Young Quills Award

This is the 2026 shortlist - the winners are announced in July

Readers Aged 5-8

The Boy Who Became Queen by Christina Balit (Otter-Barry Books)

Readers Aged 8-11

Becoming Grace by Hilary McKay (Barrington Stoke)

Dance of Resistance by Catherine Johnson (Barrrington Stoke)

My Family, the Enemy by Karen McCombie (Bloomsbury Education)

Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson (Usborne Publishing)

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

Wrong Tracks by Susan Brownrigg (UCLan Publishing)

Readers Aged 11-13

Kata and Tor by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Walker Books)

The Dawn of Adonis by Phil Earle (Andersen Press)

To War with Wallace by Barbara Henderson (Luath Press Ltd)

Under a Fire-Red Sky by Geraldine McCaughrean (Usborne Publishing)

Under the London Sky by Anna Woltz (Rock the Boat)

Readers Aged 14+

Black Star by Kwame Alexander (Andersen Press)

Lobster Blues by Jacqueline King (Zuntold)

Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai (Zephyr)

The Boy I Love by William Hussey (Andersen Press)

There could be books on this 2026 shortlist you might add to your own 'to read' list or to your school library. I have Shrapnel Boys on my pile and I spied Becoming Grace last year so I am also keen to read this one. If you haven't yet discovered the wonderful publisher Barrington Stoke take a look here (this takes you to one part of their site there is lots more to explore) - I have read so many fabulous books from this UK publisher. My most recent find was The Elixir. 

The Young Quills Award is an annual book award set up by the Historical Association to celebrate good historical fiction writing for children and young people aged 5 to 14+. 

The shortlist for the Young Quills Award is drawn up based on the reviews provided by pupils in primary and secondary schools across the UK, who are sent copies of the longlisted titles to review against the award criteria:

• Is it a ‘good read’?
• Does it have good historical content and factual information?
• Is history a proper component of the story, not just a convenient backdrop or setting?
• Does the book inspire young readers to find out more about that historical period or people?

A judging panel made up of historians, authors and literacy experts then selects the winners for each of the four age categories. The Historical Association is a registered charity set up to advance the study, teaching and enjoyment of history at all levels. As the UK subject association for history it carries out research into the state of history education; represents members’ interests to government and policy-makers; and supports the teaching of history in schools through its programme of CPD and wide range of resources, including the Primary History and Teaching History journals.

Here are some previous winners and highly commended titles that I have read:

Birdie

The Bletchley Riddle

The Wall between us

The Valley of Lost Secrets

Our Castle by the Sea

The Island at the End of Everything

I am keen to see some of the past ages 5-9 winners:

The Alligator's Mouth Award

The Alligator's Mouth is a bookshop in Richmond, Surrey UK. One day I hope to visit this shop which is filled with a rich collection of children's books. 

The Alligator’s Mouth Award was founded in 2018 by specialist children’s bookshop The Alligator’s Mouth in partnership with The Bright Agency. The aim of the award is to champion and celebrate highly-illustrated fiction titles for 6–8-year-olds – an important, and often overlooked, category of books that helps children build reading stamina and gain confidence at a crucial stage of their reading journey.

These shortlisted titles and winners' lists are very useful if you are looking for titles to add to your library. The library where I volunteer has nearly all of these books and many are very popular choices with the students.

Here is the current short list and some previous lists:

2026 Winner Bear and Bird: The Secret and other stories

• Bear and Bird: The Secret and Other Stories written and illustrated by Jarvis (Walker)
• Beastie Bros: The Cabbage Juice Crime written and illustrated by David O’Connell (Scholastic)
• Cat and Dumpling: Home Sweet Home written and illustrated by Nicola Kent (OUP)
• Croaky: Caverns of the Gemosaurus written and illustrated by Matty Long (OUP)
• Good Bits written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Ruby Wright (DK flip, DK Children's)

Read more about the Rabbit and Bear series

Read about Huxley and Flapjack

Read about The Girl who talked to trees

Read about the Claude series

Read about Harry Stevenson

Read about Hotel Flamingo

Read about Two Sides

Davitt Awards 2026

Celebrating excellence in crime writing by Australian women.

This year, 126 books were entered into the 26th Davitt Awards, across four categories. The judges of the 2026 Davitt Awards have selected a longlist of 28 books that reflect the excellent quality and maturity of stories written by Australian women crime writers. These stories are notable for their originality, depth and high level of the authors’ skills.

