
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.
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THE DARK PLACES NOVELS
Paranormal thrillers to
get your pulse racing
kimgravell.com
The Gemini Connection
An intriguing thriller that
will keep you hooked.
Amazon
I FEEL YOUR STARE
An Autobiography by Cheryl
Gillespie - Book Award Winner!
Amazon
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
No Death in Finding Nemo
Stories of mundane lives which
change in surprising ways
www.jeffreyfeingold.com
Glitching Souls
Award-winning, Mind-bending,
Technothriller
Amazon
WHEN JESUS CALLS
A Story of Undeniable Faith.
TWSA 2023 FINALIST
marthagayle
The Boy and the Big White Rock
'...rewarding memoir of coming
of age in the 1960s.' KIRKUS
Barnes and Noble
100% SUCCESS MINDSET
Achieve your goals and
improve personal development
Amazon
Fit to Eat
Empower yourself to age
without chronic diseases.
Amazon
Escape From Peconic Bay
A fast-paced, historical novel
set during the run up to WW2
books2read
Clifftop Farm in Wartime
A story of WW2
evacuated children
Amazon
RAIN FALLING ON EMBERS
A grieving, fish out of water
teen struggles to survive.
KatieMcCabeSeries.com
Life with psychopathic brother
A quirky philosophical novel
about forgiveness.
linnaspen.com
THE IMPROBABLE WONDERS OF
MOOJIE LITTLEMAN "Visionary,
magical, rich" -MC WEEKLY
Amazon
LADY APPRENTICE
"Love, fighting, mystery and
magic” BRAG Medallion
books2read.com
Churchill’s Secret Army
WW2 courage and sacrifice
in the undercover SOE
www.cloudshillpress.com
CLEAR-CUTS
Raw, visceral, unflinching...
ties that bind coming unbound
Amazon
Day & Night
A behind the scenes tour
and evening immersion!
Amazon
Epistolary
Mandy writes about her
life until tragedy strikes.
Amazon
The Pivotal Pastor
A pastor and famous
architect transform a parish
Amazon
RAIN FALLING ON EMBERS
A grieving, fish out of water
teen struggles to survive.
KatieMcCabeSeries.com
Harvey's Hutch
A man, nearly seventy,
looks back on his life.
Amazon
Winkle and Aster
Urban fantasy that takes
imagination to its limits
books2read
Little Puppy's Great Adventure
Adorable story. Great for
both parents as well as kids.
Amazon
CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
$1000 prize & publication.
Open internationally.
VINE LEAVES PRESS
BROKEN
A victim to survivor love
story with a twist.
Amazon
Angry Arthur
and The Run Around Trick
Learn to manage big feelings
Amazon
HUNGRY TRAILS
‘A…culturally rich family
chronicle.’ Kirkus Review
Amazon
Wartime Secrets, Family Lies
London to life in Washington
in a family of secrets
Amazon
The Shadow Deception
Can a pranking pixie and a
grumpy angel save the world?
Amazon
More Future Dreams/Nightmares
Award-winning SF short
stories of AIs and robots.
Donald Firesmith
Beyond the Brink
Teleportation is just the
beginning...
Amazon
DRAGONDAH
The Secret Legacy
of Ottillee Bottomly
Amazon
The Secrets of Hawthorne House
An unlikely friendship, clash
of cultures, and hidden magic
Amazon
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Steve's 2 other personalities
wreak havoc all around him
Amazon
PICTURE THE ALPHABET
Find over 150 objects, learn
letters & build vocabulary.
Amazon
Nemesis Rising
"Survival comes with a cost
for Sam …his humanity."
Amazon
Prescription for Frozen Heart
Pride & Prejudice meets
Grey's Anatomy - medical rom.
by Jo-Anne Duffett
Perfect Middle Grade Series
Montana and her friends
save the forest animals!
Amazon
THREE DETAIL STORIES audiobks
Where storytime is an
adventure designed by kids
threedetailaudiobooks
The Last Spiritwalker
Blood, magic, myths &
a badass female lead
Amazon
A Bloody Hot Summer
Bloody murders occur in 1920s
England during a heatwave
Amazon
The Halloween Candy MONSTER
Jimmy teaches the Halloween
candy monster a lesson
Amazon
The Faraway Mountains
A memorable novel about
growing up under dictatorship
Amazon
Tales of Witches and Wyverns
Join Enid’s quest to save
friends from a fae queen
Amazon
Lead the Competition
Read 100 Livestreaming &
Digital Media Predictions.
Amazon
Finding Karen Black
The heartwarming mother-
daughter reunion story
Amazon
The Stress Book
STRESS MANAGEMENT & PREVENTION
BOOK, WINNER OF 40+ AWARDS
Amazon
A Vampire's Tooth Fairy Chase
A vampire with flat teeth
searches for the Tooth Fairy.
Amazon
The Last Professional
A hobo, a wanderer, a madman-
their lives are on the line!
www.eddavisbooks.com
Marvelous Mood-Mending Meadow
Picture Book About Gratitude &
Dealing with Kids Emotions
Amazon
Dislodged
“An LGBTQ+ thriller and a
tale for the working class…â€
Amazon
When Secrets Come to Light
A novel of love, mystery
friendships, and murder
www.georgerhopkins.com
IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE FABULOUS
A guide to finding self-love
and achieving your destiny💙
Amazon
Ruby the Emotional Stingray
Handling emotions for kids.
BEDTIME STORY
Amazon
The Fungus Among Us
Encourage children to explore
and connect to nature
Amazon
Portraits of a Pandemic
The story of how a microscopic
virus changed our lives.
Amazon
Battle for Eklatros
Can Ànifa’s party save
Eklatros from the invasion?
Amazon