
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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Literary Historical Fiction
Karma and horses drive one
family through 2500 Years.
Amazon
RED CHAIR PRESS
Titles in Dyslexic and
/or Large Print editions
ReadHowYouWant
BURT, THE AIRPORT CAT
Follow Burt, the black cat,
on a fun family adventure
Amazon
A Mixing Colour Adventure
Colour mixing, teamwork &
perseverance for 3 - 7 yr olds
Amazon
REVOLUTION
A contemporary
satirical novel
Amazon
The Last Spiritwalker
Blood, magic, myths &
a badass female lead
Amazon
A Good Day and Other...
A wide-ranging collection
of imaginative, funny stories.
Amazon
The Shadow of the Volcano
A thrilling 'time travel'
adventure for 7 - 13 yr olds.
Amazon
Azoria's Blade
They attacked her homeland.
Now, Azoria seeks her revenge.
Amazon
“Hatch Chile Willie”
offers children a heartwarming
tale of friendship
Amazon
Demons to Champions
A tale of neurodivergent
awakening and triumph.
Amazon
Children of the Realm
Girl finds mythical origins
in YA urban fantasy
Amazon
Marvelous Mood-Mending Meadow
Picture Book About Gratitude &
Dealing with Kids Emotions
Amazon
THREE DETAIL STORIES audiobks
Where storytime is an
adventure designed by kids
threedetailaudiobooks
LADY IN RED
Teen sleuths search for
a missing masterpiece.
Amazon
The Great Billy Butlin Race
First and only footrace from
John O’Groats to Land’s End
Stairwellbooks
Angry Arthur
and The Run Around Trick
Learn to manage big feelings
Amazon
THE PEBBLE CHAMPION
A stirring tale
of sadness and self-discovery.
Amazon
Around the Globe
The Adventures of Squishy
and Boo, Book 3
Amazon
THE UNBROKEN
Love and adventure in
the strange worlds of mind.
Nigel Peace
Jemma and the Raven
A luminous adventure in
this epic YA fantasy debut
Amazon
The Ghosts of Nothing
The town of Nothing is haunted
...and fairies are to blame.
Amazon
RAIN FALLING ON EMBERS
A grieving, fish out of water
teen struggles to survive.
KatieMcCabeSeries.com
THE MERMELF
Mystery girl. Mermelves arrive
Dystopian rebellion begins
Amazon
CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF ANSWERS
"Crazy family. Endless cold
case. Then there's a clue!"
Amazon
Bentley Makes a Dump Cake
A delightful, messy adventure
with joy, teamwork, & color
Miki Taylor
The Nephilem
A Sun-soaked setting
with a difference.
www.exquil.com
Master of Music - Marla Himeda
Book 1 of a unique,
inspirational fantasy series!
Amazon
THE TRALL SERIES
Middle-grade portal
fantasies set in Australia.
by Gayle Torrens
The Third Estate
WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES
AND THE LIES are REVEALED
Amazon
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Steve's 2 other personalities
wreak havoc all around him
Amazon
DREAMER OF DESTINY
Her dreams are calling to her.
Should she listen?
Barbara Woster
What Is the Shape of My Egg?
Introducing children to shape.
"An excellent STEM resource!"
Amazon
Moonshine Mesa
Why are bees, crows, & humans
dying at Moonshine Mesa?
Amazon
Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost!
A rabbit and a turtle get
lost in a hay maze!
Amazon
What Death Taught Terrence
A man reviews life from the
beyond. What will he learn?
Amazon
Hecatomb of the Vampire
5 horror tales link in book 1
of The Dark Rituals Saga
Amazon
CLEAR-CUTS
Raw, visceral, unflinching...
ties that bind coming unbound
Amazon
False Neutral
A story of choices made & not
made, & the collision of paths
Amazon
Smurgle The Windy Dragon
By Jane Clack, ill. by Lucy
Nicholson. A FUN PICTURE BOOK!
Amazon
BELIEVING IN HORSES
Ride away with the
Believing in Horses books!
Amazon
THE DARKWOLF SAGA (YA)
Embark on a harrowing journey
into fantasy and adventure.
Amazon
UNTANGLING YOU
Take control of how u respond
to difficult relationships
www.kerryhowells.com/books
Terracolina-A Place to Belong
A fantasy to delight middle-
graders and nature lovers.
Amazon
The Princess and the Spy
A witty and heartfelt
YA fantasy mystery
Amazon
Fenix and the Firework Fliers
Can Fenix save the Fireworks
when a firefly gets sick?
creativemovementstories.com
From Patriarchy to Paradise
The script is flipped:
Women steer back to garden.
expandjoy
What You Cannot See
A woman trying to navigate
and understand her life
Amazon
Oscar and Friends...
will help you along, sharing
a world where everyone belongs
mollyarbuthnott
The Long Road to Namai
Adventures of a daughter of
Earth on a planet of psychics
Amazon
SeaMouse Builds a Boat
Mouse must find EVERYTHING he
needs to BUILD his boat.
Amazon
Of the Noble and Great Ones
Real fiction about an autistic
teen who figures out life
Amazon
Sam & Me & the Hard Pear Tree
A personal account of
a mother’s ultimate loss
Amazon
The Campbell Sisters
3 sisters work towards very
different goals in 1955 NYC
Amazon
Battle for Eklatros
Can Ànifa’s party save
Eklatros from the invasion?
Amazon
Of the Noble and Great Ones
Real fiction about an autistic
teen who figures out life
Amazon
Secrets of The Sealed Forest
Magic awakens in this
modern fantasy adventure.
Amazon
Writing in a Nutshell
Writing Workshops to
Improve Your Craft
Amazon
Aunty Jane Knits Up A Storm
Knitting, Friendship, Loss &
Healing in a Children's Story
Amazon