RAY
Written and illustrated
by Alex Latimer
Published by Oxford University Press
ISBN 9780192783868

THE KING’S PANTS
Written and illustrated
by Nicholas Allan
Published by Andersen Press
ISBN 9781839133626

PICK OF THE YEARFOR YOUNGER
READERSFINDING MY VOICE
Written and illustrated
by Aoife Dooley
Published by Scholastic
ISBN 9780702307386

MR WOLF’S CLASSWritten and illustrated
by Aron Nels Steinke
Published by Scholastic
ISBN 9781338047684

PICK OF THE YEARFOR OLDER
READERSFOOD FIGHT
Written and illustrated
by Alex Latimer
Published by Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780192780362

Lots of opportunities to guess what
happens next in this charming,
cleverly illustrated tale of a mouse,
who has to find his way home in thedark. Joined by other animals and led
by Ray the encouraging firefly, will
they overcome surprises and get
there safely?

Disaster strikes when there is a mix
up and the King’s pants go missing.
New pants are created for every royaloccasion and now there are too many
to choose from. Luckily, Cedric, who isin charge of the pants, has a solution.

A TRICKY KIND OF MAGIC
Written and illustrated
by Nigel Baines
Published by Hodder Children’s Books
ISBN 9781444960266

A graphic novel featuring Frankie,
who is starting secondary school andmeeting the challenge of making new
friends, avoiding the bully and trying
to hide her autism. Joining a rockband and entering “Battle of The
Bands” helps her find her voice andcelebrate who she is.

It’s Mr Wolf’s first day teaching in thisfunny graphic novel about the everyday
experiences of a new primary class.
He wants everything to go well, but
he’s got his hands full with his pupils
who all have their own challenges.

DREADWOOD: FLOCK HORROR
Written by Jennifer Killick
Published by Farshore
ISBN 9780008538545

This very clever book follows theefforts of best friends grape andmushroom to stop the war between
the fruit and vegetables. They scale
the heights of the top shelf of thefridge and with the help of The Wise
Old Cheese finally achieve “Peas on
Earth”.
FRANK AND BERT: THE ONE WHERE
BERT LEARNS TO RIDE A BIKE
Written and illustrated
by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Published by Nosy CrowISBN 9781839948503
Frank tries to help his friend, Bert,
who is struggling to ride a bike. In theend, it takes an emergency for Bert tosucceed. A great story of friends who
help each other, with lots of amusing
details to spot in the illustrations.
GEOFFREY GETS THE JITTERS
Written and illustrated
by Nadia Shireen
Published by Puffin
ISBN 9780241623688
Everyone gets the jitters sometimes
but Geoffrey decides to face themhead on when they begin to talk tohim. A story full of humour as hebattles his feelings and finds ways ofcoping with them. Will he get themunder control?

SNUG AS A BUG?
Written by Karl Newson andillustrated by Alex Willmore
Published by Happy Yak
ISBN 9780711274846
An action-packed tale with arepetitive rhyme to encourage
everyone to join in. Poor old bug ischased by animals in the forest who
want to eat him up. Can he manage
to escape and stay as snug as a bugin a rug?
SPYCERATOPS
Written and illustrated
by Alex Willmore
Published by Farshore
ISBN 9780008505479
Spyceratops has all the gadgets
needed to help her solve the mysterysurrounding her grandad but will she
succeed? Lots of fun and games
along the way for this brave secretagent.
THE BEAR WHO HAD NOTHINGTO WEAR
Written by Jeanne Willis andillustrated by Brian Fitzgerald
Published by Scallywag
ISBN 9781915252036

OH ARMADILLO! THIS PARTY’S
ALL WRONG!
Written by Ellie Irving andillustrated by Robert Starling
Published by Happy Yak
ISBN 9780711276949

Is Albie a him or a her? Most bears
let their owners decide, but Albie
does not. Humour, rhyme and rhythm
and expressive illustrations are used
to convey the idea that we can all be
who we want to be.

A humorous story about an armadillo
trying to impress with his party
planning skills. Children will love
the alternative games and party
food including a sponge cake madeof sponges. You don’t have to beconventional to throw a good party.

THE BOWER BIRD
Written by Julia Donaldson andillustrated by Catherine Rayner
Published by Macmillan Children’s
Books
ISBN 9781529092240
A beautifully illustrated rhyming tale
about Bert the Bower Bird and his
efforts to attract a mate. After many
trials, tribulations and betrayals ourhero finally succeeds in attracting thegirl of his dreams with the help of asimple flower.

