School Library Association announces Information Book Award longlist and new nationwide Book Club

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 four winners in the IBA’s Children’s Choice categories.

Every school that signs up to the IBA Book Club will be entered into a draw to receive a free set of the shortlisted books, thanks to funding from the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). An exciting new addition is the Golden Bookmark. Three of these will be hidden in book bundles and any school that receives a Golden Bookmark will have the chance to attend the Award Ceremony in person and nominate a pupil to present one of the Children’s Choice Awards. Each participating school will also receive a set of useful resources to help make their book club enjoyable and engaging for pupils.

From essential history to natural wonders; practical life skills to managing your emotions; how the world works and how others see it: the 2025 Information Book Award longlist is described as ‘an awesome demonstration of the quality of Information Books available for children and young people, spanning everything from burps to skateboards and politics to physics’.

This year the SLA is placing even greater emphasis on the importance of the IBA Book Club and how book clubs can have positive educational and wellbeing outcomes. A new study released last week, Social Reading Spaces, by HarperCollins UK in collaboration with SLA, trialled an innovative new approach to book clubs. Seventeen school libraries across the UK, ran social book clubs with no expectation or pressure to read, instead fostering conversations and book talk in a relaxed and pressure-free setting. The study found that as well as having a positive impact on educational outcomes and reading ability, the book clubs also improved social connection between young people and increased wellbeing, providing a safe space for them to express their emotions.

The IBA Longlist for each age category is as follows:

Age 0-7

Along Came A … Burp!, Saskia Gwinn, illustrated by Paula Bowles (Templar Books)

Celebrations and Festivals: Diwali, Sital Gorasia Chapman, illustrated by Darshika Varma (Quarto)

Finding Home, Mike Unwin, illustrated by Jenni Desmond (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

First Questions and Answers: Why Do We Need Worms?, Katie Daynes, illustrated by Moesha Kellaway (Usborne)

How to Shine at Primary School, Kit Brown, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld (Wren & Rook, Hachette Children’s Group)

The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding, Sky Brown, illustrated by Shaw Davidson (Magic Cat Publishing)

A Little Blue Dot, Maren Hasenjäger (Mama Makes Books)

Me and My Hair, Kimberley Kinloch, illustrated by Jessica Gibson (Usborne)

Patience, Rachel Williams, illustrated by Leonie Lord (Magic Cat Publishing)

This Book Will Make You an Artist, Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey (Nosy Crow)

Welcome to Our Playground: A Celebration of Games Children Play Everywhere, Moira Butterfield, illustrated by Harriet Lynas (Nosy Crow)

What is AI?, Neal Layton (Hodder Children’s Books, Hachette Children’s Group)

Age 8-12

50 Ways Into Football, Dan Freedman and Daniel Gee (Wren & Rook, Hachette Children’s Group)

All About Flags, Robin Jacobs, illustrated by Ben Javens (Cicada Books)

Amazing Asia, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Jason Lyon (Quarto)

Colossal Words for Kids, Collette Hiller, illustrated by Tor Freeman (Quarto)

Gold Rush, Flora Delargy (Quarto)

How to Say No to Your Phone, Brad Marshall (Magic Cat Publishing)

How to Walk on the Moon and Other Incredible Ideas About Physics, William Potter, illustrated by Richard Watson (Arcturus Publishing)

Inside Story: How the News Works, ITN Productions, illustrated by Terri Po (Templar Books)

The Jellyfish Garden: Explore their Curious World, Paola Vitale, illustrated by Rossana Bossù (Post Wave Children’s Books)

On Track, Tom Adams, illustrated by Tom Jay (Quarto)

Our Cosmos, Professor Raman Prinja, illustrated by Suzie Mason (Welbeck Children’s Books, Hachette Children’s Group)

She Speaks: The Women of Greek Myths in their Own Words, Honor Cargill-Martin, illustrated by Camelia Pham (Magic Cat Publishing)

Age 13-16

Alastair Campbell Talks Politics, Alastair Campbell (Red Shed, Farshore)

Black History for Every Day of the Year, David and Yinka Olusoga, illustrated by Kemi Olusoga (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Deborah Meaden Talks Money, Deborah Meaden (Red Shed, Farshore)

Explodapedia: Rewild, Ben Martynoga, illustrated by Moose Allain (David Fickling Books)

History for Beginners, Andy Prentice and Tom Mumbray, illustrated by Paul Boston (Usborne)

The History of Information, Chris Haughton (DK Children’s)

An Illustrated History of Urban Legends, Adam Allsuch Boardman (Flying Eye Books)

Queerbook, Malcom Mackenzie, illustrated by Emily A. Foster (Red Shed, Farshore)

Seriously HAPPY, Ben Aldridge (Quarto)

The Usborne Teen Survival Guide, Caroline Young, illustrated by The Boy Fitz Hammond, Laura Wood (Usborne)

Victoria Dilly, new CEO of the SLA said, ‘I’m thrilled to launch our IBA Book Club, with exciting new resources and the addition of the Golden Bookmark initiative, giving pupils the chance to present the Awards they have judged. The recent ‘Social Reading Spaces’ study shows that book clubs not only positively impact reading ability, but also social connections and wellbeing. We hope to have more schools signing up to the IBA Book Club this year than ever before, not only to vote for the Children’s Choice IBA Award winners, but to discover the joy book clubs can bring.’

She added, ‘The IBA longlist showcases a diverse collection, with topics including Culture, Technology, Nature, Sport and STEM, which shows the endless possibilities for engagement with non-fiction. Information books are fundamental to school libraries and provide librarians with tools to help their students gain knowledge and insight. At the SLA we would like to see every school with a dedicated library and all children having the chance to benefit from brilliant books, curated by a librarian, which will ultimately help them to reach their full potential.’

Schools have until 11 June to register to take part in the IBA Book Club. The IBA shortlist will be announced on 17 June.