HEADLINER

Publication Date 06 January 2021

Children's Books

CHROME LOVE

Amour Chrome (Chrome Love) received the Prix Vendredi 2021.

Published in January 2021 by L’école des loisirs, Amour Chrome by Sylvain Pattieu received the Prix Vendredi. A Prize established in 2016 to shine a light the importance of Young Adult novels in the French-speaking editorial landscape.

The Prix Vendredi was created in 2016 through an initiative of the Group of Children’s Book Publishers of the Syndicat National de l'Édition - SNE (National Publisher’s Syndicate) to promote the dynamism and quality of contemporary French Young Adult literature and the talent of its authors. Named "Prix Vendredi" in reference to Michel Tournier, the award is given yearly to a French-language book targeted at 13+ readers.
This award is part of the SNE’s ongoing mission to promote books and reading while highlighting the importance of the children's novel in the French-speaking editorial landscape. Too often overlooked even though it is incredibly dynamic, French children's literature today dares and surprises.
 
Amour Chrome (Chrome Love) by Sylvain Pattieu, 2021 Laureate:  Mohamed-Ali, 13, lives in the outskirts of Paris and has two secrets. By night he is a graffiti artist and by day he is in love with Aimée. But Aimée loves football. Accompanied by Zako, Lina and Margaux, he juggles freshman classes, his artistic passion and his attraction to Aimée. How do I get her to notice me? He wants her to see him paint. He wants to talk to her. He tries to dress better. He starts to shave. And he has two tickets for the French team’s next game; he’s going to invite her.  A strikingly apt novel with a powerful voice and whose characters are all but clichés. To write it, Sylvain Pattieu, historian and novelist sourced his teenage memories, his daily life in the outskirts of Paris and his passion for rap.  
 

An award to raise awareness of French children's novels 

 
Thierry Magnier, who runs the eponymous publisher and chaired the  Children’s Book Group of the Syndicat National de l'Édition from 2017 to 2020, was an ardent supporter of the creation of the Prix Vendredi, since there was no award in France for the Young Adult novel. It notes that "it takes about five years for an award to get traction" and that "the Prix Vendredi is starting to bear fruit and boosts sales in France". 
 
Isabelle Darthy, head of foreign rights at L'école des loisirs confirms: "Sales in France peaked in the months following the announcement of the 10 titles selected for the Prix Vendredi: about 2,000 copies of Amour Chrome were sold between September and October 2021, nearly a third of sales since its release in January." And internationally, "the effect is immediate. As soon as the winner is announced, scouts ask us for the book, to read it and promote it to their publishers, " she explains. 
 
Starting in 2022, the previous year’s winner will be on the jury, composed of renowned industry professionals, journalists, authors and literary critics.
 

The other titles shortlisted for 2021

 
  • J’ai 14 ans et ce n’est pas une bonne nouvelle, Jo Witek, Actes Sud Junior
  • Je serai vivante, Nastasia Rugani, Gallimard jeunesse
  • Kô, Joëlle Ecormier, Zébulo éditions
  • La Sourcière, Élise Fontenaille, Rouergue
  • La-gueule-du-loup, Éric Pessan, L’école des loisirs
  • Olympe de Roquedor, Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vignod and François Place, Gallimard jeunesse
  • Parler comme tu respires, Isabelle Pandazopoulos, Rageot
  • Plein gris, Marion Brunet, Pocket jeunesse
  • Quelques secondes encore, Thomas Scotto, Nathan
 

 Previous laureates

 

  • 2020 : Les derniers des branleurs,  Vincent Mondiot, Actes Sud Junior
  • 2019 : L'estrange malaventure de Mirella, Flore Vesco, L'école des loisirs
  • 2018 : Les amours d'un fantôme en temps de guerre, Nicolas de Crécy, Albin Michel
  • 2017 : L'aube sera grandiose,  Anne-Laure Bondoux, Gallimard Jeunesse
 
=> Extract and presentation of Amour Chrome available for download opposite (in English)
=> Presentation of Prix Vendredi 2021 available for download opposite (in French)