VICTOR THE WOLF WITH WORRIES
Written and illustrated
by Catherine Rayner
Published by Macmillan Children’s
Books
ISBN 9781529051285
A wolf should be brave, big andfierce but Victor is none of these.
He tries pretending but this just makes
him worry even more. Victor learns
from his friend Pablo that sharing
his worries and doing something
to take his mind off them can makeeverything seem better.
WALTER THE WONDER SNAIL
Written and illustrated by Neil Clark
Published by Happy Yak
ISBN 9780711276819
Walter is bored with eating leaves andgoes off to explore the wider world.
With the help of some new friends, hetravels far and finds he has the power
to do whatever he puts his mind to.
WHEN COOKIE CRUMBLED
Written by Michelle Robinson andillustrated by Tom KnightPublished by Scholastic
ISBN 9780702324857
In this lively, rhyming story, Michael
the cookie likes to wear sprinkles andsweets to stand out from the rest of
the batch. He is rejected for being
different and begins to crumble indespair. Can he survive but remaintrue to himself?
WHO LIVES HERE?
Written by Julia Donaldson andillustrated by Rebecca Cobb
Published by Macmillan Children’s
Books
ISBN 9781509893966
When he’s invited round to play, a little
boy finds himself in a street of unusual
homes inhabited by a variety ofimaginative characters. Will he find his
friend’s house? A winning combinationof rhyming text and lively illustrations,
including lots of flaps.

An engaging graphic novel following
Cooper’s journey to find his deadfather in a land where magic goes
wrong. Guided by a talking rabbit anda clever assistant, Cooper comes toterms with his loss and learns a lot
about himself too.
ARKSPIRE
Written and illustrated by Jamie Littler
Published by Puffin
ISBN 9780241586143
Street-wise Juniper Bell lives in
Arkspire, a city obsessed by magicand protected by a group of powerful
magicians who are hiding a dark
secret. When a mysterious creaturebonds with Juni, she finds herself
embarking on a dangerous quest.
BOB VS THE SELFIE ZOMBIES
Written by Andy Jones andillustrated by Robin Boyden
Published by Piccadilly Press
ISBN 9781800783485
Bob time travels and meets his future
self trying to survive in a world wherean evil genius has created a camerathat turns people into zombies. In
this laugh out loud story, can Bob
work out how to change the present
to fix the future?
FINDING BEAR
Written by Hannah Gold and illustrated
by Levi Pinfold
Published by HarperCollins Children’s
Books
ISBN 9780008582012
In this sequel to The Last Bear, April
returns to the Arctic when she hears
a polar bear has been shot andinjured. In this blend of adventure,environmental themes and emotional
warmth, April is reunited with Bearand battles to save him and his cub.

GREENWILD: THE WORLD BEHIND
THE DOOR
Written by Pari Thompson andillustrated by Elisa Paganelli
Published by Macmillan Children’s
Books
ISBN 9781035015733
When her mum goes missing, Daisy
runs away from school to find her. In
Kew Gardens, Daisy finds a secretdoor into Greenwild, a land of green
magic, which she is sure holds the
key to her mum’s disappearance. Can
she solve the mystery and save bothworlds from destruction?
LEEVA AT LAST
Written by Sara Pennypacker andillustrated by Matthew Cordell
Published by HarperCollins Children’s
Books
ISBN 9780008606190
Leeva does everything for her
parents while they are only interested
in fame and money. She is desperate
to know “what are people really for?”
When she takes a risk she discovers
some surprising things and who
her real friends are. Hilarious andheartwarming.
MONSTER HUNTING:MONSTERS BITE BACK
Written by Ian Mark andillustrated by Louis Ghibault
Published by Farshore
ISBN 978-0755501977
In the second of this series,
monster hunters Jack, Nancy andStoop head to Scotland after reportsof mysterious monsters causing
chaos in an ancient abbey. Obstaclesin their path include some very odd
loch monsters, a rival monster
hunting agency and an ancient curse.

