
Finalists 2019
Below is a list of the 2019 FINALISTS in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. The children's books were read and judged by children in 8 UK primary and secondary schools, the adult books by 2 Reading Groups, 1 in London and 1 in Stockholm. The books were marked according to EDITING, THEME, STYLE, COVER and, in the case of many of the children's books, ILLUSTRATIONS.
The WINNERS will be announced on April 1st, 2020.
Jump straight to:
- Category 1: Pre-school picture books
- Category 2: Books for 6 - 8 year olds
- Category 3: Books for 9 - 12 year olds
- Category 4: Books for Teenagers
- Category 5: Books for adults (fiction)
- Category 6: Books for Adults (non-fiction)
- Red Ribbon Bands
If you happen to be looking for a good read, the readers at The Wishing Shelf Awards thoroughly recommend the following:

Counting on Ha Ha Island
Author: Noni - Sandra Jackson Ford
Illustrator: Lori Lay and Freddy Miller Santana

Wildlife on Ha Ha Island
Author: Noni - Sandra Jackson Ford
Illustrator: Lori Lay and Freddy Miller Santana

Dash and Victoria Find True Love: Pet and Historical Figures Book 2
Author: Vicki Tashman
Illustrator: Wendy All

Undertakers, Harlots, and Other Odd Bodies: A Novel Inspired by Real Events and Smothered in Blarney
Author: Mege Gardner

Abundant Kids Rock! Creating An Awesome Life Using Positive Thinking
Author: Traci L Clayton PhD, Nathan Clayton, Justin Clayton

Feasible Living - Dealing with Ecological Anxiety While Adapting to Our Changing World
Author: Ken Kroes

Inconvenient Memories: A Personal Account of the Tiananmen Square Incident and the China Before and After
Author: Anna Wang

ParentShift: Ten Universal Truths That Will Change the Way You Raise Your Kids
Author: Wendy Thomas Russell
A Red Ribbon is awarded to a book that did NOT get over 30/40 to be a finalist, but was still very much enjoyed by the readers.

