
Finalists 2023
Below is a list of the 2023 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, 2024.
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:
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
Guiding Kids Through Anger
Parenting chaos
meets humor therapy
Amazon
You're Gone
Meet Arthur: Widower, Son,
Brother, Friend, Murderer.
Amazon
My Year at the Good Bean Café
Weird and inexplicable events
and their effect on our lives
Amazon
Pumpkin King Saves Christmas
How Santa became jolly with
the help of the Pumpkin King.
Amazon
The War Ongoing: Knightfall
Knights embark on adventure
where sci-fi & fantasy collide
Amazon
Look 'N Up Invasion
Celebrate diversity by
imagining a world without it.
looknup.us
TWO LEFT WINGS - Safety Averse
4 kids - heart-warming / funny
friendship and self-growth
Amazon
Marlon and the Scary Something
Scaredy cat finds courage,
foils fear, wins friend
Amazon
WHINGEY WILLIAMS Term 1
Follow Whingey on her FIRST
adventure on Gower
Amazon
A Tree in Time
A fabilious journey into
the distant past.
gentlpresspublishing.co.uk
An Enemy Like Me
What would you do for love?
3 POV WWII HistFic Saga
www.terimbrown.com
Momma Llama World
Free coloring sheets,
animated stories & more.
Meet Momma Llama
THE UNBROKEN
Love and adventure in
the strange worlds of mind.
Nigel Peace
Truth Was Once Taboo
New humanity, ancient
wisdom: spirituality reborn.
Amazon
CLEAR-CUTS
In 72 hours, a legend, a lore
& 2 brothers will all collide
Amazon
Writing in a Nutshell
Writing Workshops to
Improve Your Craft
Amazon
Escape From Peconic Bay
A fast-paced, historical novel
set during the run up to WW2
books2read
THE SOCIETY
A NATION is on the brink...
Only 1 woman can stop it
Amazon
The Last Professional
A hobo, a wanderer, a madman-
their lives are on the line!
www.eddavisbooks.com
It Rains in February
A wife's memoir of love,
suicide, grief and loss
Amazon
Sammie and Pumpkin
An adopted dog learns
how to make new friends.
Amazon
The Fungus Among Us
Encourage children to explore
and connect to nature
Amazon
CHARLES DARWIN...
An entertaining learning
resource for curious kids.
www.alanhesse.com
PARIS BLUE, first love memoir
Classical music and first love
in the magical city of Paris
www.mybook.to
Ruby the Emotional Stingray
Handling emotions for kids.
BEDTIME STORY
Amazon
Crowded platforms Window Seats
One family's adventures
around Europe by train.
Amazon
The Great Billy Butlin Race
First and only footrace from
John O’Groats to Land’s End
Stairwellbooks
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Steve's 2 other personalities
wreak havoc all around him
Amazon
GOING UNDER THE RADAR
Honest, insightful, battling
autism/mental health - TWSA
Amazon
The Campbell Sisters
3 sisters work towards very
different goals in 1955 NYC
Amazon
SKY ICE
Demon hunters. Slow-burn
romance. Hidden world.
Amazon
Ships in the Desert
Timely, illuminating, and wise
—Julian Hoffman
Amazon
The Last Lumenian
Most princesses need saving.
This one saves you.
Amazon
Sara My Sara
A moving tale of friendship,
loss, and the gifts of grief.
Amazon
Ian's Realm Saga
A 7 book adventure fantasy
series for the family.
gardnersart.com
The Puppet Maker's Daughter
Marika protects her family &
orphaned children from Nazis.
Amazon
Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost!
A rabbit and a turtle get
lost in a hay maze!
Amazon
Popina & Slumberina
Join in a Magical Journey of
Growth and Self Discovery
Amazon
Churchill’s Secret Army
WW2 courage and sacrifice
in the undercover SOE
www.cloudshillpress.com
Changing Tide
A Thrilling First
Contact Novel
www.cougarproductions.com
A Voice from Heaven
Astounding secrets of life,
death, love and spirituality
wingsofpeacepress.com
Fit to Eat
Empower yourself to age
without chronic diseases.
Amazon
The Faraway Mountains
A memorable novel about
growing up under dictatorship
Amazon
Alfie Slider vs Shape Shifter
It’s no ordinary key –
it breaks the laws of physics!
Amazon
Beyond the Brink
Teleportation is just the
beginning...
Amazon
PWF for Women 40+
Paranormal Women's Fiction -
NEW SERIES!
books2read.com
THE SELFISH SHELLFISH & THE
SICK SEA an environmental gem
for the age. GET A COPY AT:
theprolificword.com
Memoir of Millennial Caregiver
A story of caregiving, loss,
and acceptance of the unknown.
Amazon
Pippin's Country Adventure
A happy fun educational read
about an adventurous poodle.
Amazon
Clifftop Farm in Wartime
A story of WW2
evacuated children
Amazon
Moonshine Mesa
Why are bees, crows, & humans
dying at Moonshine Mesa?
Amazon
A SQUEAKY TOY, A LEASH, AND
A PRAYER Mom's Choice Awards
GOLD - for dog loving families
Amazon
Jemma and the Raven
A luminous adventure in
this epic YA fantasy debut
Amazon
DRAGONDAH
The Secret Legacy
of Ottillee Bottomly
Amazon
Nantucket Monsters
Island monsters on the sly,
live in the corner your eye
B. LAWSON HULL
THE MERMELF
Mystery girl. Mermelves arrive
Dystopian rebellion begins
Amazon
Rooted and Remembered
An orphaned boy wonders if
home is a place or a feeling.
Goodreads
The Girl Who Looked Beyond...
13 yrs old. How can she have
a destiny to save the world?
Amazon
The Boy and the Big White Rock
'...rewarding memoir of coming
of age in the 1960s.' KIRKUS
Barnes and Noble