OH MAYA GODS!
Written by Maz Evans
Published by Chicken House
ISBN 9781913696870
Vesper, who lives for football, iscatapulted with her friend Aster intoa pacey Maya (not Mayan, we learn)quest packed with action wherebullies come off much, much worse.
Entertaining, fast-moving and fun.
THE DETENTION DETECTIVES
Written by Lis Jardine andillustrated by Glenn Thomas
Published by Puffin
ISBN 9780241523384
When new boy Jonno and classmate
Daniel discover a body they areconvinced the wrong person is accusedof the murder and start investigating
together with budding journalist Lydia.
Featuring an entertaining cast of
characters, the plot is full of intriguing
twists and turns.
THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER
Written by Caryl Lewis andillustrated by George Ermos
Published by Macmillan Children’s
Books
ISBN 9781529078169
After one disastrous magic show too
many, Abby’s dad decides it’s time togive up. Then Abby finds an old bookof spells among her mum’s thingsand she and her dad plan some new
performances. An uplifting story
about the magic of being part of acommunity.
THERE’S A BEAST IN THE BASEMENT
Written by Pamela Butchart andillustrated by Thomas Flintham
Published by Nosy CrowISBN 9781839940514
When Izzy and her school friends
overhear their head teacher talking
about “missing treasure” they go insearch of it and discover something
big, shiny and very dangerous in thebasement. Mayhem ensues in thislatest adventure in the Baby Aliens
series.

Mounting dread and escalating fear
engulf five Y7 school mates (akaClub Loser) as they find themselves
targeted for the third time by themonstrous Latchitts and their latest
deadly creation - giant vampire birds!
Scary, hilarious comedy-horror.
IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES
Written by Katherine Rundell
Published by Bloomsbury
ISBN 9781408897416
Christopher discovers theArchipelago, magical islands where
mythical creatures still live. There hemeets Mal, a girl from the islands.
Together they embark on an urgent
quest to save both the islands andthe world beyond them from arising evil before it’s too late.
LET’S PLAY MURDER
Written by Kesia Lupo
Published by Bloomsbury
ISBN 9781526635464
Veronica wakes up trapped withfour strangers in a manor housein a snow storm with a dead body.
Although it feels real it isn’t. This is
Virtual Reality and this is The Game.
And there’s no escaping until theGame is won.
SPELLSTONE
Written by Ross Montgomery
Published by Walker Books
ISBN 9781529501933
When Evie is recruited into The Orderof the Stone, she is told she must
keep the Spellstone safe from Vale,an evil wizard who is hunting for it tounleash its powers. Can Evie and theOrder of the Stone defeat Vale?

STATELESS
Written by Elizabeth Wein
Published by Bloomsbury
ISBN 9781526601681

AND FOR MORE
MATURE READERS

Stella is the only girl in Europe’s firstever youth air race in 1937, but when
she witnesses the death of a fellow
pilot, she begins to investigate adangerous murder mystery. Full of
twists, turns and surprises.

BOY LIKE ME
Written by Simon James Green
Published by Scholastic
ISBN 9780702313653

THE RESCUE OF RAVENWOOD
Written by Natasha Farrant
Published by Faber & Faber
ISBN 9780571348787
Ravenwood is a magical place sowhen its future is threatened Bea
and Raffy must fight for the homethey love. The narrative is told frommultiple perspectives, exploring thethemes of belonging, and the needfor a safe home.
THE STORIES GRANDMA FORGOT(AND HOW I FOUND THEM)
Written by Nadine Aisha Jassat
Published by OrionISBN 9781510111578
Nyla believes her grandmother,
who says she has seen Nyla’s father;but she has been told that he diedin an accident. Has grandma been‘time-travelling’ again? Written inverse this is a page-turner on thethemes of memory and family
history.
UNTIL THE ROAD ENDS
Written by Phil Earle
Published by Andersen Press
ISBN 9781839133169
A moving story set in World War II;
the third by this author on the themeof animals in wartime. Beau the dog,
Bomber the pigeon and Mabel the cat
seek their human friend Peggy after
tragedy strikes in London.

A love story against the background of
a school library, with a very empathetic
school librarian. Set in the 1990s, when
promoting same sex relationships is
prohibited. Will Jamie and Rob find true
love amongst the bookshelves despite
the obstacles?

