Winners Of The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 Revealed
The winners of The Week Junior Book Awards have been announced at a ceremony held at London’s County Hall. Hosted by Bex Lindsay of Fun Kids, 14 awards were presented across categories including poetry, audiobook, cover of the year and breakthrough book.
Judges included author Sophie Dahl, CBeebies’ George Webster, presenter and actor Rhys Stephenson, and lexicographer Susie Dent. The Week Junior’s readers voted for the winners of the Children’s Choice and Cover of the Year Awards.
The awards saw publishers Puffin and Nosy Crow do particularly well,
The full list of winners is as follows:
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: BREAKTHROUGH
Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit
Clare Harlow, illus Karl James Mountford, (Puffin)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: GRAPHIC NOVEL
Unicorn Boy
Dave Roman (Hodder Children’s Books)
Highly Commended
Blitz One Family’s War
Martin Impey (Harbour Moon Publishing)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: YOUNGER FICTION
Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial
Kieran Larwood,illus Joe Todd-Stanton (Nosy Crow)
Highly Commended
Watts & Whiskerton: Buried Bones and Troublesome Treasure
Meg McLaren (Piccadilly Press)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: OLDER FICTION
The Wrong Shoes
Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)
Children’s Book of the Year: Hobbies and Interests
This Book Will Make You an Artist
Ruth Millington, illus Ellen Surrey (Nosy Crow)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: FACTUAL
Explodapedia: Rewild
Ben Martynoga, illus Moose Allain (David Fickling Books)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: STEM
Big Bad Wolf Investigates: Fairy Tales
Catherine Cawthorne, illus Sara Ogilvie (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Children’s Book of the Year: Animals and Nature
Beasts from the Deep
Matt Ralphs, illus Kaley McKean (Nosy Crow)
Children’s Book of the Year: Picture Book
There’s a Tiger on the Train
Mariesa Dulak, illus Rebecca Cobb (Faber)
Children’s Book of the Year: Audiobook
Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy
Authors and narrators Dr Emma Southon and Greg Jenner, (W.F. Howes)
Highly Commended
Grimwood: Party Animals!, Nadia Shireen (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: POETRY
Fia and the Last Snow Deer
Eilish Fisher, illus Dermot Flynn (Puffin)
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR: WELLBEING
Every Body
Molly Forbes, illus Mollie Cronin; (Puffin)
CHILDREN’S BOOK COVER OF THE YEAR
Guinness World Records 2025
Editor in Chief: Craig Glenday; cover designer Chris Labrooy, (Guinness World Records Limited)
CHILDREN’S CHOICE
Happy Days: 365 Facts to Brighten Every Day of the Year
Emily Coxhead (Walker Books)
Editorial Director of The Week Junior, Anna Bassi said, ‘Inspiring, informative and entirely original, our fourteen award winners represent the very best in children’s literature. These extraordinary books showcase the breadth and depth of what’s possible, exploring important real-life issues, explaining complex topics, making learning fun and taking young readers on unforgettable adventures. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, editors, designers and publishers who have brought them into being and on to bookshelves!’
The Awards are supported by LoveReading4Kids, Fun Kids, World Book Day and children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
