Schools across the UK can now sign up to join the Information Book Award Book Club, organised by the SLA. Schools who take part in the book club will have the opportunity to vote for four winners in the Children’s Choice categories of the Information Book Award. The awards, now in their 15th year, are sponsored by Hachette Children’s Group and Peters.
We are delighted to announce the longlist titles for the Information Book Award (IBA) today, alongside the opening of registrations for the IBA Book Club. A panel of judges have whittled down hundreds of entries to a list of 34 outstanding titles within three age categories. The judging panel will select a shortlist next month and winners will be announced at an awards ceremony later this year. Four Children’s Choice accolades, one in each age category and an overall winner, will be chosen by participating schools.
School that sign up to the IBA Book Club will have the chance to receive a free set of the shortlisted books in one age category, thanks to funding from the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). An exciting new addition for this year is a Golden Bookmark, which will be hidden in three book bundles. A school that receives a Golden Bookmark will have the chance to present a Children's Choice Award.
Each participating school will receive a set of useful resources to help make their book club enjoyable and engaging for pupils. Schools that aren’t selected to receive a free book bundle will be able to purchase the shortlisted books at a reduced price from Peters, helping as many schools as possible to take part in the voting process.
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 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.
In light of the recent Social Reading Spaces study, conducted by HarperCollins UK in collaboration with the SLA, we are placing even greater emphasis on the importance of the IBA Book Club this year. The recent study revealed the enormous positive impact a relaxed, librarian-led book club can have on reading engagement, educational outcomes, and pupil wellbeing. We want as many schools as possible to take part in the IBA Book Club, get talking about information books, and share your pupils' opinions with us!
Schools can register to take part now: https://www.sla.org.uk/iba-book-club
Victoria Dilly, 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.
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.”
The 2025 Information Book Award Longlist is as follows:
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
Helen Cleaves, Chair of the Judges, said: “It's the judges' privilege to announce such a fantastic longlist for the Information Book Award. We hope that the variety of topics, wealth of knowledge and engaging design in this year’s titles will spark enjoyment and curiosity in children and young people, as well as helping to develop essential critical thinking skills. The IBA offers a valuable focus on high-quality information, at a time when young people are often bombarded by opinion, interpretation and 'alternative' facts. We can't wait to hear feedback from schools as they delve into this wonderful selection of books and students get stuck into judging.”
Key dates for the Information Book Awards and Book Club:
• 7th May – 11th June: schools can register to take part in the IBA Book Club
• 17th June: the IBA shortlist will be announced
• 24th June: selected schools will be sent the shortlisted books and other schools can purchase for cost price from Peters to take part in the IBA Book Club
• End of June: Three lucky schools who find a Golden Bookmark in their book bundle will be able to nominate a pupil to present one of the Children's Choice Awards
• 18th October: Children’s Choice vote closes
• End of November: Awards Ceremony with students presenting Children’s Choice Awards
Register before 17th June to take part in the IBA Book Club and be in with the chance of winning a free set of shortlisted titles in one age category:
https://www.sla.org.uk/iba-book-club