
Finalists 2021
Below is a list of the 2021 FINALISTS in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. The children's books were read and judged by children in 8 UK primary and secondary schools, the adult books by 2 Reading Groups, 1 in London and 1 in Stockholm. The books were marked according to EDITING, THEME, STYLE, COVER and, in the case of many of the children's books, ILLUSTRATIONS.
The WINNERS will be announced on April 1st, 2022.
Jump straight to:
- Category 1: Pre-school picture books
- Category 2: Books for 6 - 8 year olds
- Category 3: Books for 9 - 12 year olds
- Category 4: Books for Teenagers
- Category 5: Books for adults (fiction)
- Category 6: Books for Adults (non-fiction)
- Category 7: Audio Book - Children/Young Adult
- Category 8: Audio Book - Adult
- Category 9: Best Book Cover - Children/Young Adult
- Category 10: Best Book Cover - Adult
- Red Ribbon Bands
If you happen to be looking for a good read, the readers at The Wishing Shelf Awards thoroughly recommend the following:

Nurse Bear Does First Aid: Picture Book to Learn First Aid Skills for Toddlers and Kids
Author: Marta Almansa Esteva

Olive the Worrying Wiener: A Short Tale about a Particularly Long Dog
Author: Ally Arena
Illustrator: Rafaela Sukiyama

Monster in the Water: Fighting Back Against Harmful Algal Blooms
Author: Dylan Dagate
Illustrator: Maria Decerce

Sticky Icky Vicky: Courage over Fear
Author: Alysia Ssentamu, Michael Ssentamu
Illustrator: Noor Alshalabi

Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World
Author: Brad Borkan and David Hirzel

Black, White, And Gray All Over; A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement
Author: Frederick Reynolds

Just Say "$%#&! NO!†Book Dedicated to the Well-Intended Overextended!
Author: Heather Tobin
Illustrator: Karen Tobin

Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation
Author: Joseph N Abraham MD

Grandpa Jock and the Incredible Iron-Bru-Man Incident: Gorgeous George
Author: Stuart Reid
Performed by: Stuart Reid

Fries & Alibis: Paranormal Cozy Mystery: Mitzy Moon Mysteries Series, Book 1
Author: Trixie Silvertale
Performed by: Coleen Marlo

Systemology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems
Author: David Jenyns

The Essential Family Guide to Caring for Older People
Author: Deborah Stone
Performed by: Maggie Ollerenshaw

Little Wade and Watchtower: Abigail and the Great Gang Trap
Author: Sean March
Cover Designer: Joe Ruiz

Rory, Quest for the Northern Lights
Author: Sarah Cullen, Carmen Ellis
Cover Designer: Zuzana Svobodova

