BookTrust Best Book Awards with Amazon Kindle

The Book Trust Best Book Awards with Amazon Kindle, which took place in 2014, aimed to unearth the very best children’s books the UK has to offer, and to honour authors and illustrators who continue Britain’s proud heritage of storytelling.

Best Book Awards shortlist

The Best Book Awards gave every child the chance to join in – whatever their age, ability or interest. The judges compiled the shortlist, but it was up to 12,000 children in school and library groups nationwide to read the books and vote for their favourites.

The winning books - which range from charming and humorous illustrated reads about the challenges and traumas of everyday life to gritty coming-of-age stories - were announced at a star studded ceremony in central London during Children’s Book Week.

You can find details of the winners and shortlisted books in all six categories below.

BookTrust worked with Amazon Kindle on the Best Book Awards, and also thanks Arts Council England for their support.

0-5 Years: Best Picture Book


This award is for the best picture book for children aged five and under. It recognises the most engaging books for the youngest readers, taking into account the quality of both writing and illustration.

Winner

Peck Peck Peck

Author: Lucy Cousins

The new picture book from Lucy Cousins introduces readers to an enthusiastic and eager woodpecker who is being taught to peck by its dad.

Read more about Peck Peck Peck

Shortlisted

The Storm Whale

Author: Benji Davies

Noi finds a baby whale washed up on the beach after a storm and decides to take it home to care for it.

Read more about The Storm Whale

Shortlisted

The Snatchabook

Author: Helen Docherty Illustrator: Thomas Docherty

This delightful picture book from husband-and-wife team Helen and Thomas Docherty is a real treat.

Read more about The Snatchabook

Shortlisted

Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo!

Author: Amy Sparkes Illustrator: Sara Ogilvie

Can our young hero take on a Monster Zoo full of naughty creatures - and survive to tell the tale?

Read more about Do Not Enter the Monster Zoo!

6-8 Years: Best Story Book


This award recognises the best storytelling, rewarding the most excellent writing for children in this age range.

Winner

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Author: Stephan Pastis

Meet Timmy Failure - a terminally over-confident middle school pupil attempting to make millions by solving local mysteries, such as who ate his classmates’ unattended Halloween candy.

Read more about Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Shortlisted

The Great Galloon

Author: Tom Banks Illustrator: John Kelly

The Great Galloon is an enormous airship, built by Captain Meredith Anstruther and manned by his crew, who might seem like a bit of a motley bunch but who are able to fight off invading marauders whilst drinking tea and sweeping floors!

Read more about The Great Galloon

Shortlisted

Penny Dreadful is a Record Breaker

Author: Joanna Nadin Illustrator: Jess Mikhail

This book brings together three hilarious stories about unlikely heroine Penny.

Read more about Penny Dreadful is a Record Breaker

Shortlisted

Oliver and the Seawigs

Author: Philip Reeve Illustrator: Sarah McIntyre

Philip Reeve and Sarah McInytre have joined forces to create a wonderfully wacky nautical tale.

Read more about Oliver and the Seawigs

9-11 Years: Best Story Book


This award recognises the best storytelling, rewarding the most excellent writing for children in this age range.

Winner

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

Author: Jeff Kinney

In this, the eighth book in the bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg Heffley's on a losing streak.

Read more about Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

Shortlisted

The Jade Boy

Author: Cate Cain

What is Count Cazalon's sinister plan - and can Jem and his friends stop him?

Read more about The Jade Boy

Shortlisted

The Mysterious Misadventures of Clemency Wrigglesworth

Author: Julia Lee

When Clemency Wrigglesworth arrives in England from India, orphaned and penniless, she hopes that her long-lost relations will be waiting for her.

Read more about The Mysterious Misadventures of Clemency Wrigglesworth

Shortlisted

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Best known for his sarcastic djinni creation Bartimaeus, Stroud returns with an equally engaging new series, this time following a young set of ghost hunters

Read more about Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase

9-11 Years: Best Fact Book


This award is for the best factual book for children at upper primary level. It recognises the most interesting, exciting and engaging non-fiction books for this age group, taking into account the quality of both text and illustrations.

Winner

Operation Ouch!

Author: Dr Chris and Dr Xand van Tulleken

Have you ever wondered how long you'll spend on the toilet in your lifetime, or how many skin cells you shed in one day? Operation Ouch! Your Brilliant Body explains everything you've ever wanted to know about your body, including how it works and how it fixes itself.

