Finalists 2021
Below is a list of the 2021 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, 2022.
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)
- Category 7: Audio Book - Children/Young Adult
- Category 8: Audio Book - Adult
- Category 9: Best Book Cover - Children/Young Adult
- Category 10: Best Book Cover - Adult
- Red Ribbon Bands
If you happen to be looking for a good read, the readers at The Wishing Shelf Awards thoroughly recommend the following:

Nurse Bear Does First Aid: Picture Book to Learn First Aid Skills for Toddlers and Kids
Author: Marta Almansa Esteva

Olive the Worrying Wiener: A Short Tale about a Particularly Long Dog
Author: Ally Arena
Illustrator: Rafaela Sukiyama

Monster in the Water: Fighting Back Against Harmful Algal Blooms
Author: Dylan Dagate
Illustrator: Maria Decerce

Sticky Icky Vicky: Courage over Fear
Author: Alysia Ssentamu, Michael Ssentamu
Illustrator: Noor Alshalabi

Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World
Author: Brad Borkan and David Hirzel

Black, White, And Gray All Over; A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement
Author: Frederick Reynolds

Just Say "$%#&! NO!†Book Dedicated to the Well-Intended Overextended!
Author: Heather Tobin
Illustrator: Karen Tobin

Kings, Conquerors, Psychopaths: From Alexander to Hitler to the Corporation
Author: Joseph N Abraham MD

Grandpa Jock and the Incredible Iron-Bru-Man Incident: Gorgeous George
Author: Stuart Reid
Performed by: Stuart Reid

Fries & Alibis: Paranormal Cozy Mystery: Mitzy Moon Mysteries Series, Book 1
Author: Trixie Silvertale
Performed by: Coleen Marlo

Systemology: Create Time, Reduce Errors and Scale Your Profits with Proven Business Systems
Author: David Jenyns

The Essential Family Guide to Caring for Older People
Author: Deborah Stone
Performed by: Maggie Ollerenshaw

Little Wade and Watchtower: Abigail and the Great Gang Trap
Author: Sean March
Cover Designer: Joe Ruiz

Rory, Quest for the Northern Lights
Author: Sarah Cullen, Carmen Ellis
Cover Designer: Zuzana Svobodova

