Waterstones chooses books of the year 'for a better, kinder world'

Greta Thunberg’s speeches and surprise hit The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse have together defined 2019, say booksellers

With the UK in the throes of a divisive election campaign and scientists warning that we are in a “planetary emergency”, Waterstones has chosen two titles that “call for a better and kinder world” as its books of the year.

After nominations from staff, a panel at the country’s largest book chain picked Charlie Mackesy’s illustrated call for love, friendship and kindness, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, as book of the year, and Greta Thunberg, author of No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference, as author of the year. Both choices, said bookseller Kate McHale, are “testament to the extraordinary power of books to move and shape us”.

Related: A boy, a mole, a fox and a horse: the recipe for a Christmas bestseller

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