Read more about Operation Ouch!

Shortlisted

Not for Parents: How to be a Dinosaur Hunter

Author: Scott Forbes Illustrator: James Gulliver Hancock

Everything young explorers need to know about how to become a famous dinosaur hunter.

Read more about Not for Parents: How to be a Dinosaur Hunter

Shortlisted

Space in 30 Seconds

Author: Clive Gifford Illustrator: Melvyn Evans

Thirty key topics on what really happens in space, explained in neat 30-second soundbites. Topics range from the Big Bang theory to what we know about distant planets and galaxies.

Read more about Space in 30 Seconds

Shortlisted

The Romans: Gods, Emperors and Dormice

Author: Marcia Williams

A comic-strip style retelling of the most famous stories from Roman history, from the birth of Romulus and Remus to the death of Julius Caesar.

Read more about The Romans: Gods, Emperors and Dormice

12-14 Years: Best Story Book


This award recognises the best storytelling, rewarding the most excellent writing for children in this age range.

Winner

The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

John Green tackles the subject of teenage cancer with sensitivity in this witty, life-affirming young adult romance.

Read more about The Fault in Our Stars

Shortlisted

You Don't Know Me

Author: Sophia Bennett

What happens if you betray your best friend in the finals of a TV talent show in front of millions of viewers?

Read more about You Don't Know Me

Shortlisted

Heroic

Author: Phil Earle

Brothers Jammy and Sonny see their lives changed forever when Jammy joins the army and is sent to Afghanistan.

Read more about Heroic

Shortlisted

Dead Romantic

Author: C J Skuse

Camille is longing for the perfect boyfriend - and her best friend Zoe has a rather unusual plan to bring her dream boy to life.

Read more about Dead Romantic

0-14 Years: Best Tech Stuff


The Best Tech award recognises digitally enhanced storytelling and rewarded apps, ebooks and other products that use sounds, visuals, and games in innovative ways to make the reading experience richer and more interactive.

Winner: Little Red Riding Hood by Ed Bryan

Shortlisted: Signed Stories: The Lark in the Ark by Peter Bently, illustrated by Lynne Chapman

Shortlisted: Axel Scheffler's Flip-Flap Farm by Axel Scheffler

Shortlisted: The Slightly Annoying Elephant by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross

Judges

Viv BirdViv Bird

Viv Bird became Chief Executive of BookTrust in September 2007, and in 2009 took over chairmanship of EU Read, a consortium of European reading promotion organizations who meet regularly to share knowledge, experiences and concepts, and together launched the European initiative Reading Aloud Reading Together Year 2013. She was a magistrate for seven years and a school governor for 25 years.


Michael MorpurgoMichael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo OBE is the award-winning author of over 120 books for children, including War Horse, which has been adapted into a phenomenally successful stage show and film. Among his many accolades, he has won the Smarties Prize, The Writers Guild Award and the Blue Peter Book Award. From 2003-2005 he was the Children's Laureate, and he became BookTrust's President in 2013.


Martin ChiltonMartin Chilton

Martin Chilton has worked in publishing and newspapers for 25 years. He has written several books on football and was for many years the sports editor of the Evening Standard, where he was also a columnist. He has worked at the Daily Telegraph since 2007 and has been the culture editor of telegraph.co.uk for the past four years. He writes about and reviews all aspects of children's literature.


Malorie BlackmanMalorie Blackman

Malorie Blackman is acknowledged as one of today's most imaginative and convincing writers for young readers. In 2005, she was awarded the Eleanor Farjeon Award in recognition of her distinguished contribution to the world of children's books. In 2008, she was honoured with an OBE for her services to children's literature, and in 2013, she was appointed as the eighth Waterstones Children's Laureate.


Stuart DredgeStuart Dredge

Stuart is a journalist covering technology, children's entertainment and the music industry. He is a contributing editor to The Guardian's Technology section; writes for music industry publication Music Ally; and is co-founder and editor of children's app reviews website Apps Playground.

 


Amanda CraigAmanda Craig

Amanda Craig is the author of six novels, including the best-selling A Vicious Circle and Hearts and Minds, and an award-winning journalist. She was the children's books critic for the Times from 2003-2013, and writes reviews, columns, and interviews for newspapers and magazines including the Daily Telegraph, the Independent and the New Statesman.


