The organisers of the Diverse Book Awards have announced this year’s shortlist. With a new category of Picture Books added to the line-up, almost 200 books were submitted across the awards covering Children’s, Young Adult and Adult Fiction.

Five years after the award was set up, the Diverse Book Awards continue to highlight the year’s outstanding diverse and inclusive books published by authors based in the UK and Ireland.

Abiola Bello, co-founder of The DBAs: ‘Once again, we have the best diverse shortlist in book publishing! It’s so exciting celebrating five years of The Diverse Book Awards and seeing such fantastic books. There is a range of familiar names and past winners, as well as debuts. The judges have been so amazing helping us with the longlist and shortlist and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone when the winners are announced in October.’

Helen Lewis, co-founder of The DBAs: ‘We all know that diversity in publishing is imperative for so many reasons; from enriching the narrative through sharing stories that help shape our understanding of the world, to building acceptance, empathy, positive self-esteem, healthy relationships, and kindness. This year’s shortlist literally has something for everyone, and I am so proud of all that The Diverse Book Awards has done, and continues to do, on a grassroots to a national scale.’

Young Adult Shortlist

A Million To One by Adiba Jaigirdar (Hodder Children’s Books)

Away With Words by Sophie Cameron (Little Tiger)

Boy Like Me by Simon James Green (Scholastic)

Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher (Bloomsbury YA)

My Life As A Chameleon by Diana Anyakwo (Atom)

This Book Kills by Ravena Guron (Usborne)

The First Move by Jenny Ireland (Penguin Random House Children’s)

Wild Song by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books)

You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud (Usborne)

Children’s Shortlist

A Different Kind of Freedom: A Romani Story by Richard O’ Neill (Scholastic)

Glitter Boy by Ian Eagleton (Scholastic)

Glow Up Lara Bloom by Dee Benson (Hot Key Books)

Kicked Out by A. M. Dassu (Old Barn Books)

Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)

Steady For This by Nathanael Lessore (Hot Key Books)

The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Otter-Barry Books)

The Storm Swimmer by Clare Weze (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

The Thief of Farrowfell by Ravena Guron, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio (Faber)

Picture Book Shortlist

A Hero Like Me by Angela Joy & Jen Reid, illustrated by Leire Salaberria (Frances Lincoln

Children’s Books)

Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green, illustrated by Francis Martin (Little Tiger)

Grandad’s Pride by Harry Woodgate (Andersen Press)

I’m Going to Be a Princess by Stephanie Taylor, illustrated by Jade Orlando (Nosy Crow)

Not Now, Noor! by Farhana Islam, illustrated by Nabila Adani (PRH Children’s)

One Little Word by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Allison Colpoys (Frances Lincoln Children’s

Books)

Shine by Sarah Asuquo, illustrated by Nadia Fisher (Scholastic)

Stop! That’s Not My Story by Smriti Halls, illustrated by Erika Meza (Simon & Schuster)

To The Other Side by Erika Meza (Hodder Children’s Books)

For the second year running, readers in schools, libraries, book clubs, and homes across the country, voted for their number one winner in each of the four longlisted categories as part of The Readers’ Choice Award. The winners will be confirmed at the awards party on October 10th at Waterstones Piccadilly in London.