Children’s Book Award 2026 – Shortlist Announced!
2 March, 2026The Federation of Children’s Book Groups has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Children’s Book Award, the only national children’s book prize that is voted for entirely by young readers.
For more than four decades, the Children’s Book Award has shone a spotlight on the very best in children’s publishing, recognising books that spark imagination, inspire empathy and ignite a lifelong love of reading. Its distinguished roll call of past winners includes literary icons such as J. K. Rowling, Patrick Ness, Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo.
Over the last twelve months, children in FCBG groups across the UK have been reading and reviewing over 500 books to come up with a shortlist of ten titles across the three award categories: Books for Younger Children; Books for Younger Readers; and Books for Older Readers.
Children and young people nationwide are now invited to vote for the category winners and the Overall Winner of this year’s Children’s Book Award. Schools can download free Read, Review and Respond notes for each of the shortlisted titles with links to author interviews, creative activities and further reading suggestions. Online voting will open on the FCBG website on Monday 23rd March and will close at 12 noon on Friday 8th May.
Commenting on this year’s shortlist, Children’s Book Award Coordinator Sarah Stuffins, said: ‘The Children’s Book Award is unique in giving children a direct voice in celebrating the books they love most. This year’s shortlist represents an exciting mix of adventure, humour, and heartwarming stories that will inspire young readers everywhere. This year’s shortlist highlights the growing popularity of illustrated chapter books, including for older readers. It is particularly heartening to see debut authors represented alongside more established names.’
Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators!
Books for Younger Children
Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK)
Gozzle by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Macmillan Children’s Books)
The Tortosaurus by Katie Cottle (Little Tiger)
There’s a Shark in My Pants! by Michelle Harrison, illustrated by David Tazzyman (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK)
Books for Younger Readers
Murray and Bun!: Murray the Pirate by Adam Stower (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Pablo and Splash: Roman Holiday by Sheena Dempsey (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
Supa Nova by Chanté Timothy (Nosy Crow)
Books for Older Readers
Fear Files: Hide and Seek by Christopher Edge (Walker Books)
My Name is Samim by Fidan Meikle (Floris Books)
The Last Dragon on Mars by Scott Reintgen (Rock the Boat)
The winners will be announced on Saturday 13th June 2025 at an award ceremony that will be live-streamed via the FCBG YouTube channel.