Louise RennisonLouise Rennison

Louise Rennison - who passed away in 2016 - won huge acclaim for her diary-style Georgia Nicolson series, which began with Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging. Her first one-woman autobiographical show, Stevie Wonder Felt My Face, won great acclaim and awards at the Edinburgh Festival in the 80s; since then, Louise continued to perform her own shows and frequently appeared on radio.


Andy JordanAndy Jordan

Andy Jordan is best known for his role on E4's hit television series, Made In Chelsea. Andy set up his own ski and surf brand with his brother, is a keen singer and guitar player, and supports charities including Cure for Cancer and the National Autistic Society. He also raised money for The Princes Trust by completing a 200-mile stand-up paddle down the Thames.


Mel GiedroycMel Giedroyc

Mel Giedroyc is a TV personality, radio presenter, actress and writer. Mel has made hundreds of TV and radio appearances, and is best known her work with Sue Perkins. As 'Mel and Sue', the duo were shortlisted for the Daily Express Best Newcomers Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1993 and hosted Channel 4's Light Lunch. More recently, Mel and Sue presented The Great British Bake Off.


Helen SkeltonHelen Skelton

Helen made her name as the daredevil Blue Peter presenter after kayaking down the Amazon, doing a high-wire walk between Battersea Power Station's towers and travelling across Antarctica by ski, kite and bike. She has now established herself as a presenter across many genres, presenting on BT Sport and BBC One's Countryfile.


Adam LancasterAdam Lancaster

Adam Lancaster is an award-winning Assistant Headteacher specialising in literacy. He also works an independent reading, library and literacy consultant, providing organisations in and out of education with literacy programmes. He is the founder of National Non-Fiction Day and llustr8or, a visual literacy project working in areas of low literacy across the country.


Nemone MetaxasNemone Metaxas

Nemone formerly hosted Radio 1's Weekend Breakfast Show before carving out a central role at BBC 6Music, where she presented the daily lunchtime show for four years. Nemome is also a keen athlete, and a former champion 400m runner. She has used her sporting credentials to the full fronting Grandstand's coverage from the X-Games in Barcelona, and Ski Sunday in Italy.


Andy AkinwolereAndy Akinwolere

Andy Akinlowere spent five years presenting Blue Peter, during which he bungee-jumped from a helicopter, became a qualified sky diver, and set a new world record for the deepest open water swim. He has since gone on to front several factual documentaries for the BBC, as well as hosting ITV's Fort Boyard and appearing in shows such as Dancing on Ice.


Cerrie BurnellCerrie Burnell

Cerrie Burnell is a well-loved and popular CBeebies presenter and one of the few visibly disabled presenters on television. She was named in the Observer's top ten children's presenters and also featured in the Guardian's 2011 list of 100 most inspirational women where she received praise for tackling disability head on. Cerrie published her debut children's picture book, Snowflakes, in 2013.


Julia EccleshareJulia Eccleshare

Julia Eccleshare is the Children's Books Editor of the Guardian, editorial consultant for Lovereading4kids and a regular commentator on radio and at literary festivals. She has judged numerous prizes and is the founder and chair of the Branford Boase Award. Julia was presented with the Eleanor Farjeon Award in 2000 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to children's books.


Lauren ChildLauren Child

Children's Laureate Lauren Child is considered one of the most talented and creative author-illustrators working today. She won the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in 2000 for I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato, the first of her Charlie and Lola picture books which were adapted into a BAFTA-winning BBC series. She also writes the Clarice Bean and Ruby Redfort novels and was awarded an MBE in 2010.


John McLayJohn McLay

John McLay is an International Children's Literary Scout and is extremely well connected in the children's publishing world. The founder of the Bath Festival of Children's Literature, which he directed with his wife, Gill, for six years, John is also an author and anthologist. It's his ambition in life to see a decent performance of every Shakespeare play ever written. There are 37. He is getting close.


Tom PellereauTom Pellereau

Tom Pellereau is the seventh winner of BBC's The Apprentice. He was educated at the University of Bath, where he received a 1st class degree and a masters in Mechanical Engineering and Innovation. He was diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, and has always been passionate about inventing. Since winning The Apprentice, Tom has been busy creating a host of beauty products.

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