The shortlist for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2025 has been announced. Set up to celebrate the best new and emerging talent in children’s publishing, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize has helped launch the careers of classroom favourites such as Dapo Adeola, Rob Biddulph, Hannah Gold, Elle McNicoll and Katherine Rundell.

There are three prize categories – Illustrated Books, Younger Readers and Older Readers. Each category features four shortlisted titles, chosen by Waterstones booksellers across the country.

Commenting on this year’s shortlist, Bea Carvalho, Waterstones Head of Books, said: ‘We are so excited to announce the shortlist for the 2025 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Sharing a love of books with young readers is the most important thing we do as booksellers, and we have been proud to celebrate the very best emerging talent in children’s publishing for over 20 years with this special prize. Every year our booksellers are blown away by the ingenuity of children’s writers and illustrators, and this year was no different…

Booksellers have prioritised reading for pleasure with this shortlist and we can’t wait to share all twelve books with readers young and old, far and wide.’

Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators!

Illustrated Books

Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf by Craig Barr-Green, illustrated by Francis Martin (Little Tiger)

Mountain and Cloud  by Jana Curll (Ladybird)

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang (Pushkin Children’s Books )

The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please (Harper Collins Children’s Books)

 

Younger Readers

Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces by Carlos Sánchez (Flying Eye Books)

The Boy in the Suit by James Fox (Scholastic)

Secrets of the Snakestone by Piu DasGupta (Nosy Crow)

Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow (Puffin)

 

Older Readers

Lover Birds by Leanne Egan (Harper Fire)

King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore (Hot Key Books)

Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald (Faber & Faber)

For She is Wrath by Emily Varga (First Ink)

The winner of each category will be announced on 27th March 2025. From these three category winners, one book will go on to be crowned the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year. Look out for our winner announcement.