The winners of this year’s The Week Junior Book Awards were revealed yesterday at a ceremony held at London’s County Hall.

With 14 different categories, The Week Junior Book Awards were set up to celebrate the wealth of creative talent across children’s publishing and the wide range of titles available to engage young readers aged 7-14.

This year’s winners were selected by judging panels that included authors and illustrators, teachers, booksellers, children’s book experts, and representatives from the award’s founders, The Week Junior and The Bookseller. Readers of The Week Junior were also involved, voting for the Book Cover of the Year and the Children’s Choice.

Commenting on this year’s awards, Anna Bassi, Editorial Director of The Week Junior, said: ‘Inspiring, informative and entirely original, our fourteen award winners represent the very best in children’s literature. These extraordinary books showcase the breadth and depth of what’s possible, exploring important real-life issues, explaining complex topics, making learning fun and taking young readers on unforgettable adventures. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, editors, designers and publishers who have brought them into being and on to bookshelves!’

Congratulations to all the winning authors and illustrators!

The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 – Category Winners

Children’s Book of the Year – Breakthrough: Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow, illustrated by Karl James Mountford (Puffin)

Children’s Book of the Year – Picture Book: There’s a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb (Faber & Faber)

Children’s Book of the Year – Younger Fiction: Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial by Kieran Larwood, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Nosy Crow)

Also Highly Commended: Watts & Whiskerton: Buried Bones and Troublesome Treasure by Meg McLaren (Piccadilly Press)

Children’s Book of the Year – Older Fiction: The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Children’s Book of the Year – Graphic Novel: Unicorn Boy by Dave Roman (Hachette Children’s Group)

Also Highly Commended: Blitz: One Family’s War by Martin Impey (Harbour Moon Publishing)

Children’s Book of the Year – Poetry: Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (Puffin)

Children’s Book of the Year: Wellbeing: Every Body by Molly Forbes, illustrated by Mollie Cronin (Puffin)

Children’s Book of the Year – Hobbies and Interests: This Book Will Make You an Artist by Ruth Millington, illustrated by Ellen Surrey (Nosy Crow)

Children’s Book of the Year – Animals and Nature: Beasts from the Deep by Matt Ralphs, illustrated by Kaley McKean (Nosy Crow)

Children’s Book of the Year – Factual: Explodapedia: Rewild by Ben Martynoga, illustrated by Moose Allain (David Fickling Books)

Children’s Book of the Year – STEM: Big Bad Wolf Investigates: Fairy Tales by Catherine Cawthorne, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Bloomsbury Children’s)

Children’s Book of the Year – Audiobook: Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy, by authors and narrators Dr Emma Southon and Greg Jenner (W.F. Howes)

Also Highly Commended: Grimwood: Party Animals! by Nadia Shireen (Simon & Schuster Children’s Books)

Children’s Choice: Happy Days: 365 Facts to Brighten Every Day of the Year by Emily Coxhead (Walker Books)

Children’s Book Cover of the Year: Guinness World Records 2025, Editor-in-Chief: Craig Glenday, cover designer Chris Labrooy (Guinness World Records Limited)

You can look back at the shortlists for each category here.