Darcie Farrell, a student at Rotherfield Primary School in Islington, was named the UK Pupil Library Assistant of the Year at a ceremony in London.
The awards, organised by the School Library Association (SLA) and the CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG), recognise the contributions of pupils who volunteer in their school libraries.
The judges were impressed with the impact Darcie has made on reading at her school and how being a pupil library assistant has developed her personal skills and self-confidence.
Darcie, who was presented with her prize by comedian and author Russell Kane, admitted she was shocked but said it was an amazing achievement.
She added: “I enjoy working in the library because we get to spend to time with little kids helping them to read.
“It has helped children who don’t have books at home to read. The library team has helped young children learn to read and helped them love reading.”
Rosa Aers, assistant head and English lead at Rotherfield Primary School, said: “Darcie has been an outstanding librarian, embracing her responsibilities. She has been a key part of the rapid development of a culture of reading for pleasure in our school.”
Mr Kane said: “I was honoured to present the Pupil Library Assistant of the Year Award to these deserving students, who are clearly going above and beyond to make their libraries special.
“Growing up, we didn’t have books at home. All that was on the shelf was the scuba diving manual for my Dad and the microwave cookbook for my Mum.
“I wasn’t one of those children who was from a poor household but given lots of books – there were no books. Were it not for the library I would have been in deep, deep trouble.
“It was an oasis, where I can still feel the excitement in my belly of wandering in when I was younger. I could hang out with the picture books and enjoy non-fiction – the whole world was there.”
Victoria Dilly, CEO at the SLA, said: “These awards winners, and all the finalists, highlight just how important libraries are to the school community, celebrating the invaluable contribution young people make through the school library.”
Barbara Band, chair of the PLAA judging panel, said: “These dedicated young people are truly inspiring, it is a joy to hear about their contributions and passion for their school libraries, and I am delighted we can recognise their achievements and celebrate them at these awards.”
The secondary school winner was Micah Ashford from Oaks Park High School, Ilford.
The judges felt that Micah’s kind and empathetic approach reflected the school library’s inclusive culture, and his work within and advocacy of the library to the whole school community has resulted in greater recognition of its value and benefits.
Chantel Carpenter, director of marketing at Pearson, said: “Darcie and Micah have shown fantastic passion and commitment to their school library and ensuring their peers reap the same benefits they have.
“We would like to congratulate every child who was nominated.
“You should be extremely proud of what you have achieved.”
At the awards ceremony, there was a speech from last year’s winner, Kotryna Kazlauskaite from St Hilda’s Church of England High School in Liverpool.
