The shortlists for this year’s UKLA Book Awards have been announced. The only national children’s book awards to be judged entirely by teachers, this year’s shortlists highlight inclusive, accessible titles that will engage all young readers.

Despite research that clearly demonstrates the link between teachers’ own knowledge of children’s books and the likelihood of pupils reading for pleasure (Cremin et al 2008), teachers are seldom given time to develop their book knowledge. For the UKLA, the opportunity the awards provide for practitioners to read and discuss high-quality children’s books is therefore as important as finding an overall winner.

Over the last few months, 85 teacher judges based in Scotland have been reading and discussing this year’s longlisted titles, whittling them down to six books for each of the four award categories:

• Fiction and Poetry for 3-6+ year-olds
• Fiction and Poetry for 7-10+ year-olds
• Fiction and Poetry for 11-14+ year-olds
• Information Books for 3-14+ year-olds

Interactive and funny books that really engage the reader while teaching some valuable lessons came to the fore in the 3-6+ category, while in the 7-10+ category, the judges prioritised great storytelling across a wide range of genres and text types. The shortlisted titles for the 11-14+ category explore themes of masculinity, prejudice, acceptance and resilience and include three previous UKLA winners and three titles that have also been shortlisted for this year’s Carnegie Medal for Writing. Providing equally engaging routes into reading, the shortlisted titles for the information 3-14+ category offer innovative informational texts that celebrate young people’s curiosity and wonder.

Commenting on this year’s judging, Awards Chair Chris Lockwood said: ‘Despite the difficulties of cancelled trains and inclement weather, our brilliant 2026 teacher judges and their group leaders made their way to the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow for our shortlisting meeting. I am always pleased to meet our teacher judges in person, and this year we were delighted to listen to their thoughtful, insightful and passionate views about the twenty books longlisted in each category. Their selections for the four shortlists reflect their classrooms and the enthusiasms of their students. In these teachers’ hands, children continue to love to read.’

A shadowing scheme is now available to enable teachers from across the country to share the shortlisted titles with their pupils, join in the Shadowers’ WhatsApp discussion groups and vote on the winner of the Shadowers’ Choice Award.

Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators!

Fiction and Poetry for 3-6+ year-olds

A Wild Walk to School by Rebecca Cobb (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Bothered by Bugs by Emily Gravett (Two Hoots)

Don’t Think of Tigers by Alex Latimer (Andersen Press)

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (Andersen Press)

Once I was a Tree by Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten (Nosy Crow)

The Search for Carmella by Chloe Savage (Walker Books)

Fiction and Poetry for 7-10 year-olds                                            

After by Pádraig Kenny (Walker Books)

Birdie by J P Rose (Andersen Press)

Dragonborn by Struan Murray (Puffin)

Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial by Kieran Larwood, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Nosy Crow)

Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree by Janeen Hayat (Guppy Books)

Reek by Alastair Chisholm, illustrated by George Caltsoudas (Barrington Stoke)

Fiction and Poetry for 11-14+ year-olds                                          

Black Star by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)

The Boy I Love by William Hussey (Andersen Press)

The Line They Drew Through Us by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)

Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds (Faber & Faber)

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain (Electric Monkey)

Wolf Siren by Beth O’Brien (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Information Books for 3-14+ year-olds                                              

Choose Your Own Evolution by Jules Howard, illustrated by Gordy Wright (Nosy Crow)

Frog by Isabel Thomas, illustrated by Daniel Egnéus (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)

Graphic Novel Builder: The illustrated guide to making your own comics by Edward Ross (Collins)

Me and My Hair by Kimberley Kinloch, illustrated by Jessica Gibson (Usborne Publishing)

The Endless Sea by Chi Thai, illustrated by Linh Dao (Walker Books)

University of Cambridge: There’s No Such Thing as a Silly Question by Mike Rampton, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten (Nosy Crow)

The four category winners and the winners of the Shadowers’ Choice Awards will be announced at the UKLA International Conference taking place at University of Strathclyde University, Glasgow Liverpool on 3rd July.