The Young Adult’s Collection of Short Scary Stories
Author: Michael Ross
Cover Designer: Magdalena Adić
A Red Ribbon is awarded to a book that did NOT get over 30/40 to be a finalist, but was still very much enjoyed by the readers.
Sponsored Ads
Then We'll Say Goodnight
How would you get your
unruly puppies back to bed?
Amazon
Alphamind
Embark on a journey into the
depths of the human spirit!
Amazon
Return to Vienna
How SOE worked to free
Austria from Hitler's grip
Amazon
More Future Dreams/Nightmares
Award-winning SF short
stories of AIs and robots.
Donald Firesmith
Look 'N Up Invasion
A clever mix of fantasy,
family drama & cultural debate
Goodreads
Dinosaur Symphony
A Guide to Dinosaurs
and Classical Music
Amazon
The Beast Keepers
A young vet discovers a
world of mythical creatures
Amazon
JUST RIVER
Hilarious and grave.
A story of resilience.
Amazon
ARNI'S ADVENTURES
8 charming, silly, comic
stories to laugh at & enjoy.
Amazon
WHINGEY WILLIAMS Term 1
Follow Whingey on her FIRST
adventure on Gower
Amazon
The Book of Wisdom-ish
Adventure begins with
a book. And an A.
Amazon
A Novel about Life...and death
Will a mom's superhuman
efforts save her family?
Amazon/Apple
The Last Spiritwalker
Blood, magic, myths &
a badass female lead
Amazon
Book Love
YOUNG READERS become
WORLD LEADERS
Lorilyn Roberts
Chronicles of MatiLou/PerryAnn
Through it all the girls work
to save Mother Earth.
Amazon
The Halloween Candy MONSTER
Jimmy teaches the Halloween
candy monster a lesson
Amazon
THE DARK PLACES NOVELS
Paranormal thrillers to
get your pulse racing
kimgravell.com
NEW TRAILS
A queer portal fantasy of
magic, courage, and home
books2read
SKY ICE
Demon hunters. Slow-burn
romance. Hidden world.
Amazon
UNTANGLING YOU
Take control of how u respond
to difficult relationships
www.kerryhowells.com/books
The Gift of Knowing You
Discover all of who you are &
the power of your story.
Amazon
LADY APPRENTICE
"Love, fighting, mystery and
magic” BRAG Medallion
books2read.com
A Portion of Malice
A thought-provoking thrill
ride into the apocalypse
Amazon
Ian's Realm Saga
A 7 book adventure fantasy
series for the family.
gardnersart.com
Jack's 1st Birthday Adventure
Journey to Jingle Jangle:
A fun story with activities!
Amazon
I’m Going to Have a Sister
For new siblings teaching
patience & understanding
thegreatbritishbookshop
❜Twas the Day of Christmas
Join Marco, Pet Pom Dog
and Santa for the Holidays
Amazon
From Patriarchy to Paradise
The script is flipped:
Women steer back to garden.
expandjoy
Soar: A Soul's Quest
A young eagle on a quest of
self-discovery & enlightenment
Amazon
Selfish Shellfish & Sick Sea
An environmental gem for the
age. Get your copy at:
theprolificword.com
DREAMER OF DESTINY
Her dreams are calling to her.
Should she listen?
Barbara Woster
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
Mother To Elephants
A Beautiful Tale of
Care and Compassion
Amazon
THE PORTAL KEEPER
Enter a world of Fantastic
Creatures and Magic!
books2read
A Good Day and Other...
A wide-ranging collection
of imaginative, funny stories.
Amazon
Bentley's Fantabulous Idea
Embark on a whimsical colorful
journey filled with fun
MikiTaylor
Adventures of Beryl and Carol
Award winning, clean teen
adventure for all ages.
berylandcarol
Escape From Peconic Bay
A novel of love, impending
war, and espionage.
books2read
THE UNBROKEN
Love and adventure in
the strange worlds of mind.
Nigel Peace
PWF for Women 40+
Paranormal Women's Fiction -
NEW SERIES!
books2read.com
Crossing Borders
American memoir on prospects
for peace in Palestine/Israel
christabruhn.com
CHARCOAL BOY
Tudor London, boy, entangled
in politics, wins through
Amazon
SIN EATER
A girl with the power to
erase ANY bad memory!
Amazon
Don't Look Too Tasty
Hungry aliens, missing
friends. Who can you trust?
Amazon
HEALER'S BLADE
Can a young woman change
the fate of England?
StoryOrigin
GOING UNDER THE RADAR
Honest, insightful, battling
autism/mental health - TWSA
Amazon
Rainbow Bridge
Ever wondered where your
dog ends up after this life?
Amazon
Butterfly with a Broken Wing
Children's mental health story
It's ok NOT to be ok
Amazon
The Nephilem
A Sun-soaked setting
with a difference.
www.exquil.com
DANCE STANCE
"Highly recommended! A truly
excellent book" Wishing Shelf
bookshop.org
CLEAR-CUTS
Raw, visceral, unflinching...
ties that bind coming unbound
Amazon
In the Shadows of Castles
A story of love, hope and
survival in a time of war.
Amazon
The Third Estate
WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES
AND THE LIES are REVEALED
Amazon
Angry Arthur
and The Run Around Trick
Learn to manage big feelings
Amazon
Changing Tide
A Thrilling First
Contact Novel
www.cougarproductions.com
The Mystery of the Lost Avenge
Multilevel story/ghost/romance
forensics/WWII/espionage
Linda Maria Frank
A SQUEAKY TOY, A LEASH, AND
A PRAYER Mom's Choice Awards
GOLD - for dog loving families
Amazon
A Vampire's Tooth Fairy Chase
A vampire with flat teeth
searches for the Tooth Fairy.
Amazon
The Broken Wife
A gripping tale of love,
loss, and BETRAYAL.
Amazon