
Finalists 2024
Below is a list of the 2024 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, 2025.
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.

Red Ribbon
'They're All Barking,' A Dog's Guide to Human Behaviour
Author: Professor Daniel Springer-Spaniel

Red Ribbon
Sweet Peas and Bees: Life at the Flower Farm
Author: Mary Murphy
Illustrator: Fiona Van Housen

Red Ribbon
Wanderer's Journey: A Refugee's Search for a Home in the Beautiful Game Author
Author: Vedran Dedic
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Karin Adams
Girl & the Lock on Her Heart
An empowering book to
ignite everyone’s self love.
Amazon
A Cauldron of Uncanny Dreams
13 creepy award-winning
stories for a cold, dark night
Amazon
A Bloody Hot Summer
Bloody murders occur in 1920s
England during a heatwave
Amazon
SECRET SKY
Everybody wishes they could
fly - until it happens
books2read.com
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
Plague of Flies
A young Latina fights to save
her people and land.
Amazon
Adventures of Wizard Aquarius
A clever young wizard searches
for his missing grandfather
Amazon
Mirrors & Smoke: A War of 1812
'A smartly plotted, character
novel set in 1800s Canada' WSA
Amazon/Audible
JOYFUL LIFE PRESS
Books and workbooks that
entertain, support and inspire
www.joyfullifepress.com
GOING UNDER THE RADAR
Honest, insightful, battling
autism/mental health - TWSA
Amazon
The Broken Wife
A gripping tale of love,
loss, and BETRAYAL.
Amazon
THE REPROBATES
Do you remember suffering
from a death of the soul?
www.benjamingrose.co.uk
Sneaky Snobby by Jennifer Kvam
LOOK OUT! Making trouble is
Sneaky Snobby´s hobby!
Amazon
Love in the Cupboard
A sweet, clean Catholic Priest
seeks a wife rom-com
Amazon
Nantucket Monsters
Island monsters on the sly,
live in the corner your eye
B. LAWSON HULL
Puppy Pals and Puppy Tales
Letters from the family
dog’s point of view, 5-9 yrs.
Amazon
2024... Your Year of More
is a meaningful self-help
book for wise readers.
Amazon
The Stress Book
STRESS MANAGEMENT & PREVENTION
BOOK, WINNER OF 40+ AWARDS
Amazon
HEALER'S BLADE
Can a young woman change
the fate of England?
StoryOrigin
Aunty Jane Knits Up A Storm
Knitting, Friendship, Loss &
Healing in a Children's Story
Amazon
When Secrets Come to Light
A novel of love, mystery
friendships, and murder
www.georgerhopkins.com
DEAR JAMES
I know it's been 20 years, but
I needed to tell you I'm sorry
Amazon
Rainbow Bridge
Ever wondered where your
dog ends up after this life?
Amazon
Hanna’s Ascent
A lyrical story of transgender
history and triumph
www.bedazzledink.com
LIKE A HERO
Being a superhero WITHOUT
powers is never easy!
books2read
“Later,†Said Gator
Encourage kids to clean up
in a positive, fun way!
Amazon
S.O.S. by Sue C Dugan
An exciting, time-travel
adventure for middle graders
Amazon
The Lost Heir Book 1 and 2
Mash Princess Bride
+ dash of GOT
Amazon
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Steve's 2 other personalities
wreak havoc all around him
Amazon
NEW TRAILS
A queer portal fantasy of
magic, courage, and home
books2read
Clifftop Farm in Wartime
A story of WW2
evacuated children
Amazon
Lucy Wants To go To School
Perfect for apprehensive
children starting school
Amazon
A HARD SILENCE
Grief, love, and learning to
speak the unspeakable
www.vineleavespress.com
Truth Was Once Taboo
New humanity, ancient
wisdom: spirituality reborn.
Amazon
Moonshine Mesa
Why are bees, crows, & humans
dying at Moonshine Mesa?
Amazon
Pebbles and the Biggest Number
A butterfly’s quest to
find the largest number
Amazon
Nemesis Rising
"Survival comes with a cost
for Sam … his humanity."
Amazon
Crossing Borders
American memoir on prospects
for peace in Palestine/Israel
christabruhn.com
Guiding Kids Through Anger
Parenting chaos
meets humor therapy
Amazon
The Campbell Sisters
3 sisters work towards very
different goals in 1955 NYC
Amazon
Around the Globe
The Adventures of Squishy
and Boo, Book 3
Amazon
THE GRAVITY OF LIES
WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE
WAS BASED ON LIES?
Amazon
Confidently Mindful
Answers to your most asked
mindfulness questions.
Amazon
In the Shadows of Castles
A story of love, hope and
survival in a time of war.
Amazon
MATTER PRESS
Compressed fiction
with a bang
Matter Press
RAVEN'S GRAVE Charlotte Stuart
Betrayal and death in
an Alaskan Tlingit village.
Amazon
The Mystery of the Lost Avenge
Multilevel story/ghost/romance
forensics/WWII/espionage
Linda Maria Frank
AMAZING WORLD BENEATH THE
WAVES Satisfy your curiosity
about oceans
www.barnettauthor.co.uk
Harvey's Hutch
A man, nearly seventy,
looks back on his life.
Amazon
CHARLES DARWIN...
An entertaining learning
resource for curious kids.
www.alanhesse.com
Finding Karen Black
The heartwarming mother-
daughter reunion story
Amazon
The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior
"This happened in 1944 but
honored 80 years later!"
Amazon
GRAVE SECRETS-Cassandra Aston
The dark fantasy you've
been waiting for
Amazon
SKY ICE
Demon hunters. Slow-burn
romance. Hidden world.
Amazon
LoveVortex ... Drakor's Curse
A voyage into the unknown -
and a terrible curse.
Amazon
Around the Globe
The Adventures of Squishy
and Boo, Book 3
Amazon
The War Ongoing: Knightfall
Knights embark on adventure
where sci-fi & fantasy collide
Amazon
The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior
"This happened in 1944 but
honored 80 years later!"
Amazon