
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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A Lady Newspaperman's Dilemma
Alex’s goal: succeed in a 1926
male world of news reporting
Amazon
REVOLUTION
A contemporary
satirical novel
Amazon
THE PEBBLE CHAMPION
A stirring tale
of sadness and self-discovery.
Amazon
Exclusion Zone
The VORKOSIGAN SAGA
meets DIE HARD.
Amazon
I FEEL YOUR STARE
An Autobiography by Cheryl
Gillespie - Book Award Winner!
Amazon
The Pivotal Pastor
A pastor and famous
architect transform a parish
Amazon
Popina & Slumberina
Join in a Magical Journey of
Growth and Self Discovery
Amazon
TWO LEFT WINGS - Safety Averse
4 kids - heart-warming / funny
friendship and self-growth
Amazon
Moonshine Mesa
Why are bees, crows &
humans dying at the Mesa?
Amazon
Secrets of a Social Butterfly
How I unstuck my life
and you can too.
Lynn Bruines
The Broken Wife
A gripping tale of love,
loss, and BETRAYAL.
Amazon
MUMMY TRUMPS
A rhyming flatulent book that
is fun for all of the family.
Amazon
THE TIFFIN
Lost tiffin. Note gone astray.
A boy's search for family.
Amazon
Monty and the Monster
Heartwarming adventure
of an unlikely friendship
Amazon
Clouds on the Ground
Poems exploring natural beauty
and the realm of dreams
Amazon
Thar She Blows
Brian got swallowed by
a whale. Mom’ll be mad.
www.books2read.com
Ian's Realm Saga
A 7 book adventure fantasy
series for the family.
gardnersart.com
Puppy Pals and Puppy Tales
Letters from the family
dog’s point of view, 5-9 yrs.
Amazon
DON'T DOUBT THE RAINBOW series
Crime-busting teen
detective adventures!
www.crownhouse.co.uk
SONG FOR MY FATHER
"A gripping drama...a FINALIST
and highly recommended." TWSA
Amazon
THE PORTAL KEEPER
Enter a world of Fantastic
Creatures and Magic!
books2read
Secrets of The Sealed Forest
Magic awakens in this
modern fantasy adventure.
Amazon
Portraits of a Pandemic
The story of how a microscopic
virus changed our lives.
Amazon
A Misfortunate Misfit
Incredible true story of a
man saving his own life
Amazon
The Silence of Children
An accidental vigilante with
no superhero skills
Amazon
Starr of the Show
SEL shows a new squad how to
shine. MG Reader/School Issues
shinyfriendssupersquad.com
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Three minds. One body.
And nobody is safe.
Amazon
B.A. Bellec
2 x Wishing Shelf
Award Recipient
Amazon
The Third Estate
WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES
AND THE LIES are REVEALED
Amazon
Angry Arthur
and The Run Around Trick
Learn to manage big feelings
Amazon
The Fungus Among Us
Encourage children to explore
and connect to nature
Amazon
My Therapy Assistant
Self-Care Journal
& Mood Tracker
YouTube
Your Perfect Freelancer HERE!
Illustrators, Writers, Blurbs,
Editors, Layout Designs
Metaworx
Truth Was Once Taboo
New humanity, ancient
wisdom: spirituality reborn.
Amazon
PARIS BLUE, first love memoir
Classical music and first love
in the magical city of Paris
www.mybook.to
Look 'N Up Invasion
A clever mix of fantasy,
family drama & cultural debate
Goodreads
In the Shadows of Castles
A story of love, hope and
survival in a time of war.
Amazon
Pebbles and the Biggest Number
A butterfly’s quest to
find the largest number
Amazon
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
Wartime Secrets, Family Lies
London to life in Washington
in a family of secrets
Amazon
Sneaky Snobby by Jennifer Kvam
LOOK OUT! Making trouble is
Sneaky Snobby´s hobby!
Amazon
DANCE STANCE
"Highly recommended! A truly
excellent book" Wishing Shelf
bookshop.org
The Devil has Spoken
2020: The Devil has created a
virus that won't discriminate
Everand
Adventures of Beryl and Carol
Award winning, clean teen
adventure for all ages.
berylandcarol
Moving Men by Karene Horst
A modern novel, relationships
% the scars they leave behind
Flying Trees Publishing
A Novel about Life...and death
Will a mom's superhuman
efforts save her family?
Amazon/Apple
Mirrors & Smoke: A War of 1812
'A smartly plotted, character
novel set in 1800s Canada' WSA
Amazon/Audible
RIVER WITCH
A haunting, emotional tale
of magic and purpose.
Amazon
Of the Noble and Great Ones
Real fiction about an autistic
teen who figures out life
Amazon
The Lost Heir Book 1 and 2
Mash Princess Bride
+ dash of GOT
Amazon
RAIN FALLING ON EMBERS
A grieving, fish out of water
teen struggles to survive.
KatieMcCabeSeries.com
EVERKNIGHT
A Heroic Journey of
Uncompromising Honor
Amazon
The Princess and the Spy
A witty and heartfelt
YA fantasy mystery
Amazon
More Future Dreams/Nightmares
Award-winning SF short
stories of AIs and robots.
Donald Firesmith
My Solo Wedding in Santorini
A true story. Honest,
thought-provoking & funny .
blogaboutl
Perfect Middle Grade Series
Montana and her friends
save the forest animals!
Amazon
Tatiana and the Russian Wolves
A Russian émigré reconciles
tragic family secrets
www.stephenevansjordan.com
The Halloween Candy MONSTER
Jimmy teaches the Halloween
candy monster a lesson
Amazon
Of Mountains and Seas
A multigenerational urban
fantasy mystery.
Amazon