WINNERS

20
24

Owned and Coordinated by theFederation of Children’s Book Groups
Registered Charity No. 268289

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER
Written by Kathryn Foxfield
Published by Scholastic
ISBN 9780702312847
Nine online gamers find themselves
playing the deadly game of Sole
Survivor for real in a new high-techescape room complex. How many
will survive? Expect strong language,
violence and death from this dark,
fast-paced thriller.
HAPPY HEAD
Written by Josh Silver
Published by Rock the Boat
ISBN 9780861545537
At a retreat designed to solve teenage
unhappiness, Seb is drawn to theenigmatic Finn, and starts to question
the true nature of the challenges
they must undergo. The deeper into
the programme they get, the moredisturbing the assessments become,until it’s clear there may be no escape.
NEVER TRUST A GEMINI
Written by Freja Nicole Woolf
Published by Walker
ISBN 9781529509991
Fourteen-year-old Cat has a crush
on Alison, who is a perfect zodiac
match but isn’t interested. Then
she meets Morgan, who’s a Gemini,
which is definitely not a good match.
An energetic romp full of comedic
misunderstandings and sparkling
language.

NER
N
I
W
L
L
A
OVER

THE AGENCY FOR SCANDAL
Written by Laura Wood
Published by Scholastic
ISBN 9780702303241
In this high-spirited romp set at theend of the 19th Century we meet theindependent minded female membersof The Aviary, a secretive detective
agency. Themes of murder, betrayal
and romance are explored in thisentertaining page turner.

The Federation ofChildren’s Book Groups
Registered Charity No. 268289

PICK OF THE YEARPICK OF THE YEARFOR YOUNGER
CHILDREN• BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN• BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS• BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS
Visit the award page on the Federation ofChildren’s Book Group https://fcbg.org.
uk/cba-home/ to read more about the
Pick of the Year and the award in general.
You will also find more information andactivities for each book, and posters
and bookmarks to download.
All the books in the Pick of the Year were
read, tested and voted for by children

The Children’s Book Award is owned andcoordinated by the Federation of Children’sBook Groups, a voluntary organisationthat coordinates national activity for local
children’s book groups around the UK.
Visit www.fcbg.org.uk to learn more about
the charity and how you can get involved.
Volunteers run the Award working withlocal schools, libraries, families andchildren’s organisations and children fromnine Testing Groups place their votes
throughout the year, resulting in the Top
Ten shortlist and the Pick of the Year.
The reviews for the Pick of the Year
titles were written by members of
the Federation of Children’s Book
Groups and are listed in alphabeticalorder of title in each age range.

You can follow the Award on X (Twitter) @FCBGNews using #FCBGCBA24,
and through the FCBG Facebook and Instagram pages

Written and illustrated by Rob Biddulph
Published by HarperCollins ISBN 9780008413439
This is the beautifully illustrated rhyming tale of Gigantic,
the smallest blue whale in his pod. When his big brother,
Titus, teases him about his size, Gigantic makes friends
with Myrtle the turtle and together they play together.
Titus is determined to show that anything Gigantic cando, he can do better, ignoring advice that the water is
too shallow for such a big whale. When disaster strikes
it is up to Gigantic and his little friends to save the day.

THE BIG DREAMING

Written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Daniel Egneus
Published by Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408883297
A heartwarming story about a bear and its cub getting readyfor their long, winter sleep. Little Bear is worried that hemight run out of dreams so he sets off on a sumptuously
illustrated adventure to ask the other forest animals if they
have any to spare. Each answer delights and encourages him
to return home and find Big Bear as the snow begins to fall.
Will their dreams sustain them through to the spring? Join inwith the lovely rhyming chorus.

THE FASTEST TORTOISE IN TOWN

Written by Howard Calvert and illustrated by Karen Obuhanych
Published by Walker Books ISBN 9781529514278
A modern take on the traditional tale of The Hare and the
Tortoise. Colourful illustrations tell the charming story of
Lorraine and her leopard tortoise Barbara Hendricks as theytrain to join in the race with the other animals. Their journey
introduces humorous characters who don’t instill Barbara
with a lot of confidence as a runner. Will Lorraine be able
to encourage her to overcome her fears and win? A tenderstory to help engender self belief and resilience.

THE PRINCESS AND THE (GREEDY) PEA
Written and illustrated by Leigh Hodgkinson
Published by Walker Books ISBN 9781529503005

A gorgeously illustrated mixed up story combining twoclassics: ‘I know an old lady who swallowed a fly’ and ‘The
Princess and the Pea. There is something absurd about apea swallowing a sprout. A great read aloud story with afunny rhyming sequence and improbable list of items eaten
by our pea (ever come across a pea swallowing a table?) The
detail in the illustrations is stunning. Turn the book round to
see the Princess in the bed sequence.

WINNER OF CATEGORYAND OVERALL WINNERPRESS START! GAME ON,
SUPER RABBIT BOY!

