Winners 2026
Below is a list of the 2026 WINNERS 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.
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
- Category 12: Adult/Children's Poetry
- Short Story - Novelette
If you happen to be looking for a good read, the readers at The Wishing Shelf Awards thoroughly recommend the following:
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A Good Day and Other...
A wide-ranging collection
of imaginative, funny stories.
Amazon
50 SECRETS NOBODY TELLS YOU IN
IN HOLLYWOOD Helping actors
avoid pitfalls & find success
Amazon
Rider of the Wind
An exultant celebration
of the magic of music
Amazon
From The Back of a Donkey
Fresh captivating look at the
Christmas Story told by Mary
by Nancy Elaine Hartman Minor
Book Love
YOUNG READERS become
WORLD LEADERS
Lorilyn Roberts
Sea Change by Nick Bamford
'A gay romance and adventure
on a yacht at sea'
nickbamford.com
Drop the Fake Smile
How to stop people-
pleasing in relationships
Amazon
The Collective Consciousness
Embark on a journey into the
depths of the human spirit!
Amazon
FIELDS OF PROSPERIS
"Bingeable space opera, best
complex villains"-ARK Watson
Amazon
DAUGHTER OF SPIES
Wartime Secrets, Family Lies
A FINALIST in TWSA
Amazon
The Princess and the Spy
A witty and heartfelt
YA fantasy mystery
Amazon
The One Week Writing Workshop
7 Days to Spark, Boost
or Revive Your Novel
Amazon
The Monster Bones of...
A time travel mystery about
an ancient skeleton for kids.
by Linda Maria Frank
Happisad Memories
Where magic meets grief.
A page-turning novel.
by M.P.B. Clairette
THE MALLARD MELODRAMAS
A captivating series of
Victorian Mysteries
by RJ Williams
BUILDING THE BEAST
Building a home-on-wheels
with zero blueprint.
Amazon
INTO THE BLAZE
A new trilogy where fantasy,
myth, and reality entwine
Amazon
THE ART IN MY PALM
Queer coming-of-age tale
set in Cyprus & Australia.
by Luke Icarus Simon
It Rains in February
A wife's memoir of love,
suicide, grief and loss
Amazon
My Year at the Good Bean Cafe
A riveting tale of unlikely
and inexplicable events.
Amazon
AMAZING WORLD BENEATH THE
WAVES Satisfy your curiosity
about oceans
www.barnettauthor.co.uk
THE GREAT MOSQUITO HUNT
Hunting the world for
the causes of disease
Amazon
The Faraway Mountains
A memorable novel about
growing up under dictatorship
Amazon
TEMPEST AND THE BRIGHTON
TREASURE - A middle-grade
adventure children will love!
Amazon
The Crooked Ladder
It's time to climb...
or die
Amazon
Burt: The Airport Cat
Heartwarming cat adventure
about friendship!
by Christine Henry
S.O.S. by Sue C Dugan
An exciting, time-travel
adventure for middle graders
Amazon
The Third Estate
WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES
AND THE LIES are REVEALED
Amazon
MILLIE'S RAINBOW
Beautiful picture book.
Kindness and rainbows.
by Hilary Hawkes