I was pleased to see I have read several of the long-listed titles for this award which is one I had not encountered previously:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS 

Sarah Armstrong, Run, (Hardie Grant Children’s)

Jacqueline Harvey, The Girl and the Ghost, (Penguin Randon House Australia)

Amelia Mellor, Oceanforged: The Wicked Ship, (Simon & Schuster Australia)

Gisela Ervin-Ward, True South, (Midnight Sun) Debut

Jessica Townsend, Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow, (Hachette Children’s)

Sue Whiting, Promises and Other Lies, (Walker Books)

For a quarter of a century, Sisters in Crime Australia has been shining a spotlight on the incredible achievements of women crime writers – fiction and non-fiction. From the first year with its seven entries to the present day where around 180 books are entered, it’s been an astonishing journey, filled with inspiring talent and unforgettable stories. The Davitt Awards have always been about more than just recognising great writing; they’re about celebrating the voices that shine a light on society as a whole, push boundaries, and keep readers on the edge of their seats. From debut novels to well-established voices, the Davitts honour the diversity and power of Australian women writers in the worlds of crime fiction and true crime.

Here are two previous winners (Children's Books) that I have read and talked about here on this blog:

The Midwatch winner 2025

The Detectives guide to Ocean Travel winner 2022

The Boston Globe Horn Book Awards

Picture Book winner: Navigating Night by Julie Leung; illustrated by Angie Kang

Read the Kirkus Star review. In Australia this book costs over AUS$40

Fiction Award winner: A Scar like a River by Lisa Graff

Read the Kirkus Star review. I have previously talked about three books by Lisa Graff - A Tangle of knots; Absolutely Almost and A Clatter of Jars. 

Non Fiction winner: A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day; illustrated by Yas Imamura

Read the Kirkus review.

I am sharing some present and past winners of this major award - The Boston Globe Horn Book Award BUT sadly nearly every one of these titles is WAY too expensive for our public or school libraries in Australia to acquire. This puzzles me so much. I am looking forward to visiting Canada in a month or two and my friend and I will visit libraries and bookshops and hopefully we will be able to read and touch and talk about these (and other) US award winners. You can see details of previous winners here. In 2019 our Australian title The Patchwork Bike was the winner! And in 2014 the winner was The Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan. In 2007 The Arrival by Shaun Tan received a special citation. Bob Graham won the award in 2002 for his book Let's get a Pup! In the US this book is entitled Let's get a Pup, said Kate!

I previously talked about The Mona Lisa Vanishes and Fungi Grow

I previously talked about Watercress; and I Talk like a River

About the 2026 awards:

The Horn Book, Inc., established in 1924, has announced the 2026 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners. First presented in 1967, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards celebrate excellence in children’s and young adult literature. Through The Boston Globe Foundation, The Boston Globe partners with The Horn Book to present these prestigious awards, among the nation’s top honors in children’s and young adult literature. The awards reflect a commitment to literacy, education, and the power of storytelling by recognizing authors and illustrators whose work enriches the lives of young readers.

Winners and honor books were selected in the following categories: Picture Book, Fiction, and Nonfiction. The winning titles must be first U.S. editions of books published between June 2025 and May 2026 but may be written or illustrated by citizens of any country.

"For nearly six decades, The Boston Globe and The Horn Book have celebrated books that inspire, challenge, and connect young readers," said Linda Henry, CEO of Boston Globe Media and Chair of The Boston Globe Foundation. "We are proud to recognize this year’s outstanding authors and illustrators, whose work reflects the power of storytelling to deepen understanding and spark imagination.”

Past winners and honor titles back to 2000 I have talked about here on this blog:

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui

Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell

Open This Little Book by Jesse Klausmeier, illustrated by Suzy Lee

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Panda Book Awards 2026

For background reading you might begin with my previous post about the Panda Awards. 

Here are the 2026-27 Nominees (English language texts);

Read my post about Spiro

Read my post about Every Night a Midnight

Read my posts about Magnolia Wu unfolds it all; Grimwood; and The Midwatch 

(Midwatch has a different title and cover here in Australia).

Read my posts about The Wrong Shoes; and Huda was Here.

Read my posts about Floof; and The Mona Lisa Vanishes

I also have a post about In a Jar by Deborah Marcero

KOALA and YABBA awards short lists 2026

KOALA Awards and YABBA Awards

I am going to focus on the Picture Book short list and the Years 7-9 because these categories include books I have read. You might like to check out two previous posts (KOALA 2022) and (KOALA 2024).

