Story of Uxbridge boy wins the 2026 Kirkus Indie Award for Children’s Literature

Lisha Van Nieuwenhove

Let’s Go, Darby! author Linda Rosenbaum sits down with Cosmos publisher Lisha Van Nieuwenhove during an event at the Blue Heron Studio in Summer 2025. Photo by John Cavers

The winner of the 2026 Kirkus Indie Award for Children’s Literature has been awarded to Let’s Go, Darby!, a middle-grade book of historical fiction based on patients at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto at the beginning of the 20th century. What makes the book special to Uxbridge is that the boy at the centre of the tale is based on a real life resident of Uxbridge, Georgie Titus.

Filled with adventure, drama, humour, suspense and pathos, Let’s Go, Darby!’s young readers can relate to its characters, who just happen to be sick or have a disability - as captured by illustrator Barbara Klunder.

“I’m honoured Let’s Go, Darby! was chosen by this influential American publication,” says author Linda Rosenbaum, “especially because it’s a Canadian story. But good, compelling stories with memorable characters are universal, and I’m thankful Kirkus recognized that.”

‍ ‍Kirkus Reviews is an American literary magazine founded in 1933 to provide booksellers and librarians with honest reviews of recently published books. This is the inaugural year for Kirkus to award prizes for independently published books.

‍ ‍Let’s Go, Darby! is set in 1898 and based on a true story of 10-year-old Georgie Titus from Uxbridge who traveled 70 kilometres by dogsled, on his own, to get to what was then called the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He was desperate for an operation so he could walk but wouldn’t ask his parents for any more help.

“I stumbled on Georgie’s story while doing research on SickKids Hospital. I knew immediately that I wanted to write about this amazingly brave kid who did something so daring,” says Rosenbaum, who uncovered other remarkable patients from further research.

During their long-term stays at the hospital, Georgie and fellow patients journey from despair to hope and eventual healing. Let’s Go, Darby! conveys the importance of inclusion, connection and friendship in a fun, kid-centred way.