Red Ribbon
Social Media For A New Age: A Digital Self-Care Guide: Book 2: The next phase: 2020 and beyond
Author: Katie Brockhurst
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Nemesis Rising
"Survival comes with a cost
for Sam …his humanity."
Amazon
What Is the Shape of My Egg?
Introducing children to shape.
"An excellent STEM resource!"
Amazon
Church of the Assassin
A brutal purge. A reason
to live. A reason to kill.
Amazon
RIVER WITCH
A haunting, emotional tale
of magic and purpose.
Amazon
Winkle and Aster
Urban fantasy that takes
imagination to its limits
books2read
Bentley Makes a Dump Cake
A delightful, messy adventure
with joy, teamwork, & color
Miki Taylor
Beyond the Brink
Teleportation is just the
beginning...
Amazon
RAIN FALLING ON EMBERS
A grieving, fish out of water
teen struggles to survive.
KatieMcCabeSeries.com
Look 'N Up Invasion
Celebrate diversity by
imagining a world without it.
looknup.us
BUILDING THE BEAST
Building a home-on-wheels
with zero blueprint.
Amazon
Dinosaur Symphony
A Guide to Dinosaurs
and Classical Music
Amazon
Escape From Peconic Bay
A novel of love, impending
war, and espionage.
books2read
Harvey's Hutch
A man, nearly seventy,
looks back on his life.
Amazon
TWO LEFT WINGS - Safety Averse
4 kids - heart-warming / funny
friendship and self-growth
Amazon
The Book of Wisdom-ish
Adventure begins with
a book. And an A.
Amazon
THE MERMELF
Mystery girl. Mermelves arrive
Dystopian rebellion begins
Amazon
I’m Going to Have a Sister
For new siblings teaching
patience & understanding
thegreatbritishbookshop
Adventures of Wizard Aquarius
A clever young wizard searches
for his missing grandfather
Amazon
A Voice from Heaven
Astounding secrets of life,
death, love and spirituality
wingsofpeacepress.com
Ships in the Desert
Timely, illuminating, and wise
—Julian Hoffman
Amazon
Of the Noble and Great Ones
Real fiction about an autistic
teen who figures out life
Amazon
Ruby the Emotional Stingray
Handling emotions for kids.
BEDTIME STORY
Amazon
THE DARK PLACES NOVELS
Paranormal thrillers to
get your pulse racing
kimgravell.com
The Crooked Ladder
It's time to climb...
or die
Amazon
The Mystery of the Lost Avenge
Multilevel story/ghost/romance
forensics/WWII/espionage
Linda Maria Frank
THE PORTAL KEEPER
Enter a world of Fantastic
Creatures and Magic!
books2read
Me Here Without You Now
A love story AFTER
the love story
Amazon/Apple
Arni's Adventures
Pet dinosaur, bear, cat story
for the young reader.
Ashok
Master of Music - Marla Himeda
Book 1 of a unique,
inspirational fantasy series!
Amazon
Beyond a World Apart
Story Nazis attempted to burn
based on historical events
Amazon
Monty and the Monster
Heartwarming adventure
of an unlikely friendship
Amazon
The Halloween Candy MONSTER
Jimmy teaches the Halloween
candy monster a lesson
Amazon
Aunty Jane Knits Up A Storm
Loss & healing through friend-
ship knitting and community.
Amazon
Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost!
A rabbit and a turtle get
lost in a hay maze!
Amazon
The Open Book
A family memoir of adventure,
trauma, & resilience
Amazon
Day & Night
A behind the scenes tour
and evening immersion!
Amazon
CREATIVE NONFICTION CONTEST
$1000 prize & publication.
Open internationally.
VINE LEAVES PRESS
Children Who Dance in the Rain
A children's book about
gratitude and self-discovery.
Amazon
A SQUEAKY TOY, A LEASH, AND
A PRAYER Mom's Choice Awards
GOLD - for dog loving families
Amazon
Fenix and the Firework Fliers
Can Fenix save the Fireworks
when a firefly gets sick?
creativemovementstories.com
Children of the Knight
When the children rise,
will the city fall?
Amazon
Exclusion Zone
The VORKOSIGAN SAGA
meets DIE HARD.
Amazon
Jemma and the Raven
A luminous adventure in
this epic YA fantasy debut
Amazon
The Last Spiritwalker
Blood, magic, myths &
a badass female lead
Amazon
Soar: A Soul's Quest
A young eagle on a quest of
self-discovery & enlightenment
Amazon
A Mixing Colour Adventure
Colour mixing, teamwork &
perseverance for 3 - 7 yr olds
Amazon
Sprout's Surprise!
A humorous story with
a gentle ecofriendly message
Amazon
NEW TRAILS
One step changed his world.
One man changed his heart.
Amazon
The Putaway Monster
A delightful mystery to
solve as toys disappear.
Amazon
Wild Atlantic Way Anthology
Characters along Ireland’s
Majestic Coast
Amazon
Sammie and Pumpkin
An adopted dog learns
how to make new friends.
Amazon
Demons to Champions
A tale of neurodivergent
awakening and triumph.
Amazon
REVOLUTION: A NOVEL
Comical misadventures in
modern Los Angeles
Amazon
Mirrors & Smoke: A War of 1812
'A smartly plotted, character
novel set in 1800s Canada' WSA
Amazon/Audible
Naked in the Now
What if presence felt like
being seduced by life?
Amazon
Around the Globe
The Adventures of Squishy
and Boo, Book 3
Amazon
A Trip From God, Book 1
NEW gods NEW religion NEW
prophet NEW order OLD insanity
Amazon
S.O.S. by Sue C Dugan
An exciting, time-travel
adventure for middle graders
Amazon
I Never Said I Love You
A story of travel, friendship,
forgiveness, & roads not taken
Amazon