Five graphic novels have been shortlisted in this year’s The Week Junior Book Awards, including Blitz – One Family’s War by Martin Impey, and Rune by Carlos Sanches, both already award-winning titles. The winners will be announced in September.
Comic creator Ramzee is nominated in the Breakthrough Book category for The Cheat Book Volume 1, and there’s also a nomination in the Hobbies and Interests category for This Book Will Make You an Artist by Ruth Millington.
The Week‘s sister publication, The Week Junior is an award-winning current affairs magazine for eight to 14-year-olds. Inside every issue, children will discover amazing facts, explore world events, and be inspired by ideas and stories that spark family conversations and nurture curiosity.
Now in its third year, The Week Junior Book Awards, created in partnership with The Bookseller, celebrate the best in children’s literature across 13 categories, including Best Cover, Best Graphic Novel, Best Picture Book and Best Audiobook. They aim to increasing awareness of the lifelong benefits of reading for pleasure and ultimately inspiring children to discover their next great read.
In total, 63 books – many, such as There’s a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak and Rebecca Cobb, already award winners – have been for consideration. The shortlist committee included The Bookseller’s children’s editor Caroline Carpenter, children’s book consultant Jake Hope, LoveReading4Kids‘ Managing Director Deborah Maclaren, and award-winning bookseller Sanchita Basu de Sarkar.
Author Sophie Dahl, Lexicographer Susie Dent, Author and Singer Geri Halliwell Horner, Conservationist and Wildlife TV Presenter Aneeshwar Kunchala, Presenter and Actor Rhys Stephenson, and CBeebies’ George Webster are among the judges who will select the winning titles.
The Week Junior readers can also vote for the winners of the Children’s Choice Award and Children’s Book Cover of the Year Awards categories.
This year’s winners will be announced at an award ceremony in central London on 29th September 2025.
Many of the books on the shortlist reflect how children’s literature plays an important part in tackling sometimes difficult topics in an approachable way, helping young people make sense of their world. Debut novel The Boy in the Suit by James Fox and The Wrong Shoes by Tom Pervical both explore the impact of child poverty, while First Questions and Answers: Why are there wars? by Mairi MacKinnon and Katie Daynes, and Martin Impey’s graphic novel Blitz – One Family’s War are accessible and informative aids for discussing conflict with children. Elle McNicoll’s Keedie tackles bullying, and The Letter with the Golden Stamp by Onjali Q. Rauf highlights the challenges of being a young carer.
“I can’t quite believe the reaction this book is getting,” says nominee Martin Impey, whose graphic novel Blitz has already won the English Association’s Best Picture Book Award 2025 in the Fiction – 7-11 category. “Thank you to everyone for being so kind and supporting this book, it means the world to me.”
“From anarchic animals, rowdy Romans, riddles and rollercoasters, to magic, money and monsters, the outstanding books on this year’s shortlists are guaranteed to ignite young imaginations and spark family conversations,” says Editorial Director of The Week Junior, Anna Bassi.
“At a time when the world can feel unstable and overwhelming, it’s incredibly reassuring to see children’s authors, illustrators and publishers rising to the ever more important challenge of informing, entertaining and boosting empathy through their work.
“I’m delighted to have the help of so many expert and enthusiastic judges – including The Week Junior’s readers – to help decide which of these exceptional books should triumph.”
• The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 winners will be announced at an award ceremony in central London on 29th September 2025
• The Week Junior is online at TheWeekJunior.co.uk
• Vote for Children’s Book Cover of the Year
• Vote for Children’s Choice Award
The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 Shortlist
All links below to are uk.bookshop.org Affiliate Links apart from the Audiobook category, which are AmazonUK Affiliates
Animals & Nature
• Beasts from the Deep by Matt Ralphs, Kaley McKean
• Lots of Things to Know About Seas and Oceans by Emily Bone
• There is a Season by Murphy’s Sketches
• Wildlife Crossings – Protecting Animal Pathways Around the World by Catherine Barr, Christiane Engel
• Wildlife in the Balance by Dr Sharon Wismer, Terri Po
Audiobook
• Grimwood: Party Animals! by Nadia Shireen
• Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo
• Myths of China by Xiaobing Wang, Katie Ponder
• Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britian Gets Rowdy! by Greg Jenner, Dr Emma Southon, Rikin Parekh
Breakthrough Book
• Peregrine Quinn and the Cosmic Realm by Ash Bond
• The Boy in the Suit by James Fox
• The Boy to Beat the Gods by Ashley Thorpe
• The Cheat Book Volume 1 by Ramzee
• Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow
Cover of the Year