The Young Adult’s Collection of Short Scary Stories
Author: Michael Ross
Cover Designer: Magdalena Adić
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.
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PARIS BLUE, first love memoir
Classical music and first love
in the magical city of Paris
www.mybook.to
THE BOOK
Earth will be fine, humanity
is on track for annihilation!
Amazon
LIKE A HERO
Being a superhero WITHOUT
powers is never easy!
books2read
Bentley's Fantabulous Idea
Embark on a whimsical colorful
journey filled with fun
MikiTaylor
DON'T DOUBT THE RAINBOW series
Crime-busting teen
detective adventures!
www.crownhouse.co.uk
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
The Last Lumenian
Most princesses need saving.
This one saves you.
Amazon
Comfort in the Wings
An inspiring, heartfelt
journey of joy after loss
Amazon
Me Here Without You Now
A love story AFTER
the love story
Amazon/Apple
Pumpkin King Saves Christmas
How Santa became jolly with
the help of the Pumpkin King.
Amazon
THE PHILOSOPHER & THE ASSASSIN
campus novel, moral
philosophy, and murder mystery
Amazon
BELIEVING IN HORSES
Ride away with the
Believing in Horses books!
Amazon
A Portion of Malice
A thought-provoking thrill
ride into the apocalypse
Amazon
FALSE NEUTRAL
One chance to finally
make sense of it all.
Amazon
Into The Shadows
Journey from naïve university
student to a great spy.
marinemoments.uk
Wild Atlantic Way Anthology
Characters along Ireland’s
Majestic Coast
Amazon
BUILDING THE BEAST
Building a home-on-wheels
with zero blueprint.
Amazon
THE FOUNDLING
A foundling rises to
reclaim his stolen birthright
Amazon
THE UNBROKEN
Love and adventure in
the strange worlds of mind.
Nigel Peace
AMAZING WORLD BENEATH THE
WAVES Satisfy your curiosity
about oceans
www.barnettauthor.co.uk
S.O.S. by Sue C Dugan
An exciting, time-travel
adventure for middle graders
Amazon
Sara My Sara
A moving tale of friendship,
loss, and the gifts of grief.
Amazon
Changing Tide
A Thrilling First
Contact Novel
www.cougarproductions.com
Don't Look Too Tasty
Hungry aliens, missing
friends. Who can you trust?
Amazon
More Future Dreams/Nightmares
Award-winning SF short
stories of AIs and robots.
Donald Firesmith
From Patriarchy to Paradise
The script is flipped:
Women steer back to garden.
expandjoy
Demons to Champions
A tale of neurodivergent
awakening and triumph.
Amazon
SeaMouse Builds a Boat
Mouse must find EVERYTHING he
needs to BUILD his boat.
Amazon
Clouds on the Ground
Poems exploring natural beauty
and the realm of dreams
Amazon
Connecting Threads
A graphic memoir of
resilience and hope
Amazon
THE FISH TANK - short stories
NARRATIVES ABOUT LIFE, EXILE,
GHOSTS…AND MURDER.
books2read
Confidently Mindful
Answers to your most asked
mindfulness questions.
Amazon
Momma Llama World
Free coloring sheets,
animated stories & more.
Meet Momma Llama
The Broken Wife
A gripping tale of love,
loss, and BETRAYAL.
Amazon
SONG FOR MY FATHER
"A gripping drama...a FINALIST
and highly recommended." TWSA
Amazon
REVOLUTION
A contemporary
satirical novel
Amazon
A Trip From God, Book 1
NEW gods NEW religion NEW
prophet NEW order OLD insanity
Amazon
BURT, THE AIRPORT CAT
Follow Burt, the black cat,
on a fun family adventure
Amazon
The Monarchs
"A thought-provoking spiritual
quest" - Kirkus Reviews
Amazon
Rainbow Bridge
Ever wondered where your
dog ends up after this life?
Amazon
Mother To Elephants
A Beautiful Tale of
Care and Compassion
Amazon
ARNI'S ADVENTURES
8 charming, silly, comic
stories to laugh at & enjoy.
Amazon
Adventures of Beryl and Carol
Award winning, clean teen
adventure for all ages.
berylandcarol
Children Who Dance in the Rain
A children's book about
gratitude and self-discovery.
Amazon
Moonshine Mesa
Why are bees, crows &
humans dying at the Mesa?
Amazon
THE SOCIETY
A NATION is on the brink...
Only 1 woman can stop it
Amazon
Return to Vienna
How SOE worked to free
Austria from Hitler's grip
Amazon
SOUL WALK
Unexpected Gifts of Grief and
Connection to Those in Spirit
Amazon
THE PEBBLE CHAMPION
A stirring tale
of sadness and self-discovery.
Amazon
Thar She Blows
Brian got swallowed by
a whale. Mom’ll be mad.
www.books2read.com
Irish Famine Novel
My novel Hungry Trails
celebrates family resilience
Amazon
The Stranger of Ul Darak BK 1
A new intriguing epic
high fantasy series
sceston.com
Aunty Jane Knits Up A Storm
Knitting, Friendship, Loss &
Healing in a Children's Story
Amazon
Look 'N Up Invasion
A clever mix of fantasy,
family drama & cultural debate
Goodreads
Into the BeanStalk
Corrupt megacity, broken world
A girl hiding from her past
Amazon
No Death in Finding Nemo
Stories of mundane lives which
change in surprising ways
www.jeffreyfeingold.com
Sprout's Surprise!
A humorous story with
a gentle ecofriendly message
Amazon
From The Back of a Donkey
Fresh captivating look at the
Christmas Story told by Mary
by Nancy Elaine Hartman Minor
The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior
"This happened in 1944 but
honored 80 years later!"
Amazon

































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































