2025 UKLA BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTS

POWERFUL, EMPATHETIC AND REPRESENTATIVE SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2025 UKLA BOOK AWARDS

Research carried out by members of UKLA (Cremin et al 2008) clearly demonstrated the links between teachers’ knowledge of children’s books and the likelihood of pupils reading for pleasure. Despite this evidence, teachers are seldom given time to read new books or the funding to purchase them when they do.
87 teacher judges, who had been recruited to one of the four categories, have been reading and debating the 20 books longlisted in each category, in their small network groups, since September. From a wonderful selection, these books were chosen:

Shortlist Details
3-6+
Gina Kaminkski Saves a Wolf. Written by Craig Barr-Green and illustrated by Francis Martin (Little Tiger Press)
There's A Tiger on The Train. Written by Mariesa Dulak and illustrated by Rebecca Cobb (Faber)
Mr Mornington's Favourite Things.  Written and illustrated by Karen George (Welbeck)
Geoffrey Gets the Jitters. Written and illustrated by Nadia Shireen (Puffin)
Listening to the Quiet. Written by Cassie Silva and illustrated by Frances Ives (Lantana)
Salat in Secret. Written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Hatem Aly (Andersen Press)
 
7-10+
The Final Year. Written by Matt Goodfellow and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Otter-Barry Books)
Stitch. Written by Pádraig Kenny (Walker Books)
Code Name Kingfisher. Written by Liz Kessler (Simon & Schuster)
Safiyah's War. Written by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)
And I Climbed And I Climbed. Written by Stephen Lightbown and illustrated by Shih-Yu Lin (Troika Books)
The Wrong Shoes. Written and illustrated by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster)
 
11- 14+
The Things We Leave Behind. Written by Clare Furniss (Simon & Schuster)
The Boy Next Door. Written by Jenny Ireland (Penguin)
If My Words Had Wings. Written by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster)
King of Nothing  Written by Nathaneal Lessore (Hot Key Books)
Glasgow Boys. Written by Margaret McDonald (Faber)
Keedie. Written by Elle McNicoll (Knights Of)
 
Shortlist Information Books 3-14+
Brilliant Black British History. Written by Atinuke and illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi (Bloomsbury)
Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales. Written by Catherine Cawthorne and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Bloomsbury)
Wild languages of Mother Nature. Written by Gabby Dawnay and illustrated by Margaux Samson- Abadie (Wide Eyed Editions)
Slug Life. Written and illustrated by Moesha Kellaway (Rocket Bird Books)
Homebody. Written and illustrated by Theo Parish           (Macmillan)
Stones and Bones. Written by Rob Wilshaw and illustrated by Sophie Williams (Cicada)

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