PICTURE BOOKS

Bigfoot vs. Yeti: A Love Story by James Foley

Bob and Dob by Sean E Avery

Dropbear by Philip Bunting

Emmie Builds Something New by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall

Happy Barry Capybara: Gone Bananas by James Foley

Mum for Sale by Zannie Louise and Philip Bunting

O.M.G: Oh My G.O.A.T! (G.O.A.T #3) by Kate and Jol Temple, and Rebel Challenger

Shmoof by Heidi McKinnon (you must also read Floof)

Spiro by Anna McGregor

Valerie: Australia's Bravest Sausage Dog by Lucinda Gifford

FICTION YEARS 7-9 (Many of these will appeal to readers in Grades 5 and 6 in Primary)

Andromache Between Worlds (Andromache #1) by Gabriel Bergmoser

Drift by Pip Harry

The Midwatch by Judith Rossell (In the US this book has a different title and a different cover)

Respawn (Villain Book #2) by Adrian Beck

Romeo v Juliet by R.A. Spratt (blog post coming soon)

Run by Sarah Armstrong

Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad

The 113th Assistant Librarian by Stuart Wilson

Villain by Adrian Beck

Waiting for the Storks by Katrina Nannestad

Details of the other shortlisted titles can be found here. I previously also talked about The Wicked Ship (Oceanforged #1); and Mim and the Baffling Bully. 

KOALA and YABBA part of the REAL Awards along with CROC from Darwin. REAL stands for Reading and Enjoying Children's Australian Literature. 

UKLA Book Awards 2026 Shortlist 7-10

The UKLA Book Awards are the only national (UK) 

children's book awards judged by teachers.

The UKLA Book Awards 2026 shortlist highlights a diverse range of outstanding children’s and young-people’s books across four age-based categories, spanning 3-14+. Hand-selected by teachers for their quality, creativity and relevance, these titles offer exceptional storytelling, engaging ideas and rich reading experiences.  Here is the full list of six shortlisted titles. These two are titles I have read (and loved) from the 7-10 Shortlist.

After. Written by Pádraig Kenny

Birdie. Written by J P Rose

Read more here including books for 3-6 and 11-14+

In addition to the two titles above which made the shortlist you can see the longlist and from the longlist I have talked about:

The Falling Boy. Written by David Almond

Leo and Ralph. Written and illustrated by Peter Carnavas AUSTRALIAN!!!!

Ghostlines .Written by Katya Balen

Fallout. Written by Lesley Parr (blog post coming soon)

Ettie and the Midnight Pool. Written by Julia Green and illustrated by Pam Smy

The DANZ Awards Longlist 2026

The DANZ Awards celebrate diverse children’s fiction published in Australia and New Zealand, honouring books that challenge stereotypes, push boundaries, and highlight diverse and marginalised communities, including those representing disability, culture, LGBTQI+, race and religion. 

The ASLA DANZ Awards aim to encourage inclusivity and spotlight authentic representation, providing marginalised voices with recognition and support. They also aims to influence book-buyers and educators to prioritise such works. The awards spotlight the wonderful books which provide mirrors, windows and sliding doors into different lives, and build empathy and understanding of people from all walks of life. 

PICTURE BOOK LONGLIST

From this list I have talked about

Bapa's Last Canoe; A Lemon for Safiya; and The Truck Cat

CHAPTER BOOK LONGLIST

MIDDLE GRADE LONGLIST

From this list I have talked about

The Silken Thread

2026-2027 Texas Bluebonnet Award long list

 

This prestigious list is composed of titles from creative, talented, and diverse authors. The titles on the list offer students in third through sixth grades quality fiction and nonfiction literature to be read for pleasure. The TBA selection committee considered a whopping 1006 books for this year’s list. You can see past winners from 1981 till the present here. 

Each year, more than 63,000 third-through-sixth graders from across Texas vote for their favorite title from the list. “Read 5, then decide” is a slogan known by school librarians, public librarians, and homeschooling parents across the state. The TBA Award winner is announced in the spring and will be honored in April at the TLA 2027 Annual Conference in San Antonio.

I was excited to see a few familiar titles on this list (especially since I am in Australia and not Texas). Books with ** are on my own to read list. 

• Another by Paul Tremblay. 
• The Black Mambas by Kelly Crull. 
• Danilo Was Here by Tamika Burgess. 
• Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb. 
• Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez. 
• Gracie under the Waves by Linda Sue Park. 
• I’m a Dumbo Octopus! by Anne Lambelet. 
• Introducing Sandwina by Vicki Conrad. 
• The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio. 
• The Library of Unruly Treasures by Jeanne Birdsall.**
• Lola by Karla Arenas Valenti. 
• Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia. 
• Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate. 
• Safe Crossing by Kari Percival. 
• Saved by the Smell by Jarrett Lerner. 
• Speak Up, Santiago! by Julio Anta. 
• A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga. 
• The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner. 
• Wanda Hears the Stars by Amy S. Hansen and Wanda Díaz Merced. 
• Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Illustrated by O. Ivanov. **

The previous list had a couple of my book favourites:

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All

Dogtown