
Finalists 2022
Below is a list of the 2022 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, 2023.
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:

Benny the Brave in The First Day Jitters
Author: Julie Anne Penn and Darren Penn
Illustrator: Sergio De Giorgi

The Dragon and the Unicorn: The Magic of Friendship,
Author: Charly Froh
Illustrator: Zuzana Svobodova

Novo, The Space Robot, How to Solve the Mystery of Crying
Author: Charly Froh
Illustrator: Zuzanna Svobodova

Super Kena - A Girl Made Fierce with Hearing Aids
Author: Becky Cymbaluk
Illustrator: Zuzana Svobodova
A Red Ribbon is awarded to a book that did NOT get over 25/35 to be a finalist, but was still very much enjoyed by the readers.
Sponsored Ads
Tilda Finds Her Rainbow
Journey of kindness, courage,
friendship and forgiveness
nicolaalewis.com
The Putaway Monster
A delightful mystery to
solve as toys disappear.
Amazon
Publishing Questions?
Find easy to understand
answers, top tips & more.
oldmatemedia
Portraits of a Pandemic
The story of how a microscopic
virus changed our lives.
Amazon
The Fungus Among Us
Encourage children to explore
and connect to nature
Amazon
B.A. Bellec
2 x Wishing Shelf
Award Recipient
Amazon
Then We'll Say Goodnight
How would you get your
unruly puppies back to bed?
Amazon
Lead the Competition
Read 100 Livestreaming &
Digital Media Predictions.
Amazon
A Portion of Malice
A thought-provoking thrill
ride into the apocalypse
Amazon
CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF ANSWERS
"Crazy family. Endless cold
case. Then there's a clue!"
Amazon
LIKE NO OTHER - Cry.
Laugh.
Think.
www.fontreal.com
My Year at the Good Bean Cafe
A riveting tale of unlikely
and inexplicable events.
Amazon
Don't Look Too Tasty
Hungry aliens, missing
friends. Who can you trust?
Amazon
I FEEL YOUR STARE
An Autobiography by Cheryl
Gillespie - Book Award Winner!
Amazon
You're Gone
Meet Arthur: Widower, Son,
Brother, Friend, Murderer.
Amazon
The Third Estate
WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES
AND THE LIES are REVEALED
Amazon
The Great Billy Butlin Race
First and only footrace from
John O’Groats to Land’s End
Stairwellbooks
Secrets of a Social Butterfly
How I unstuck my life
and you can too.
Lynn Bruines
A Trip From God, Book 1
NEW gods NEW religion NEW
prophet NEW order OLD insanity
Amazon
MORATURI LOST
Ship lost in Andromeda:
The vet is now Captain!
Amazon
Rainbow Cat and Mouse
How a hungry cat and a feisty
mouse become best friends
Amazon
The Shadow Deception
Can a pranking pixie and a
grumpy angel save the world?
Amazon
Soar: A Soul's Quest
A young eagle on a quest of
self-discovery & enlightenment
Amazon
In Other Words, Poetic Journey
Explore life through the eyes
of a tireless wanderer
Amazon
Tatiana and the Russian Wolves
A Russian émigré reconciles
tragic family secrets
www.stephenevansjordan.com
Irish Famine Novel
My novel Hungry Trails
celebrates family resilience
Amazon
Popina & Slumberina
Join in a Magical Journey of
Growth and Self Discovery
Amazon
Exclusion Zone
The VORKOSIGAN SAGA
meets DIE HARD.
Amazon
DON'T DOUBT THE RAINBOW series
Crime-busting teen
detective adventures!
www.crownhouse.co.uk
Angry Arthur
and The Run Around Trick
Learn to manage big feelings
Amazon
Church of the Assassin
A brutal purge. A reason
to live. A reason to kill.
Amazon
GOING UNDER THE RADAR
Honest, insightful, battling
autism/mental health - TWSA
Amazon
Chains of Prophecy
A man finds he is the chosen
sorcerer of Heaven.
Amazon
IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE FABULOUS
A guide to finding self-love
and achieving your destiny💙
Amazon
The Puppet Maker's Daughter
Marika protects her family &
orphaned children from Nazis.
Amazon
Discovery of Elizabeth Sawyer
The ‘Witch of Edmonton’
overturns Jacobean London
www.jonathanvischer.com
Comfort in the Wings
An inspiring, heartfelt
journey of joy after loss
Amazon
THE DARKWOLF SAGA (YA)
Embark on a harrowing journey
into fantasy and adventure.
Amazon
THE SAD PRINCESS
Refinding joy with our
children is not a fairy tale
Amazon
Top Psychological Thriller
Two couples befriend each
other with tragic consequences
Amazon
A Vampire's Tooth Fairy Chase
A vampire with flat teeth
searches for the Tooth Fairy.
Amazon
Tales of Witches and Wyverns
Join Enid’s quest to save
friends from a fae queen
Amazon
The Beast Keepers
A young vet discovers a
world of mythical creatures
Amazon
THE LIGHTNESS OF WATER
"A refined fantasy adventure”
- Silver Medal, TWSA
books2read.com
The Shadow of the Volcano
A thrilling 'time travel'
adventure for 7 - 13 yr olds.
Amazon
The Last Spiritwalker
Blood, magic, myths &
a badass female lead
Amazon
RED CHAIR PRESS
Titles in Dyslexic and
/or Large Print editions
ReadHowYouWant
Moonshine Mesa
Why are bees, crows &
humans dying at the Mesa?
Amazon
TWO LEFT WINGS - Safety Averse
4 kids - heart-warming / funny
friendship and self-growth
Amazon
Plea to a Frozen God
A desperate trio appeals
to the God of Death.
Amazon
LIKE A HERO
Being a superhero WITHOUT
powers is never easy!
books2read
The Toad from Outer Space
A cautionary tale about a
toad-ily historic space flight
www.childrensfunnybooks.co.uk
THE SOCIETY
Elizabeth Grant Thriller-woman
embroiled in a conspiracy
Amazon
THE WAY OF WATER
Brilliant YA Fantasy with
Magic, Mystery & Romance
Amazon
FIGHT
Thought-provoking poems encou-
raging us to fight for justice
YouTube
My Solo Wedding in Santorini
A true story. Honest,
thought-provoking & funny .
blogaboutl
RAIN FALLING ON EMBERS
A grieving, fish out of water
teen struggles to survive.
KatieMcCabeSeries.com
Starr of the Show
SEL shows a new squad how to
shine. MG Reader/School Issues
shinyfriendssupersquad.com
The Stranger of Ul Darak BK 1
A new intriguing epic
high fantasy series
sceston.com