The Awesome Book Awards ran from 2017 to 2023. Organised by Cranleigh Schools, it was an annual prize that showcased the best new fiction authors for young readers aged between 7 and 10. To be eligible for the prize, titled were required to be a UK-based author’s debut novel, suitable for able readers in the listed age group, appealing to both boys and girls, and available in paperback. Thousands of pupils from schools across the South East read the whole shortlist of five books and then voted for their favourite overall.
A survey of participants following the 2023 awards revealed that teachers and librarians were struggling to encourage enough children to read all five books on the shortlist. Cranleigh Schools are currently taking a break from running the awards and considering options for different formats. More information will be posted in due course. Meanwhile, to read about previous Awesome Book Awards, please click here.
Winner Announcement! The Awesome Book Awards 2023
Awesome Book Awards 2023 Shortlist
Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths
Edie and the Box of Flits
Maggie Blue and the Dark World
Skywake Invasion
The Astonishing World of Alex Nobody
Awesome Book Awards 2022 Shortlist
Elsetime
Rumaysa
The Beast and the Bethany
The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh
The Valley of Lost Secrets
Awesome Book Awards 2021 Shortlist
Malamander
The Garden of Lost Secrets
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
The Strangeworlds Travel Agency
The Switching Hour
Awesome Book Awards 2020 Shortlist
A Darkness of Dragons
Boy Underwater
The Boy at the Back of the Class
The House with Chicken Legs
The Train to Impossible Places
Awesome Book Awards 2019 Shortlist
Being Miss Nobody
Brightstorm
Running on the Roof of the World
The Ice Garden
The Starman and Me
Awesome Book Awards 2018 Shortlist
Cogheart
Erica’s Elephant
Radio Boy
The Goldfish Boy
The Secret of Nightingale Wood
Awesome Book Awards 2017 Shortlist
Time Travelling with a Hamster
The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow
Beetle Boy
Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot
The Imagination Box
