Blue Peter Book Awards 2020

Since 2000, the enormously popular and influential Blue Peter Book Awards have been recognising and celebrating the best authors, the most creative illustrators and the greatest reads for children.

The Blue Peter Book Awards 2020 celebrates children's books published in the last year in two categories: the Best Story and the Best Book with Facts.

Previous Blue Peter Book Award winners include Onjali Rauf, Cressida Cowell, Michael Morpurgo, Katherine Rundell, Oliver Jeffers and Liz Pichon.

For updates on this year's Awards, check back on this page; or follow @BookTrust on Twitter
Check out our archive for information on other years

Who's judging this year's shortlist?

Meryl Fernandes
TV presenter and actress

Young entrepreneur Meryl Fernandes is a stage and screen actress, a business woman and most notably an exciting new presenter who narrowly escaped life as a microbiologist. Best known for playing Afia in Eastenders, she has also performed at The National Theatre in critically acclaimed plays, and her other television credits include Doctor Who, Demons and Minder.

Joseph Coelho
Poet, playwright and children’s author

Joseph Coelho is a poet and children’s author. His debut poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules was the winner of the 2015 CLiPPA Poetry Award and his next collection Overheard In A Tower Block was longlisted for the 2018 CILIP Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the 2018 CLiPPA Poetry Award. His debut non-fiction book How To Write Poems contains a host of tips and tricks to help engage children with poetry. As well as poetry, Joseph also writes picture books. As a playwright, Joseph has written plays for companies including Soho Theatre, Polka Theatre, Theatre Royal York, Oily Cart, The Spark Children's Festival, Islington Community Theatre, and Pied Piper Theatre Company.

Jean Menzies
Ancient historian, podcaster and video maker

While conducting her PhD research at the University of Roehampton, Jean Menzies is also passionate about promoting classical mythology and ancient history to a wider audience. She has a background in publishing and makes a wide variety of online content exploring education, history, and literature.

Last year's winners!

Read our news story and see below to find out more

Best Story

Winner: The Boy at the Back of the Class

Winner

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Author: Onjali Q Raúf

This is the story about how four classmates have a massive impact on the life of Ahmet, a boy that comes to their school as a refugee from Syria. An inspiring and sweet tale that should help children be the best they can be and realise the power of kindness.

Shortlisted

The Clockwork Crow

Author: Catherine Fisher

Orphan Seren Rhys has been sent to live with her mysterious Godfather after living for 12 years in an orphanage. The possibility of her first happy family Christmas seems like it might finally be within her reach.

On her solo journey to Wales, Seren is given a mysterious package to look after by a stranger and ends up feeling obliged to take it with her. But…

Shortlisted

The House With Chicken Legs

Author: Sophie Anderson

A story of death, magic and the afterlife told by Marinka, who is desperate not to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and wants to find her own destiny. Loosely based on the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga, this story is delightfully macabre and utterly engrossing.

Read blogs from the authors

Using your Mind Banks: How to create a new world from the one you live in right now...

How to write a fascinating fantasy story

Could you live in a House with Chicken Legs? Take this quirky quiz!

Best Book With Facts

Winner: The Colours of History

Winner

The Colours of History

Author: Clive Gifford Illustrator: Marc-Etienne Peintre

Full of fascinating facts about colour, this book focuses on a topic that is not often covered in children’s books. It offers a wide range of opportunities and new ideas for parents and schools, working across the curriculum through art, history and beyond.

Shortlisted

Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey

Author: Dr. Dominic Walliman Illustrator: Ben Newman

Everyone's favourite cat-astronaut investigates the human body in this beautiful, graphically illustrated look at everything from eyes to muscles, genetics to reproduction and the immune, endocrine and lymphatic systems.

Shortlisted

The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home

Author: Mike Barfield Illustrator: Lauren Humphrey

Professor Ohms, a scientific detective, takes you on a journey of discovery around the periodic table. Packed with many weird and wonderful facts, it's perfect for any aspiring scientists (or detectives!).

Read blogs from the authors

Favourite facts about the human body: from the crew of Professor Astro Cat

Top ten facts about colour and their role over the centuries

Try-at-home-science: Can you solve the case of the cunningly concealed carbon?

Past winners

Find out about the winners, shortlisted books and judges from previous Blue Peter Book Awards.

Head into the archive

More about the Blue Peter Book Awards

Latest updates

Meet who's judging the Blue Peter Book Awards for its 20th anniversary 04/10/2019

TV presenter and actress Meryl Fernandes joins an impressive judging panel for the 2020...
'Books are absolutely crucial in getting us to think about new worlds': we speak to the award-winning author, Onjali Q Rauf 15/04/2019

Onjali Q Rauf tells Emily Drabble the story behind her incredible Blue Peter Book Award...

Twitter

RT @MrEPrimary: Beyond excited to go to @Booktrust today and sift through and select books for the #BluePeterBookAwards longlists. One ste… 62 days ago
Did you see that the #BluePeterBookAwards winners were announced this week? We are SO thrilled that The Boy in the… https://t.co/D5RrBkeRNr 226 days ago

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