Ross Montgomery wins the 2025 FCBG Children’s Book Award

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 his human, obviously captivated young readers nationwide, and also took the top spot in the Younger Readers category.

Ross Montgomery was shortlisted in 2022 for The Midnight Guardians, but this is his first win. Also shortlisted this year are Hannah Gold’s Turtle Moon and the first in Alex Atkinson’s spooky new horror-mystery series Spooksmiths Investigate.

In the category for younger children, Grotti, a sweet and funny picture book about the way new babies become part of our lives, written and illustrated by Leonie Lord, took the top spot. Also on the shortlist were Tom Percival’s The Bridges, My Friend Andy by Emma Chinnery and A Wild Walk to School by Rebecca Cobb.

Seven Million Sunflowers by Malcolm Duffy, a book inspired by the author’s experiences of taking in a Ukrainian family fleeing the war, was voted favourite in the category for older readers. Also on this shortlist were Sam Sedgman’s The Clockwork Conspiracy and Ditching Saskia by John Moore and Neetols.

This year saw a phenomenal response from children, with nearly 30,000 votes cast during the Top 10 voting stage. The enthusiastic participation highlights the importance of empowering children to have their say in the books they love.

Children’s Book Award co-ordinator, Sarah Stuffins, said, ‘Congratulations to Ross, and of course Leonie and Malcolm. We had ten great and varied titles on the Top 10 this year and it is always fascinating to see which ones strike a particular chord with our young voters to become the children’s choice.’

Find out more about the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.