2025 UKLA Book Awards Shortlists announced

The UKLA Book Awards are judged by teachers who sought 'positive, empowering or innovative representation of children's lives' in the judging process, so that all children and young people can find themselves represented in the books that they read or study.

This year 87 teacher judges have been reading and debating the 20 books longlisted in each category, in small network groups, since the longlists were announced in September 24. The winners will be announced at the UKLA International Conference on 27 June.

The judging process aims to give classroom practitioners the opportunity to read high quality new children's books, as well as finding an overall winner. According to research by members of UKLA (UK Literacy Association, Cremin et al 2008), teachers who read are more able to support children in reading for pleasure.

2025 UKLA Book Awards Shortlists (3-14+ years)

3-6 years+
Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green, illustrated by Francis Martin (Little Tiger Press)
There's A Tiger on The Train by Mariesa Dulak, illustrated by Rebecca Cobb (Faber)
Mr Mornington's Favourite Things by Karen George (Welbeck)
Geoffrey Gets the Jitters by Nadia Shireen (Puffin)
Listening to the Quiet by Cassie Silva, illustrated by Frances Ives (Lantana)
Salat in Secret by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Hatem Aly (Andersen Press)

7-10 years+
The Final Year by Matt Goodfellow, illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (Otter-Barry Books)
Stitch by Pádraig Kenny (Walker Books)
Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler (Simon & Schuster)
Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan (Andersen Press)
And I Climbed And I Climbed by Stephen Lightbown, illustrated by Shih-Yu Lin (Troika Books)
The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival (Simon & Schuster)

11- 14+
The Things We Leave Behind by Clare Furniss (Simon & Schuster)
The Boy Next Door by Jenny Ireland (Penguin)
If My Words Had Wings by Danielle Jawando (Simon & Schuster)
King of Nothing by Nathaneal Lessore (Hot Key Books)
Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald (Faber)
Keedie by Elle McNicoll (Knights Of)

Information Books 3-14+
Brilliant Black British History by Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi (Bloomsbury)
Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales by Catherine Cawthorne, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Bloomsbury)
Wild languages of Mother Nature by Gabby Dawnay, illustrated by Margaux Samson- Abadie (Wide Eyed Editions)
Slug Life by Moesha Kellaway (Rocket Bird Books)
Homebody by Theo Parish (Macmillan)
Stones and Bones by Rob Wilshaw, illustrated by Sophie Williams (Cicada)

Judges' comments

In the 3-6+ category, books that explore empowerment and evoke empathy and understanding are foremost. We have Karen George's beautiful evocation of dementia and the supportive friendship between a little girl and her elderly neighbour in Mr Mornington's Favourite Things and the sensitive portrayal by Cassie Silva in Listening to the Quiet, based on her lived experience, of a child whose mother is slowly losing her sense of hearing. In Salat in Secret, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow shines a light on an important facet of Islam through the eyes of Muhammad, a Muslim boy who becomes able to overcome his worries, talk to his teacher and find the perfect place to pray. Gina Kaminkski Saves a Wolf by Craig Barr-Green is not only a joyful twist on a traditional tale, but portrays a confident autistic child, determined to challenge problems and identify solutions and coping strategies. Debut author Mariesa Dulak's playful rhyming text, There's A Tiger On The Train, tackles the genuine problem of parents being distracted by their phones, to the detriment of their child's wellbeing and in the companion to her previous UKLA winner, Barbara Throws a Wobbler, Nadia Shireen completes the shortlist with Geoffrey Gets the Jitters, a wise and comical look at anxiety and how to overcome it.

Shortlists titles in the 7-10+ category share is an empowering message of resilience. In Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler, we are shown the bravery and courage that three strong female protagonists display against the harshest odds in wartime Holland. WW2 narrative, Safiyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan - which was shortlisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Writing - showcases the important and virtually unknown Muslim efforts to rescue Jews in Paris. An empathetic poetry collection by Stephen Lightbown, And I Climbed and I Climbed, previously shortlisted for the CliPPA, uses the author's experience of being a wheelchair user to depict the emotions of Cosmo, a boy disabled by a fall from a tree and the effect this has on those around him. Authentic, highly relatable representation of children's lives impacted by poverty, is the real strength of two very different debut novels by authors best known for other text types. Picture book author Tom Percival in his first novel, The Wrong Shoes, shows Will struggling to have enough to eat, to find the right crowd and to support his dad. The Final Year, currently shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing and winner of the CLiPPA, is poet Matt Goodfellow's unforgettable verse novel about Nate's transition into the last year of primary school. Completing the shortlist is Stitch by Pádraig Kenny, a Gothic tale with heart, humour and pathos, with the important and inclusive message that ‘everyone is different'.

The 11-14+ category also features important themes including toxic masculinity, bullying and resilience. Nathanael Lessore provides an important challenge to toxic masculinity and its negative impact on both males and females, with his trademark humour and authentic voice, in King of Nothing. Glasgow Boys, the tender debut novel from Margaret McDonald, similarly explores the emotional lives of two young men in Glasgow, with their hard-won resilience to overcome past traumas showing that even the most fraught childhood is not without hope. Clare Furniss is shortlisted for UKLA for the second time with The Things We Leave Behind, set in an all too believable near-future London at the epicentre of a refugee crisis, which makes the reader question themselves and the world we live in. Also with a second UKLA shortlisting, is Danielle Jawando, with If My Words Had Wings, a hard-hitting novel partly written in the verse which has given young offender Tyrell his voice and the opportunity to reclaim his life from systemic racism and violence. Elle McNichol's Keedie tackles themes of bullying, healthy relationships, and neurodiversity from the unique perspective of a young autistic student who sets up an anti-bullying agency. The shortlist concludes with The Boy Next Door by Jenny Ireland who crafts an impactful story exploring romance, disability and grief.

The Information 3-14+ category features three remarkable debut titles and books which showcase the whole age range. Stones and Bones: Fossils and the stories they tell, is a debut for both author Rob Wilshaw and publisher Cicada and is like having a friendly guide to show you around Earth's past. Slug Life by Moesha Kellaway and published by Rocket Bird Books is another author and publisher debut featuring Stevie, the World's grumpiest slug. Written in first-person narrative we follow Stevie's experiences as he learns amazing facts about slugs and discovers why he should be proud to be one. The final debut, Homebody by Theo Parrish also features on the current shortlist for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration. This empathetic graphic novel autobiography honestly explores trans identity and the importance of living authentically and will bring comfort and recognition for those who are on their own journey of identity exploration, gently educating readers in how to understand what pupils, friends and loved ones may be going through. For younger readers, in Catherine Cawthorne's funny and informative Big Bad Wolf Investigates Fairy Tales, the infamous wolf takes on a new role as a scientist, confronting the more outlandish claims of fairy tales. Brilliant Black British History by Atinuke is a fantastic, comprehensive study of people with black skin in Britain from 300,000 thousand years ago to the present day. Wild Languages of Mother Nature by Gabby Dawnay concludes the shortlist with a fascinating exploration of communication between animals and plants, that shows that humanity may not have the unique capability of language after all.