The Blue Peter Book Awards, now in their 19th year, aim to guide children towards quality literature, encouraging them to read and establish a love of reading for life. Here is the shortlist for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019 and the winners will be announced on a special World Book Day edition of the show on Thursday 7 March.
Blue Peter Best Story Shortlist
Last year the award went to The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell. The awards were given on a special World Book Day edition of the show, when Judith Kerr was presented with a gold Blue Peter badge for her contribution to children’s literature.
Last year the winner of the Best Book with Facts was Real-Life Mysteries by Susan Martineau and illustrator Vicky Barker.
The Blue Peter Book Awards 2019
The Shortlisted Titles are
For Best Story....
The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Raúf
And for Best Book with Facts....
Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey by Dr. Dominic Walliman
The Colours of History by Clive Gifford
The Element in the Room by Mike Barfield
The six shortlisted titles were chosen by the judges, which this year were:
Ewan Vinnicombe - Editor, Blue Peter (non-voting chair)
Darren Chetty - Teacher, writer and researcher
Louise Pentland - Author, parenting, lifestyle and beauty blogger and vlogger
Alex T Smith - Author-illustrator
Discussing the new judging panel, Blue Peter editor, Ewan Vinnicombe said: “In Blue Peter’s 60th year the Book Awards will play a key role in our celebrations. I’m so pleased to have such a stellar line up of judges for this year. It’s going to be an exciting judging day with Louise, Alex and Darren who are all experts in their field. I can’t wait to find out what they decide to shortlist.”
The books will be judged by more than 400 young Blue Peter viewers drawn from 12 schools across the UK, who decide the winners of the Blue Peter Book of the Year 2019 in each of the two categories: Best Story and Best Book with Facts.
To be eligible authors and illustrators must either be British nationals or residents at the time of entering. Books must be first published in the UK between 1 November 2017 and 31 October 2016.
The winning books will be announced on World Book Day on Blue Peter on Thursday 7 March 2018, with the winning authors and illustrators also appearing on the special awards episode of the show.
You can keep up to date with the Awards @Booktrust and at www.booktrust.org.uk/blue-peter-book-awards
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