The winners of The Week Junior Book Awards 2024, brought to you by The Week Junior and The Bookseller, with partners WHSmith, World Book Day and LoveReading4Kids have been revealed at an awards ceremony hosted by tv and radio presenter Fee Mack at County Hall in London. 14 books were crowned from over 450 entries, with two of the awards – Children’s Choice and Children’s Book Cover of the Year – voted for by readers of The Week Junior.
The expert judging panel included teachers, booksellers and literacy champions along with former Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, Newsround presenter Ricky Boleto, award-winning author-illustrator Nadia Shireen, author and Place2Be ambassador, Sophie Dahl and teacher and TV personality Bobby Seagull.
Now in its second year, the awards were created to address the need for greater mainstream discourse around children’s literature and the lifelong benefits of reading for pleasure. They celebrate the remarkable work of both emerging and established children’s authors, illustrators and publishers, and bring their work to the attention of The Week Junior’s avid young readers and their families.
Editorial director of The Week Junior, Anna Bassi says, “We’re delighted to honour these incredible books and their power to bring pleasure to children through words, pictures, ideas and imagination. The line-up boasts extraordinary stories, compelling characters, fascinating facts, incredible illustrations and useful advice. With awards for both fiction and non-fiction and subjects spanning everything from dinosaurs to the digestive system, there is something here for every young reader – even those who say they don’t like reading.”
New award categories for 2024 included Poetry, Picture Book, Animals and Nature, Wellbeing, Hobbies and Interests, and Graphic Novel. These were incorporated in response to feedback from publishers and to reflect the passions and interests of The Week Junior’s readers.
Some of the award-winning authors will be appearing at The Week Junior Book Festival, during the school half-term on 29 October at Barbican Centre, London.