The 2026 Indie Book Awards longlist has been announced by Australian independent booksellers for their favorite books of 2025. The shortlist will be announced in January with the winners awarded in March. The awards cover a wide variety of books for all ages. Here are the longlisted titles for the youth categories:

CHILDREN’S LONGLIST

If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall (available in US)

Dear Broccoli by Jo Dabrowski, illustrated by Cate James

Dropbear by Philip Bunting (available in US)

Harry and Gran Bake a Cake by Fiona McIntosh, illustrated by Sara Acton

Ningaloo by Tim Winton, illustrated by Cindy Lane

Ninja Girl by Anh Do, illustrated by James Hart

Once I Was a Giant by Zeno Sworder

Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping by Craig Silvey, illustrated by Sara Acton

Silverborn by Jessica Townsend (available in US)

There’s a Prawn in the Parliament House: The Kids’ Guide to Australia’s Amazing Democracy by Annabel Crabb, illustrated by First Dog on the Moon

YOUNG ADULT LONGLIST

Catch by Sarah Brill

Cruel Is the Light by Sophie Clark (available in US)

Darkest Night, Brightest Star by Barry Jonsberg (released in US in June 2026)

Drift by Pip Harry

The Foal in the Wire by Robbie Coburn

Eleanor Jones Is Playing with Fire by Amy Doak

Sonny & Tess by Nova Weetman

This Season’s Draft by Jason Gent

Unhallowed Halls by Lili Wilkinson (available in US)

Wandering Wild by Lynette Noni (available in US)

Horn Book has announced the 2025 Fanfare, their picks for the best books of the year by their editors and reviewers. Here are the selected titles:

PICTURE BOOKS

Afloat by Kirli Saunders, illus. by Freya Blackwood

Anything by Rebecca Stead, illus. by Gracey Zhang

Cat Nap by Brian Lies

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess, illus. by Cátia Chien

The House That Floated by Guojing

How to Reach the Moon by Nicolás Schuff, illus. by Ana Sender

Island Storm by Brian Floca, illus. by Sydney Smith

Moon Song by Michaela Goade

The Moving Book by Lisa Brown

Our Lake by Angie Kang

A Place for Us by James E. Ransome

Sato the Rabbit: Morning Light by Yuki Ainoya

When I Hear Spirituals by Cheryl Willis Hudson, illus. by London Ladd

Your Farm, Your Forest, Your Island by Jon Klassen (three titles)

FICTION

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland

Everyday Bean by Stephanie Graegin

Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough

The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge, illus. by Emily Gravett

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares

I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins

If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry

Night Light by Michael Emberley

Oasis by Guojing

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Rose Field by Philip Pullman

Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

The Strongest Heart by Saadia Faruqi

Titan of the Stars by E. K. Johnston

Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr

The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz

Your Turn Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly

POETRY

Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends by Joyce Sidman, illus. by Melissa Sweet

How Elegant the Elephant: Poems about Animals and Insects by Mary Ann Hoberman, illus. by Marla Frazee

NONFICTION

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming

The Endless Sea by Chi Thai, illus. by Linh Dao

The History of We by Nikkolas Smith

How Sweet the Sound by Kwame Alexander, illus. by Charly Palmer

Hurricane by Jason Chin

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This by Eugene Yelchin

Imogen: The Life and Work of Imogen Cunningham by Elizabeth Partridge, illus. by Yuko Shimizu

Outside In and Inside Out: A Story about Arnold Lobel by Emmy Kastner

This Is Orange: A Field Trip through Color by Rachel Poliquin, illus. by Julie Morstad

We Carry the Sun by Tae Keller, illus. by Rachel Wada

White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History by Ann Bausum

A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day, illus. by Yas ­Imamura

The winners of the 2025 Laugh Out Loud Awards have been announced by Scholastic UK. The awards are given to the funniest children’s books of the year. I posted the shortlist earlier. Here are the winners:

BEST PICTURE BOOK

There’s Nothing Faster Than a Cheetah by Tom Nicoll, illustrated by Ross Collins (Available in US)

BEST BOOK AGES 6-8

Trixie Pickle Art Avenger: Toxic Takedown by Olaf Falafel

BEST BOOK AGES 9-12

Evil Emperor Penguin: The World Will Be Mine! by Laura Ellen Anderson

BEST NON-FICTION

Kay’s Incredible Inventions by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker

The Guardian has named their picks for the UK’s best children’s books of the year. Here they are:

Deep Dark by Zorah Nabi

Donut Squad: Take Over the World! by Neill Cameron

Dracula & Daughters by Emma Carroll

Feminist History for Every Day of the Year by Kate Mosse

Firefly by Robert Macfarlane, illustrated by Luke Adam Hawker (available in US)

The Great Bear by Annie Booker (available in US)

Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen

No Refuge by Joe Brady and Patrice Aggs

Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (available in US)

Omnibird by Giselle Clarkson (available in US)

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell (available in US)

This Is Who I Am by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane (available in US)

Torchfire by Moira Buffini (available in US)

We Are Your Children by David Roberts

What Happens Online by Nathanael Lessore

The good folks at NPR have announced their picks for the top books of 2025. They include children’s and YA titles. Below is the list of books for youth included in their lists:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson

A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III

Brave by Weshoyot Alvitre

Broken by X. Fang

Crumble by Meredith McClaren, illustrated by Andrea Bell

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

Dream On by Shannon Hale, illustrated by Marcla Cespedes

Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan

The Experiment by Rebecca Stead

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia Chien

The Gathering Table by Antwan Eady, illustrated by London Ladd

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

The History of We by Nikkolas Smith

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares

The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi, illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

Island Storm by Brian Flocas, illustrated by Sydney Smith

J vs. K by Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell

My Presentation Today Is about the Anaconda by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Annemarie van Haeringen, translated by Nancy Forest-Flier

Oasis by Guojing

On Guard! by Cassidy Wasserman

One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel by Rita Williams-Garcia, illustrated by Sharee Miller

Our Lake by Angie Kang

Pilgrim Codex by Vivian Mansour, illustrated by Emmanuel Valtierra, translated by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez

Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson

The Summer of the Bone Horses by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Steph Littlebird

Sundust by Zeke Peña

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

Tuck Me In! A Science Bedtime Story by Nathan W. Pyle

The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba, illustrated by Miho Satake, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa

Whale Eyes by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea

A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Yas Imamura

YOUNG ADULT

After Life by Gayle Forman

A Feast for the Eyes by Alex Crespo

Fireblooms by Alexandra Villasante

Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love) by Laura Gao

Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry

The Last Tiger by Julia Riew and Brad Riew

Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran