flight of fantasy on the ship of dreams, will remind you how much a polite word weighs, how wonderful it is when you have many friends, and will also captivate you with guessing riddles, saying tongue twisters, and teaching you to count. 

“The cosmonauts. The Martian Chronicles of Murka Mniausk”, Yuliya Ilyukha (Children’s Art Publishing House “Black Sheep”) 

The day when the fluffy cat Murko saw the famous inventor Elon Musk on TV turned the life of an ordinary pet upside down. From now on, he is a volunteer of Murko Mniausk, and his biggest dream is to fly to Mars! Will Murkov manage to meet Elon Musk to become the world’s first cat-marsoon, and will the red planet reveal its main secret to him? 

“This is all of us”, Evgenia Zavaliy (Children’s art publishing house “Black Sheep”)

“This is all of us” is a story about how ordinary teenagers can change their city for the better. One day, Andrei and his friends find a lot of dead fish on the seashore. They are trying to find out the causes of the environmental disaster and find ways to solve it. Readers will learn about dolphins and sea pollution, about volunteers and waste sorting, how to collect signatures for petitions and shape public opinion. This is a book about love for animals and nature, true friendship and the desire to change the world. 

“The nest-jumping bunny and his brave mother”, Oksana Drachkovska (Children’s art publishing house “Black Sheep”)

Oksana Drachkovska’s new book is an autobiographical story-tale for children about herself and her son Nazarek, who, unfortunately, has been a disabled child since birth and cannot walk. Mama Oksana fights every day for a better future for all special people, for Nazarek. The fairy tale tells children that not all people are the same, how not to give up when it’s difficult, how to hold on when there’s no strength left, and how to live in this world, which, for the most part, is intended for ordinary people. The fairy tale is very light, interesting and colorful, which gives a smile and hope. 

“Nevils from Marichka”, Marusya Shcherbina (“Green Dog” Publishing House (Gamazin))

This interesting and fascinating book tells about the amazing adventures of children in the world of fantasy: about the travels through the Land of Sweets of Hannusi, about the journey through the Land of Music of the adventure-loving Vika, and about the heart-breaking fireworks of the adventures of the girl Sofiyka, her dog Samurai, and her friend Ivanka, who will believe in magic, and test it for themselves, and fly on dragons, and be held captive by thieves, and magical a bun will be eaten, and friends will be gathered, and everyone will be saved! 

For those who like to dream, invent and seek adventure, like the thirteen-year-old author of this collection, Marusya Shcherbina. 

“Christmas Elves”, Hanna Oliynyk (Green Dog Publishing House (Gamazin))

Far away in the mountains, safely hidden from the human eye, a settlement of Christmas elves, those little craftsmen who prepare gifts for children and equip Santa for a round-the-world trip, has taken refuge. But unexpectedly, Christmas is under threat! Will it be possible to save him? And what is a funny dachshund for? Let’s open the pages of this bright book and immerse ourselves in the fabulous atmosphere of the holiday! 

“Cossack Sails”, Bohdan Melnychuk (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

The fairy tale, intended for children of primary and secondary school age, teaches readers love for their native land, respect for the heroic past of the Ukrainian people, first of all, their glorious Cossack sons, respect for Christian and moral values and folk traditions, intelligence and courage in difficult situations of fighting enemies. 

“Summer Fun”, Nina Fialko (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

These stories are the first book of the famous novelist dedicated to children. The author often communicates with her grandchildren, knows the requests, preferences, habits of children, knows how to portray their world insightfully, wittily and truthfully. For a wide range of readers. 

“Adventures in the Beaver Floodplain”, Maria Ponomarenko (“Educational Book – Bohdan” Publishing House)

Kind and sincere fairy tales about the adventures of beaver cubs, their friends and neighbors will appeal to young readers, because many will recognize themselves in the images of the animals. 

“Mariam and window mail”, Iryna Gromova (“DIPA” Publishing House)

“Mariam and the window mail” opens a cycle of illustrated stories about Mariam – a girl who believes in miracles that hide ordinary (or not so ordinary) things and events. And if you really want something, Mariam knows one way… 

“The Thief of Memories”, Volodymyr Nikitenko (“DIPA” Publishing House)

“The Thief of Memories” is a children’s fairy tale about the struggle of brave children with the mysterious Crimean Memory Eater, in order to return their friends, their memories and their native land. 

What is special about this book? Through a fairy-tale prism, the author tells children about a piece of our history, a country that can only be saved by the courage and love of our children. Five years have passed since Crimea became an enemy-occupied territory of Ukraine. Children born in 2014 will soon go to school, but they have no memories of the summer on the shores of the Black Sea, of the aromas of juniper on the paths of Chatyr-Dag Mountain, of the Ukrainian Crimea, which is gradually turning into a distant memory for many. 

“Professionals”, Lana Ra (Novatorfilm LLP)

Danylko and Bohdan are trying to find an answer to the question “Who to be?”. The book contains 10 of their professional searches. Heroes discover professions for themselves, while learning a lot of interesting and useful information. Each profession is a separate adventure. In their search, they are helped by a faithful friend – the dog Flashka.  

In the second stage, each expert will choose five candidate books from this list, which they will place in order of ranking. 

Accordingly: 

1st place (5 points) — winner and further  

II place (4 points), 

III place (3 points), 

IV place (2 points), 

V place (1 point). 

The organizing committee, by counting points, will determine 3 books in each of the nominations, which will go to the third stage of voting. These finalist works will be presented at the discretion of readers in libraries almost throughout Ukraine. During this voting, the final winner will be determined. 

Book prize “Espreso. “Readers’ Choice” was founded by the “Espreso” TV channel and is supported by the NGO “Demforum”. Its presentation took place on May 18, 2017 as part of the “Book Arsenal” in Kyiv. 

The award is designed to celebrate the best Ukrainian modern literary novelties of the year, to support the interest of Ukrainians in reading domestic authors. To help readers choose interesting books, and publishers to find a way to readers. The winners of the Award will be announced at the end of November 2020 on the air of the “Espreso” TV channel, on the “Espreso.TV” and “Demforum” websites.  

On the threshold of the Second stage of selection, we wish all participants good luck and the support of highly respected experts.