Written and illustrated by Thomas Flintham
Published by Nosy CrowISBN 9781839949180
Sunny’s favourite game is Super Rabbit Boy, set in Animal
Town where everyone just likes to have fun. But King Viking
hates fun and decides to kidnap Singing Dog so that there
will be no more songs to dance to. Only Super Rabbit Boy
can save the day. Join him as he tries to battle through six
levels of the game to find Singing Dog and bring him backhome. An exciting younger graphic adventure story with adifference. Ideal for lovers of video games!

ADVENTURE MICE: OTTER CHAOS

Written by Philip Reeve and illustrated by Sarah McIntyre
Published by David Fickling Books
ISBN 9781788452670
Pedro, a young mouse, sets off to find adventure in“The Mouse Islands”. He is soon being rescued fromdrowning by Fledermaus and becomes the latest recruitof The Adventure Mice. After many escapades and a close
encounter with a hungry otter, Pedro becomes a fully
qualified Adventure Mouse. Full of Reeve and McIntyre
magic, colour illustrations, maps and even a drawing
lesson, this is a wonderful introduction to independent
reading, which should lead to many more literary
adventures.

MARV AND THE KILLER PLANTS

Written by Alex Falase-Koya and illustrated by Paula Bowles
Published by OUP
ISBN 9780192780508
When Marvin’s school holds a competition to design a newgarden he is determined to win, but his friend Eva comesup with the same design and wins. Marvin’s alter ego, Marv,
soon has to use his superpowers against super-villain
Violet Vine when she uses special potions to make theplants grow out of control and take over the school.
Perfect for children who are just moving on to chapter
books. A funny, fast paced adventure with importantmessages about friendship, jealousy and forgiveness.

SHORTLISTED BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS

A further 30,000 votes were castby children all over the country to
pick their favourite books from theshortlist to pick out the winners in:

If you, your school or your family would
like to take part in the only national award
where only the children’s vote counts
and only their vote matters, contact
childrensbookaward@fcbg.org.uk.
Be part of an award that is recognisedfor picking the stars of the future.

GIGANTIC

SHORTLISTED BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS

During the 2023 voting period over
47,000 votes were cast for the books
submitted by publishers in the process
to create the Top 50 Pick of theYear, all by young members of nine
Testing Groups from the FCBG.

and are their favourite books from all
those published in 2023. From picture
books to books for sharing, from books
for early readers to the more confident,
and for longer novels for teenagers
and young adults, the Pick of the Year
gives ideas for libraries, for gifts and forsharing with your own children. You willfind some great suggestions for new
authors as well as firm favourites!

SHORTLISTED BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDRENTHE CHILDREN’S CHOICE

The Children’s Book Award is the
only national book prize givenin the UK that is decided by thereaders from start to finish – thechildren themselves. The award
is given annually to the mostpopular work of children’s fiction,
almost 700 books have beenread and voted for by young
readers and young adults.

CATEGORY WINNER

CATEGORY WINNER
THE FINAL YEAR

Written by Matt Goodfellow andillustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton
Published by Otter-Barry Books
ISBN 9781915659040
A moving verse novel about Nate, who is navigating
family and friendship issues in a tough final year of
primary school. Highly accessible, lyrical and life
affirming, the reader shares Nate’s innermost thoughts
and can really connect with the pain, anger and love that
he feels. In a beautiful demonstration of the power ofreading, Nate’s teacher introduces him to David Almond’s
Skellig, where the similar themes of grief and families incrisis help him process what he is going through.

CODE NAME KINGFISHER
Written by Liz Kessler
Published by Simon & Schuster
ISBN 9781398512498

A beautifully told exploration of change and loss
which shuttles between the present day and the riseof Nazi power in wartime Holland. In the present, Liv,
struggling with friendships, finds a connection with her
grandmother. This is interwoven with the dramatic storyof a Jewish family under Nazi occupation and the workof the Dutch resistance. The book doesn’t shy awayfrom the realities of war but multiple narrators and shortchapters make it an accessible read for ages 11 and up.

DEADLOCK

Written by Simon Fox
Published by Nosy CrowISBN 9781839944420
Picking locks and breaking into safes just seems likeharmless fun when Archie’s policeman dad shows him
how, but then a diamond necklace goes missing and his
dad is arrested. Archie decides that he can use his talent
to prove his dad’s innocence. Soon he’s embroiled in acriminal underworld and a web of deceit with no idea of
who he can trust. This hard-hitting thriller will keep youon the edge of your seat as Archie looks for a way to clear
his dad.