Blue Peter Book Awards archive

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 since 2000.

In this section, you can take a trip back in time to find out all about previous winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards, including Michael Morpurgo, Katherine Rundell, Oliver Jeffers and Liz Pichon.

If you're looking for something to read, these books come highly recommended by the children that voted for them over the years - so this is a great place to start.

Get updates on this year's Blue Peter Book Awards

For more information, you can also follow @BookTrust on Twitter and visit the official Blue Peter website.

In this section

The 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards winners

Blue Peter Book Awards 2021

A debut novel that busts the stereotypes around autism and a quirky fact book with laugh-out-loud cartoons won over hundreds of children in 2021, as A Kind of Spark and A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu, and You took the top prizes.

Illustration of Poorna Malavath by Amy Blackwell from the book Rise Up by Amanda Li

Blue Peter Book Awards 2020

Real life tales of extraordinary children and a fantastical world of captivating inventiveness took the top spots in 2020, with Rise Up and Wildspark voted for by over 500 children.

Pink: spread from The Colours of History by Clive Gifford and illustrated by Marc-Etienne Peintre

Blue Peter Book Awards 2019

The vibrant history of colour and the loving tale of a refugee boy's new life in London took the top spots in 2019, with The Colours of History and The Boy at the Back of the Class voted for by over 500 children.

Real-Life-Mysteries-illustrated-by-Susan-Martineau

Blue Peter Book Awards 2018

Tales of unexplained phenomenon and magical witches and warriors took the top spots in 2018, with Real-Life Mysteries and The Wizards of Once voted for by over 500 children.

Survivors illustration

Blue Peter Book Awards 2017

Two Faber titles won the awards for best books in 2017 – Podkin One Ear and Survivors – and they both tell stories of epic struggle and strength.

Nowhere Emporium spread

Blue Peter Book Awards 2016

Ross Mackenzie's The Nowhere Emporium and Adam Frost's The Epic Book of Epicness are crowned the 2016 winners.

Previous years

Previous winners of the Blue Peter Book Awards are:

  • 2013
    • Best Story: Tom Gates - Genius Ideas (Mostly) by Liz Pichon (Scholastic)
    • Best Book with Facts: Horrible Science: House of Horrors by Nick Arnold and Tony De Saulles (Scholastic)
  • 2012: The Considine Curse by Gareth P Jones (Bloomsbury)
  • 2011: Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John (Orion Children's Books)
  • 2010: Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes (Oxford University Press)
  • 2009: Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Corgi Children's)
  • 2008: Prize didn't run
  • 2007: The Outlaw Varjak Paw by S. F. Said, illustrated by Dave McKean (David Fickling Books)
  • 2006: Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)
  • 2005: Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (Collins)
  • 2004: Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram (Templar)
  • 2003: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (Scholastic)
  • 2002: Feather Boy by Nicky Singer (Collins)
  • 2001: The Wind Singer by William Nicholson (Egmont)
  • 2000: A Pilgrim's Progress retold by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft (Hodder)

More about the Blue Peter Book Awards

This year's award

Blue Peter Book Awards 2019 logo

What's going on?

Get the latest updates on this year's Blue Peter Book Awards, from the judges to the shortlist.

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Cressida Cowell credit David Bebber

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