The Week Junior Book Awards Announces 2024 Shortlist With Six New Categories

The Week Junior Book Awards today announced their 2024 Shortlists in collaboration with The Bookseller, and partners LoveReading4Kids, WHSmith, and World Book Day. Launched in 2023 to rapturous applause the awards aim to inspire children to read for pleasure. Something which is very close to our hearts.

The shortlisted books will be shared directly with the award-winning news magazine’s eight to 14-year-old readers and their families via a 12-week promotional campaign.

Anna Bassi, Editorial Director of The Week Junior, commented, "The 74 books on our shortlist represent an incredible range of authors, illustrators, designers, stories and subjects – testament to the endless creativity and innovation in children’s publishing.

Our judges are in for some excellent reading over the next couple of months. I’m really excited to find out which of the books readers of The Week Junior elect to win our Children’s Choice trophy – this is their chance to vote and I hope they’ll use it. With reading for pleasure seemingly in decline I’d like to think our shortlists will inspire more kids to give books a go, discover something new, and hopefully spark a love of reading that lasts for life."

Philip Jones, Editor of The Bookseller, shared, "In its second year, The Week Junior Book Awards already feels firmly established; and these shortlists have everything we need them to have, showcasing the breadth, creativity, colourfulness, and the sheer power of story-telling and fact-weaving that we know children's writers and illustrators are always capable of. Hurrah once again to The Week Junior for continuing to support children's books."

The 13 book categories include six new categories this year, launched in response to feedback from publishers and reflecting the interests of The Week Junior’s readers. These are: Animals & Nature; Graphic Novel; Hobbies & Interests; Picture Book; Poetry, and Wellbeing.

They join the other categories: Audiobook; Breakthrough Book; Cover of the Year; Fiction Older; Fiction Younger; Non-Fiction, and STEM (in partnership with The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine).

The shortlisted books were selected from more than 370 entries with the help of an expert committee including LoveReading4Kids MD Deborah Maclaren who chaired the shortlisting committee for Older Fiction. The committee represented booksellers, librarians, literacy charities, children’s book reviewers and primary school teachers.

Our very own Deborah Maclaren commented: "It has been an absolute joy to be involved in The Week Junior Book Awards again this year. Being part of the Shortlisting Committee was a tall order with so many incredible books submitted but the shortlists are a beautiful thing. Such a brilliant batch of inclusive, diverse and stunning books where all children can find themselves reflected. And now, we go again, as I'm delighted to also be on the Judging Committee for the next phase of the Awards journey. Bring it on!

At LoveReading4Kids we are cheerleaders of authors and illustrators so it's brilliant to partner with the Week Junior Book Awards which are so important to enable a light to be shone on these special authors and illustrators who are collaborating with publishers to create amazing books for children. We shout about these books week in week out, and by partnering with The Week Junior as their Social Value Partner we hope to do even more for reading for pleasure."

Readers of The Week Junior will have the chance to vote for Book Cover of the Year and the Children's Choice Award – the overall winner of the shortlist in all categories. Alongside them, the prestigious judging panel includes CBBC Newsround presenter Ricky Boleto; Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho; author and Place2Be ambassador Sophie Dahl; children’s TV presenter and author Jess French; Comics Laureate Bobby Joseph, and award-winning author SF Said, who was the winner of the Older Fiction award in 2023.

Dive into the shortlists in full here and add your favourites to your basket knowing you'll be doing great things for a school close to your heart, or schools in need.

THE SHORTLISTS IN FULL

Children's Book of the Year: Breakthrough

Digging for Victory by Cathy Faulkner
Greenwild: The World Behind The Door by Pari Thomson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli
My Name is Sunshine Simpson by G.M. Linton, illustrated by Fuuji Takashi
The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi, illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole
The Nowhere Thief by Alice M. Ross

Children’s Book of the Year: Younger Fiction (6–9 year-olds)

Adventuremice: Otter Chaos by Philip Reeve & Sarah McIntyre
Faith Muntu and the Lost Elephant by Lela Burbridge, illustrated by Claire Pinfold
Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog by Terrie Chilvers, illustrated by Tim Budgen
Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions by Carrie Sellon, illustrated by Sarah Horne
Yomi and the Fury of Ninki Nanka by Davina Tijani, illustrated by Adam Douglas-Bagley

Children’s Book of the Year: Older Fiction (9–12 year-olds)

Finding Bear by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Tomislav Tomic, Virginia Allyn, Daniel Egneus
Kicked Out by A.M. Dassu, illustrated by Daby Zainab Faidhi
Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer by Jeffrey Boakye
Man-Man and the Tree of Memories by Yaba Badoe, illustrated by Joelle Avelino
Monster in the Woods by Dave Shelton
Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan

Children’s Book of the Year: Non-Fiction

Guinness World Records 2024 by Craig Glenday (Editor-in-Chief)
Infographica by Valentina D’Efilippo, Andrew Pettie and Conrad Quilty-Harper
Little Book, Big Idea: What is philosophy? by Sarah Walden, illustrated by Katie Rewse
Very Short Introductions for Curious Young Minds: The Amazing Power of Activism by Lily Dyu
Welcome to Our Table: A Celebration of What Children Eat Everywhere by Ed Smith and Laura Mucha, illustrated by Harriet Lynas

