SHORTLIST FOR THE 2021 BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS REVEALED

• PDF
• Printer-friendly version
• Send to friend

The six books shortlisted for the 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards have been announced.

The Blue Peter Book Awards are judged by school children across the country and this year over 200 schools applied to be a part of the judging process. The winning titles, voted for by children from 12 schools across the UK, will be revealed live on Blue Peter on World Book Day, Thursday 4th March 2021, with the winning authors and illustrators appearing on the special awards episode of the show.

There are two categories and the shortlists are as follows:

Best Story

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

Anisha, Accidental Detective: School’s Cancelled by Serena Patel, illustrated by Emma McCann

Life of Riley: Beginner's Luck by Simon James Green, illustrated by Alexei Bitskoff

Best Book with Facts

A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You by Mike Barfield, illustrated by Jess Bradley

Inventors by Professor Robert Winston, illustrated by Jessamy Hake

The Humans by Jonny Marx, illustrated by Charlie Davis

Diana Gerald, CEO, BookTrust who run the awards, said, ‘BookTrust is delighted to be involved in the Blue Peter Book Awards and what a fantastic shortlist we have this year. These books are helping children to be inspired, creative and encourage different ways of thinking and discovering stories and we can’t wait to find out who will be crowned the winners of Best Story and Best Book with Facts.’

Blue Peter Editor Ellen Evans said, ‘It’s so exciting to read these books shortlisted for the 2021 Blue Peter Book Awards. Blue Peter inspires the next generation of climate champions, scientists, artists, chefs, explorers, athletes and performers and so much more. It is fitting that this year’s fiction titles are all, in different ways, about kids finding their voice, while our books with facts encourage kids to find out about the world and fulfil their potential, just like Blue Peter has for more than 60 years. On Blue Peter it’s kids' opinions and ideas that matter most to us, so now it's over to our young judges in schools to decide on the two winning titles. I am looking forward to March 2021 and discovering who they think are the deserving winners.’

Keep up-to-date with the Awards and for fun-filled content about the judging and the shortlisted books head to the Blue Peter website.