Vote for Children’s Book Cover of the Year
• A Head Full of Magic by Sarah Morrell
• Guinness World Records 2025 (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
• The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys, Steve Sheinkin
• The Boy Who Fell From the Sky by Benjamin Dean
• The Shy Book by Howard Pearlstein, James Munro
Factual
• Deborah Meaden Talks Money by Deborah Meaden
• Explodapedia: Rewild by Ben Martynoga
• First Questions and Answers: Why are there wars? by Mairi MacKinnon and Katie Daynes
• Tasty Tales by Anna Lena Feunekes
• The History of Information by Chris Haughton
Fiction (Older)
• Shipwrecked by Jenny Pearson
• The Letter with the Golden Stamp by Onjali Q Rauf
• The Wrong Shoes by Tom Pervical
Fiction (Younger)
• Badgers are GO! by Susannah Lloyd, Nici Gregory
• Betty Steady and the Toad Witch by Nicky Smith-Dale
• Dungeon Runners: Hero Trial by Kieran Lawood, Joe Todd-Stanton
• Grimwood: Party Animals! by Nadia Shireen
• Watts & Whiskerton: Buried Bones and Troublesome Treasure by Meg McLaren
Graphic Novel
• Blitz – One Family’s War by Martin Impey
Blitz – One Family’s War, written and illustrated by Martin lmpey, tells the moving story of a family living in the East End of London during World War Two. It is told from the perspective and memories of a brother and sister who watched their ordinary world change around them. From the outbreak of war and waving their father off to fight the Nazis, to their relentless nightly runs to the air raid shelters and wondering if their home would still be there in the morning. The book celebrates the never say die spirit of the people from the many cities in those dark days, who kept calm and carried on.
• Blue, Barry & Pancakes: Beach Ball Bedlam by Dan Abdo, Jason Patterson
Meet the funniest trio in town! There’s Blue, the thoughtful bookworm, Barry, the brilliant inventor, and Pancakes, the happy-go-lucky adventurer. Despite their differences, they always have each other’s backs…
• Pablo and Splash by Sheena Dempsey
Antarctic penguins Pablo and Splash are polar opposites and besties for life. Pablo is a home-bird and a careful planner. Splash is easily bored and hungry for adventure. Sick to her flippers of the harsh, freezing weather, Splash persuades Pablo to go on a holiday with her. But far from the luxury beach destination that Splash has in mind, the pair end up in a time-travel machine that takes them back to the age of the dinosaurs! Suddenly their icy homeland doesn’t seem so dull …
Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner. Best friends Chiri and Dai stumble into a forgotten realm, tormented by the evil Shadow King who yearns to spread terror and unleash wild magic on everyone. But will these best friends, with the help of the druids, warriors, and magical goats they encounter be able to find their way home? And more importantly, can they evade the darkness that was awoken on their arrival and seal the pathway between worlds before it is too late?
The first few years of Brian’s life were unremarkable – nothing weird about this kid, no sir. Then he found a bump on his head.
And it grew … And grew … And grew… Into a full-blown, sparkling, singing unicorn horn!
It was the last thing a shy kid like Brian could ever want – but destiny waits for no Unicorn Boy. And when shadowy creatures from another realm kidnap his best friend Avery, Brian must accept his fate as a hero and go on a perilous journey to try and save the day!
Can Unicorn Boy save his best friend from the underworld?!
Hobbies and Interests
• 100 Things to Know About Sport (various authors)
• Chefs Wanted! by Allegra McEvedy
• The Life-Changing Magic of Skateboarding by Sky Brown
• The Ultimate Kids’ Guide to Dogs by Graeme Hall
• This Book Will Make You an Artist by Ruth Millington
Picture Book
• Blue Monster by Petr Horacek
• Godfrey is a Frog by Alex Latimer
• Grandpa Kuma by Michelle Maiden
• Serena and the Little Blue Dog by Rosemary Clunie
• The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please
• There’s a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak, Rebecca Cobb
Poetry
• And I Hear Dragons by Hanan Issa, Eric Heyman
• Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher, Dermot Flynn
• Out of this World by Michael Rosen, Ed Vere
• Tomorrow We Begin by Matt Goodfellow
• We Are Family – Six Kids and a Super-Dad – A Poetry Adventure by Oliver Sykes
STEM Book
• Big Bad Wolf Investigates: Fairy Tales by Catherine Cawthorne
• Science is Lit: Crazy Chemistry and Epic Experiments by Big Manny
• Scientists in the Wild: Antarctica by Helen Scales and K. Hendry
• The World’s First Rollercoaster by Mike Barfield
Wellbeing
• Happy Days: 365 Facts to Brighten Every Day of the Year by Emily Coxhead
• Little Dinosaurs, Big Feelings by Swapna Haddow
• The Get Well Spell by Hannah Peckham
• The Week Junior Book Awards 2025 winners will be announced at an award ceremony in central London on 29th September 2025
• Vote for Children’s Choice Award
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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