Winners of the 2026 UKLA Book Awards announced

Congratulations to Beth O’Brien whose debut novel, Wolf Siren, has been named winner of the 11-14+ category of the UKLA Book Awards at a ceremony held at the UKLA International Conference in Glasgow. Her win repeats Margaret McDonald’s success in 2025 with Glasgow Boys which won both the UKLA Book Award and the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Writing.

As an allegorical and feminist retelling of the fairytale classic, Wolf Siren ‘challenges our interpretation of the environment and the ‘wolves’ in our community’, say the judges, who also praised the novel for its ‘sensitive and tender portrayal of grief’. They also commended the ‘vivid world building’ and how it takes a ‘shared cultural capital and progresses it’, celebrating the ‘collective strength of women’ and ‘power in community.’

The UKLA awards are, uniquely, judged by teachers around the UK who assess the impact of the books upon the children and young people reading for purpose and pleasure in their classrooms, before casting their votes. This year’s Shadower’s Choice vote went to a UKLA past winner, Jason Reynolds for the Carnegie shortlisted, 24 Seconds from Now, praised by the judges as an ‘antidote to toxic masculinity’.

The 7-10+ category also generated intense discussion amongst the Shadowers, as it was clearly felt that each book on the shortlist could have been a worthy winner. Another Carnegie shortlisted title, Birdie, by J P Rose was the Shadower’s Choice in this category.

However Alistair Chisolm’s Reek took the Winner’s title, thanks to what the judges described as ‘accessible storytelling’ and the ‘important social justice themes’, which draws young people into a story that feels ‘thrilling and frighteningly possible’ and ‘empowers children to consider the world around them.’ Published by Barrington Stoke, publisher of texts to support struggling readers, the judges were pleased to be able to celebrate a doubly Scottish winner in Glasgow.

Ailsa Bathgate from Barrington Stoke said ‘The UKLA Award is held in such high regard due to the acknowledgement it brings from teachers, who are hugely important in getting Barrington Stoke books into the hands of the readers who need them the most. With Reek, set in a futuristic dystopian Edinburgh, Alastair showcased his mastery of his craft, packing so much into our shorter word count and delivering a gripping, action-packed story that also manages to convey important messages about greed, fairness and the looming climate catastrophe. It’s particularly special to see him receive the award in his homeland of Scotland this evening.’

Alistair Chisholm added ‘I’m overjoyed to see Reek win the UKLA Book Award! It’s been brilliant working with Barrington Stoke and the amazing George Caltsoudas. Reek is about how anyone can change the world, and that’s something I try to hold on to, so seeing it resonate with others is wonderful. And as a Scot working with a Scottish publisher, celebrating it here at the UKLA Conference in Scotland has been wonderful. Thank you so much!‘

The joyful, interactive Don’t Think of Tigers by Alex Latimer won the 3-6+ category. The judges describe the book as a ‘joy to read aloud’ that ‘worked perfectly across the whole of this age range’ and absolutely epitomised the ‘growth mindset.’ They also commended it for teaching young children ‘how their minds work’ as well as ‘all the different ways to do ar’t. The Shadower’s Choice in this category was Once I Was a Tree by Eoin McLaughlin and Guilherme Karsten, which invites readers to explore the life cycle of trees in a way that is ‘educational, thought-provoking and delightfully entertaining’.

Described by judges as a ‘genius concept’ and a ‘visually stunning’,‘philosophical’ text, the winner of the Information Books 3-14+ category is Frog, by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egnéus. With ‘carefully poetic prose’ that reads aloud well, this is a book which works for a wide age range. Older children are inspired to ‘think about things they already know in a different way’. Graphic Novel Builder by Edward Ross was the Shadowers’ Choice in this category and was also popular among a wide age range, becoming an excellent resource for the classroom. ‘No matter who you are or what your age is, this book invites everyone to learn, create, and connect through the power of graphic novels.’

For UKLA it is the judging process and giving classroom practitioners the opportunity to read high quality new children’s books that is as important as finding an overall winner. Research carried out by members of UKLA (Cremin et al 2008) clearly demonstrated the links between teachers’ knowledge of children’s books and the likelihood of pupils reading for pleasure. Despite this evidence, teachers are seldom given time to read new books or the funding to purchase them when they do.

From the 85 teacher judges involved in this unique process, twelve are nominated by their colleagues to go on to form the final judging panel, which decides the winners of the UKLA 2026 Book Awards. They read the shortlists from all four categories, regardless of the age group they teach, which added a fascinating insight to the impassioned debate. As judge Greg Shearer said: ‘This was such a fantastic experience which helped me develop my knowledge of children’s literature across all the different categories and enabled me to meet likeminded readers.’

Proud of their choices, Chris Lockwood, Awards Chair said, ‘When our final panel of teacher judges met in Glasgow in May, they were faced with some very difficult decisions, because of the strength of all four shortlists. They approached the tasks with their usual professionalism and a clear passion for and deep knowledge of children’s literature, especially the impact of these wonderful books on their young readers.’

Awards sponsor Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine and The Reading Journey commented: ‘There has been a lot of talk about ‘reading in crisis’ in the National Year of Reading, but from experience of working with inspirational teachers in classrooms, we know that they make a difference to children’s engagement in reading and, in consequence, to their wellbeing, their ability to empathise and their ability to achieve their academic potential. The UKLA Book Awards, through the judging process, recognise the pivotal role that teachers have in creating lifelong readers. Once again, through careful deliberations, this year’s panel of judges and teacher shadowers have selected outstanding winners from very strong shortlists. We look forward to seeing these books celebrated in classrooms across the country.‘

Find out more about the books shortlisted for the 2026 UKLA Book Awards