Congratulations – again – to Margaret McDonald whose debut novel, Glasgow Boys has been names as the 11-14+ category winner of the UKLA Book Awards, just over one week after winning the Carnegie Medal for Writing. McDonald also won the Shadowing schools’ and student teachers’ vote. The judges praised her book for its ‘beautifully balanced […]
The winner of the UK’s only national award for published poetry for children, the CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award) was announced this afternoon at a typically boissterous ceremony at the National Theatre on London’s Southbank, attended by hundreds of children. This year’s CLiPPA is awarded to Colette Hiller for her collection Colossal Words for Kids […]
The winners of the UK’s longest-running book awards for children and young people, The Carnegie Medals, were announced on Thursday 19 June in front of an audience of over 600 young people at a live-streamed ceremony at the Cambridge Theatre, London. 2024 Carnegie Medal for Writing winner, and former Waterstones Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho hosted […]
Inclusive Books for Children (IBC) is enlarging its national book-gifting scheme, offering 60 boxes of 100 inclusive children’s books to state primary schools and community libraries across the UK in 2025. The scheme, originally piloted in 2024 with 12 boxes, was expanded mid-year to 34 after an overwhelming response from schools citing lack of funds […]
The School Library Association (SLA) has announced the shortlists for the Information Book Award (IBA). The shortlisted books cover a diverse range of themes, from exploring different cultures to managing emotions, how the world works to how others experience it. The 2025 IBA shortlist shows the endless possibilities for engagement with information books, spanning everything […]
The latest National Literacy Trust research into children’s reading habits is out, with its Chief Executive Jonathan Douglas describing the data as ‘stark’ and claiming that, ‘We are witnessing the lowest levels of reading enjoyment and daily reading in a generation – a critical challenge for literacy, wellbeing, and life chances.’ In the sort of […]
Congratulations to Ross Montgomery who has been voted the Overall Winner of the 2025 FCBG Children’s Book Award with I Am Rebel. Now in its 45th year, the Children’s Book Award is the only national award voted for entirely by children. I Am Rebel, a heartwarming adventure about the unbreakable bond between a dog and […]
IBBY UK has announced the nomination of Michael Rosen, author category, and Emily Gravett, illustrator category, for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2026. In the portfolio supporting Michael’s submission, Professor Kimberley Reynolds writes, ‘Michael Rosen has been entertaining, educating, promoting and expanding writing for children in the UK in original, radical ways for half a […]
The Week Junior Book Awards have unveiled the 2025 shortlist, celebrating the best in children’s literature across 13 categories, including audiobooks, graphic novels and hobbies. There’s also a category highlighting new and debut authors. Now in its third year, The Week Junior Book Awards were created to celebrate the very best in books for young readers, […]
Shit Bag by Xena Knox (Hachette) and I Am, You Are by Ashley Harris Whaley, illustrated by Hannah Wood (Ladybird Books, Penguin Random House) are the entries selected by IBBY UK for inclusion in the 2025 Outstanding Books for Children with Disabilities List. This list comprises forty titles selected from 200 submissions from IBBY sections […]
The shortlist for the 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize has been announced. This is the tenth year of the award which was established in 2016 to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a leading light in the world of children’s publishing and illustration. The £5,000 prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting […]
Poetry By Heart, the national poetry speaking competition, has revealed the names of the young people chosen to compete in its 2025 Grand Finale, taking place at Shakespeare’s Globe, London on Monday 7 July. Amongst those cheering them in the audience will be Minister of State (Minister of School Standards) Catherine McKinnell MP. Founded by […]
The School Library Association has announced the longlist for the Information Book Award (IBA). Schools across the UK can now also sign up to join a nationwide Book Club, based around the Information Book Award, and organised by the SLA. Schools who take part in the book club will have the opportunity to vote for […]
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups (FCBG) has announced the theme for National Share-a-Story Month (NSSM) 2025: Saving the World, One Book at a Time. Held annually throughout May, National Share-a-Story Month celebrates the power of storytelling and the joy of reading together. It offers a wealth of opportunities for reading, writing, and sharing stories. […]
The shortlist for the 2025 Branford Boase Award, given annually to the author and editor of the year’s outstanding debut novel for children has been announced. It features ‘refreshingly different’ stories that demonstrate the strength of publishing for children, though the judges also complain that too many books are just too long. Founded in 2000 […]
At a live online event watched by thousands of school children across the UK, poet Roger McGough has announced the shortlist for the 2025 CLiPPA (CLPE Poetry Award). Colossal words; effervescent rhymes for the very young; poetry adventures with a family of six; funny, touching poems about our pets; and a boundary-pushing poetry dialogue, this […]
The 2025 Jhalak Prize shortlists have been announced, including the shortlist for the Jhalak Children’s and YA Prize. First awarded in March 2017, the Jhalak Prize awards seek to celebrate books by writers of colour in the UK and Ireland. In 2020, a dedicated Jhalak Children’s YA Prize was established and from 2024, the Jhalak […]
CLPE, the National Poetry Centre for Primary Schools, has revealed that chair of this year’s CLiPPA judges, Roger McGough will host a live online event to announce the shortlist for this year’s CLiPPA (CLPE Children’s Poetry Award). All schools in the UK are invited to attend the event which will take place at 2.15pm on […]
Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.
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