Awards

2025 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Shortlists

| Tasha

Creative Australia has announced the shortlists for the 2025 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. The awards “acknowledge the contribution of Australian literature to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.” Winners will be announced on September 29th. Here are the shortlists for the juvenile categories:g

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE SHORTLIST

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tooth Fairy (And Some Things You Didn’t) by Briony Stewart

A Leaf Called Greaf by Kelly Canby

Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas (releasing in February 2026 in US)

Raymaŋgirrbuy dhäwu When I was a little girl by Kylie Gatjawarrawuy Mununggurr

We Live in a Bus by Dave Petzold (releasing in April 2026 in US)

YOUNG ADULT SHORTLIST

Anomaly by Emma Lord (available as ebook in US)

The Anti-Racism Kit by Sabina Patawaran and Jinyoung Kim (available in US)

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland (available in US)

My Family and Other Suspects by Kate Emery

Thunderhead by Sophie Beer

2025 Harvey Award Nominees

| Tasha

The nominees for the 2025 Harvey Awards have been announced. These awards recognize the best in comics in the previous year in a variety of categories. Here are the nominees in the juvenile categories:

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud

Chickenpox by Remy Lai

Free Piano (Not Haunted) by Whitney Gardner

Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia & Brittney Williams

Song for You and I by Kay O’Neil

Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr, Jess Wibowo, & Cin Wibowo

BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK

Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger

Navigating with You by Jeremy Whitley, Cassio Ribeiro & Nikki Foxrobot

Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn

Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries

2025 Wainwright Prize Shortlists

| Tasha

The 2025 shortlists for the Wainwright Prizes have been announced. The UK awards encompass both adult and juvenile titles that celebrate nature, conservation and environmental writing. In 2025, the awards expanded, particularly in children’s publishing. Here are the shortlists for the juvenile categories:

THE CHILDREN’S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR FICTION

Ettie and the Midnight Pool by Julie Green, illustrated by Pam Smy

Ghostlines by Katya Balen

Land of the Last Wildcat by Lui Sit, illustrated by David Dean

Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold, illustrated by Levi Pinfold

Wildful by Kengo Kurimoto (available in US)

Wildlands by Brogen Murphy

THE CHILDREN’S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

Cloudspotting for Beginners by Gavin Pretor-Pinney and William Grill (available in US)

Hamza’s Wild World by Hamza Yassin

Look What I Found by the River by Moira Butterfield and Jesus Verona

Mega: The Most Enormous Animals Ever by Jules Howard, illustrated by Gavin Scott (available in US)

Secrets of Bees by Ben Hoare, illustrated by Nina Chakrabarti

Wildlife in the Balance by Dr. Sharon Wismer and Terri Po (available in US)

THE CHILDREN’S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR PICTURE BOOKS

Bothered by Bugs by Emily Gravett (releasing in US in March 2026)

Flower Block by Lanisha Butterfield, illustrated by Hoang Giang

Frog: A Story of Life on Earth by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egneus (releasing in US in January 2026)

Herd by Stephen Hogtun

Leave the Trees Please by Benjamin Zephaniah, illustrated by Melissa Castrillon (releasing in US in February 2026)

The Wild by Yuval Zommer (available in US)

The World to Come by Robert MacFarlane and Johnny Flynn, illustrated by Emily Sutton

Lambda Literary Award Finalists

| Tasha

The finalists have been announced in a wide-range of categories for these annual LGBTQIA+ awards featuring titles from 2024. You can check out the full list on the Lambda Literary site. Here are the finalists in the juvenile categories:

LGBTQ+ CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Glenn Burke, Game Changer by Phil Bildner, illustrated by Daniel J. O’Brien

Harper Becomes a Big Sister by Seamus Kirst

Jacob’s Missing Book by Sarah and Ian Hoffman

Just Us by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

Love of the Half-Eaten Peach by Lee Wind, illustrated by Jieting Chen

LGBTQ+ MIDDLE GRADE

Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy

Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy

Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horn

Splinter & Ash by Marieke Nijkamp

Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

LGBTQ+ YOUNG ADULT

The Feast Makers by H. A. Clarke

Icarus by K. Ancrum

Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield

2025 Eisner Awards

| Tasha

The 2025 Eisner Awards have been announced. These awards are the biggest in the comic industry and are announced every year at Comic-Con. The biggest winner this year was delightfully a teen graphic novel: Lunar New Year Love Story that won 3 of the awards, including overall Best Writer. Here are the youth finalists and winners:

BEST PUBLICATION FOR EARLY READERS

WINNER

Hilda and Twig Hide from the Rain by Luke Pearson

FINALISTS

Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp

Club Microbe by Elise Gravel

Night Stories by Liniers

Poetry Comics by Grant Snider

BEST PUBLICATION FOR KIDS

WINNER

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

FINALISTS

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger

Next Stop by Debbie Fong

Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr. and Jes & Cin Wibowo

Young Hag and the Witches’ Quest by Isabel Greenberg

BEST PUBLICATION FOR TEENS

WINNER

Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham – Also won Best Graphic Album-New and Best Writer

FINALISTS

Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang

Big Jim and the White Boy by David F. Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

The Gulf by Adam de Souza

Out of Left Field by Jonah Newman

2025 Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Award Shortlists

| Tasha

The shortlists for the 2025 Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards have been announced. This is the fifth year of these awards that offer prizes in three categories. The shortlists are below:

PICTURE BOOKS

All the Books by Hayley Rocco, illustrated by John Rocco

The Bakery Dragon by Devine Elle Kurtz

Be Careful, Xiao Xin! by Alice Pung, illustrated by Sher Rill Ng

Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear by Marissa Valdez

A Little Like Magic by Sarah Kurpiel

Stalactite & Stalagmite by Drew Beckmeyer

YOUNG READERS

Afia in the Land of Wonders by Mia Araujo

Away by Megan E. Freeman

The Flicker by HE Edgmon

The House at the Edge of Magic by Amy Sparkes

The Other Side of Tomorrow by Tina Cho

Vanya and the Wild Hunt by Sangu Mandanna

YOUNG ADULT

Don’t Let the Forest In by CG Drews

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang

Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven

These Vengeful Gods by Gabe Cole Novoa

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

Little Rebels Award 2025 Shortlist

| Tasha

The Little Rebels Award Shortlist for 2025 has been announced by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers. The award is UK based and offers a prize for “radical fiction aimed at children aged 0-12.” Here are the six shortlisted titles:

Cottonopolis by S F Layzell (Available in US)

The Fights That Make Us by Sarah Hagger-Holt

Keedie by Elle McNicoll

Kende! Kende! Kende! by Kirsten Cappy & Yaya Gentille, illustrated by Rahana Dariah

Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo, with illustrations by Paula Zorite (Released in US in January 2026)

Zac and Jac by Cathy Jenkins, with illustrations by Monique Steele (Available in US)

2025 Lollies Shortlist

| Tasha

The Lollies celebrate the best humorous books for children in the UK and Ireland with the winners selected by children themselves. Here are the books in the 2025 shortlists for each age category:

PICTURE BOOKS

The Goat and the Stoat and the Boat by Em Lynas, illustrated by Matt Hunt (Available in US)

The Princess with the Blazing Bottom by Beach

Spyceratops by Alex Willmore

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

AGES 6-8

Grimwood: Attack of the Stink Monster! by Nadia Shireen (Available in US)

Keisha Jones Takes on the World by Natalie Dennie, illustrated by Chanté Timothy

The Shop of Impossible Ice Creams: Big Berry Robbery by Shane Hegarty, illustrated by Jeff Crowther (Coming to the US in January 2026)

Trixie Pickle Art Avenger: Toxic Takedown by Olaf Falafel

AGES 9-12

The Boss of Everyone! by Danny Wallace, illustrated by Gemma Correll (Available in US)

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

Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer by Jeffry Boakye, illustrated by Beth Suzanna and Paul Kellam

Solve Your Own Mystery: The Transylvanian Express by Gareth P. Jones, illustrated by Louise Forshaw

NONFICTION

Comic Strip Science: Physics by Paul Mason and Jess Bradley

Funny Beasts by Paul Mason, illustrated by Tony De Saulles (Available in US)

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

Would You Rather? Ancient Romans by Clive Gifford, illustrated by Tim Wesson (Available in US)

2025 Best Children’s Books of the Year

| Tasha

The Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education has announced their collection of the best children’s books published in 2024. The collection includes over 600 titles that represent literary quality and potential emotional impact of the books. The entire list is available for free download here.