Children's Book of the Year: Poetry

A Dinosaur at the Bus Stop - Poems to Have Fun With! by Kate Wakeling, illustrated by Eilidh Muldoon
A Whale of a Time by Lou Peacock, illustrated by Matt Hunt
Balam & Lluvia's House by Julio Serrano Echeverría, illustrated by Yolanda Mosquera
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd Stanton
Wider Than The Sea by Serena Molloy, illustrated by George Ermos

Children's Book of the Year: Graphic Novel

Bumble and Snug and the Shy Ghost by Mark Bradley
Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up! by Jamie Smart
Dog Man 11: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey
InvestiGators: All Tide Up by John Patrick Green
Juniper Mae: Knight of Tykotech City by Sarah Soh
Mexikid by Pedro Martin
Drawn to Change the World Graphic Novel Collection: 16 Youth Climate Activists, 16 Artists by Emma Reynolds and illustrated by Ann Maulina, Natsha Donovan, Teo DuVall, Devon Holzwarth, Erin Hunting, Margarita Kukhtina, Victoria Maderna and Federico Piatti, Shivana Sookdeo, Anoosha Syed, Jade Zhang, Derick Brooks, Gloria Félix, Natasha Nayo, Bill Masuku

Children's Picture Book of the Year

Amy Gets Eaten by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker
Can I Come Too? by Owen Davey
Gigantic by Rob Biddulph
The Bowerbird by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Catherine Rayner
Thunderboots by Naomi Jones, illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown
Wee Unicorn by Meg McLaren

Children's Book of the Year: STEM

How to Spaghettify Your Dog by Hiba Noor Khan, illustrated by Harry Woodgate
Izzy the Inventor and the Unexpected Unicorn by Zanna Davidson, illustrated by Elissa Elwick
That's Mathematics by Chris Smith based on lyrics by Tom Lehrer, illustrated by Elīna Brasliņa
Where Are You Really From? by Adam Rutherford, illustrated by Adam Ming
Wonderfully Wired Brains by Louise Gooding, illustrated by Ruth Burrows

Children's Book of the Year: Wellbeing

Friendship Survival Guide by Caroline Young
Growing Up: An Inclusive Guide to Puberty and Your Changing Body by Rachel Greener, illustrated by Clare Owen
My Family, Your Family: Let's talk about relatives, love and belonging by Laura Henry-Allain, illustrated by Giovana Medeiros
Roots of Happiness by Susie Dent, illustrated by Harriet Hobday
The Bedtime Boat by Sital Gorasia Chapman, illustrated by Anastasia Suvorova

Children's Book of the Year: Hobbies & Interests

Art is Everywhere by Joe Haddow, illustrated by Ellie Hawes
Cracking Cricket by Robin Bennett, illustrated by Matt Cherry
Rhinoceros Can't Draw, But You Can! by Luke Newell, illustrated by Luke Newell and Mr Griff
The Football School Encyclopedia by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton, illustrated by Spike Gerrell
The Handbook of Forgotten Skills by Natalie Crowley and Elaine Batiste, illustrated by Chris Duriez
What Can I Do With a Cardboard Box? by James Maclaine, illustrated by Harriet Noble and Erin Wallace

Children's Book of the Year: Animals & Nature

Amazing Animal Journeys by Philippa Forrester, illustrated by Tim Smart
Animal FACTopia! by Julie Beer, illustrated by Andy Smith
Please Don't Bite Me: Insects that Buzz, Bite and Sting by Nazzy Pakpour
The Tyrannosaur's Feathers by Jonathan Emmett, Dr Adam S. Smith, illustrated by Stieven Van der Poorten
Weird Sea: Zombie Starfish, Underwater Aliens and Other Strange Tales of the Ocean by Sophie Burrows

Cover of the Year

Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra by Nikita Gill, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat. Cover design by Manda Scott
Bite Risk by SJ Wills. Cover design by Jose Real Art
Boy Underground by Isabelle Marinov, illustrated by Paula Zorite. Cover design by Sophie Jones
Cloudlanders by Christopher Mackie, illustrated by Hoang Giang. Cover design by Leah McDowell
Kyan Green and the Infinity Racers by Colm Field. Cover illustrated by David Wilkerson and designed by Rose Gerrard
My Name is Sunshine Simpson by GM Linton, illustrated by Fuuji Takashi
The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi. Cover designed and illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole

Children’s Audiobook of the Year

Animal Tales from India: Ten Stories from the Panchatantra by Nikita Gill, narrated by Nikita Gill
Billy and the Giant Adventure by Jamie Oliver, narrated by Jamie Oliver
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, narrated by Samuel West
Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Ruling the World by Louie Stowell, narrated by Ben Willbond
Onyeka and the Rise of the Rebels by Tola Okogwu, narrated by Nneka Okoye
Stink: Fairy vs Boy by Jenny McLachlan, narrated by Caius Nicholas

Congratulations to everyone who made the shortlist. This is truly an incredible celebration of children's books. The winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony in London on 30th September - and we can't wait!