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The 2026 Prix Albertine Jeunesse Shortlist

Books & Ideas

Explore exciting titles in Francophone youth literature shortlisted for the 2026 Prix Albertine Jeunesse, a program encouraging young audiences to read works in both French and English.

About the Prize

Presented by Villa Albertine, The French Institute for Culture and Education, Albertine Books, and the Agency for French Education Abroad, the Prix Albertine Jeunesse is an annual young readers choice award that invites children from ages 3 to 11 to vote for their favorite book from a selection of Francophone youth literary works translated in English.

The program is open to the network of accredited French schools (AEFE-FISNA) and all American public schools with a French section or program.

The 2026 Shortlist

This year’s selection was made by a committee that includes the staff of Albertine Books in New York, the AEFE network of North America, Villa Albertine, and the French Embassy in Canada. The selected books are divided into three categories according to age groups: 3-5 years; 6-8 years; and 9-11 years.

3-5 years old: 

  • Window (Kid Can Press / Editions les 400 coups) by Marion Arbona
  • How Dreadful! (Transit Children’s Editions / L’école des loisirs) by Claire Lebourg, translated by Sophie Lewis
  • The Great GRRRRR (Red Comet Press / Seuil jeunesse) by Marie-Sabine Roger and Marjolaine Leray, translated by Angus Yuen-Killick

6-8 years old: 

  • Hekla & Laki (Milky Way / Albin Michel) by Marine Schneider, translated by Nick Frost and Catherine Ostiguy
  • World of Mushrooms (Storey / Panthera) by Pauline Payen and Zelda Pressigout, translated by Celyn Harding-Jones
  • The Remarkables, The Most Incredible Children I’ve Met So Far! (Gecko Press / L’école des loisirs) by Clotilde Perrin, translated by Daniel Hahn

9-11 years old: 

  • The Remarkables, The Most Incredible Children I’ve Met So Far! (Gecko Press / L’école des loisirs) by Clotilde Perrin, translated by Daniel Hahn
  • Lost In the Future (Papercutz / Dupuis) by Alex Fuentes and Damian, translated by Tom Imber
  • Magda, Intergalactic Chef: Book 1 The Big Tournament (Macmillan – First Second Books/Actes Sud Jeunesse) by Nicolas Wouters and Mathilde Van Gheluwe, translated by Ann Marie Boulanger

Resources for Teachers

Starting in September 2026, teachers can register their students to vote in the next round of the Prix Albertine Jeunesse. Learn more about engaging students in the program via this dedicated website for teachers.

For further information, please contact: Noémie Jornet, Program Officer, Fiction, Children’s Books, and Comics, at noemie.jornet@villa-albertine.org.

In partnership with

Albertine Bookstore

Albertine is a bookshop that brings to life French-American intellectual exchange. A permanent venue for free events and debates, the space offers more than 14,000 contemporary and classic titles from over 30 French-speaking countries around the world.

 

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Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE)

The Agence pour l’enseignement français à l’étranger (AEFE) is a government institution supervised by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Founded in 1990, it is responsible for monitoring and managing the network of French schools abroad. The AEFE is the guarantor of the French education system abroad. It plays a key role in expanding France’s cultural and linguistic influence throughout the world and serves to boost the appeal of French higher education.

 

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Service culturel de l’Ambassade de France au Canada

The Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Canada promotes the best of French culture across Canada, including arts, language, education, science and research. 

 

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Institut français du Canada

The Institut français du Canada, an organization affiliated to the French Embassy in Canada, was created in April 2024. Its mission is to increase cooperation between France and Canada by promoting shared values and deepening cultural, educational, scientific and academic collaborations. The Institut organizes cultural events, debates, educational, scientific and academic projects, and residencies based on a multidisciplinary approach. Its programming is designed for a wide and diverse audience, from young children to the elderly, and from neophytes to professionals. Active throughout Canada outside Quebec, the Institut works in close collaboration with the French Embassy in Canada, the Institut français in Paris (France’s foreign cultural agency), and other Canadian and French public and private institutions and organizations.

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