
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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Millie’s Magic
The little mouse
with a big heart.
Amazon
The Antunite Chronicles
An allegory for our time,
a thrillogy for all ages.
Amazon
The Long Road to Namai
Adventures of a daughter of
Earth on a planet of psychics
Amazon
From Patriarchy to Paradise
The script is flipped:
Women steer back to garden.
expandjoy
Nemesis Rising
"Survival comes with a cost
for Sam … his humanity."
Amazon
Tales of Witches and Wyverns
Join Enid’s quest to save
friends from a fae queen
Amazon
Children of the Realm
Girl finds mythical origins
in YA urban fantasy
Amazon
THE JEWEL OF WENZLO
An epic conflict
between rodent kings
Amazon
AMAZING WORLD BENEATH THE
WAVES Satisfy your curiosity
about oceans
www.barnettauthor.co.uk
THE GRAVITY OF LIES
WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE
WAS BASED ON LIES?
Amazon
Adventures of Negassi Brothers
Exciting children's adventure
into African history
Amazon
Sibby's Secret
Heart-stopping adventure
for our detective Buccaneers
Amazon
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Three minds. One body.
And nobody is safe.
Amazon
Aunty Jane Knits Up A Storm
Knitting, Friendship, Loss &
Healing in a Children's Story
Amazon
Momma Llama World
Free coloring sheets,
animated stories & more.
Meet Momma Llama
WHINGEY WILLIAMS Term 1
Follow Whingey on her FIRST
adventure on Gower
Amazon
The Gift of Knowing You
Discover all of who you are &
the power of your story.
Amazon
A Bloody Hot Summer
Bloody murders occur in 1920s
England during a heatwave
Amazon
Winkle and Aster
Urban fantasy that takes
imagination to its limits
books2read
LIKE A HERO
Being a superhero WITHOUT
powers is never easy!
books2read
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
Wild Asses of Mojave Desert
“Funny & tender, moving &
poetic" Recommended US Review
books2read.com
A Portion of Malice
A thought-provoking thrill
ride into the apocalypse
Amazon
Into the BeanStalk
Corrupt megacity, broken world
A girl hiding from her past
Amazon
Ruby the Emotional Stingray
Handling emotions for kids.
BEDTIME STORY
Amazon
WELCOME TO OPINE
Homo Sapiens 2.0: Will genetic
blessing be their undoing?
Amazon
The Eye of Nineveh (thriller)
They found a gem powered by
the gods. Now, it´s vanished.
Amazon
Thar She Blows
Brian got swallowed by
a whale. Mom’ll be mad.
www.books2read.com
When Secrets Come to Light
A novel of love, mystery
friendships, and murder
www.georgerhopkins.com
Of the Noble and Great Ones
Real fiction about an autistic
teen who figures out life
Amazon
Top Psychological Thriller
Two couples befriend each
other with tragic consequences
Amazon
The Fungus Among Us
Encourage children to explore
and connect to nature
Amazon
The One Week Writing Workshop
7 Days to Spark, Boost
or Revive Your Novel
Amazon
Lead the Competition
Read 100 Livestreaming &
Digital Media Predictions.
Amazon
WHINGEY WILLIAMS Term 1
Follow Whingey on her FIRST
adventure on Gower
Amazon
The Putaway Monster
A delightful mystery to
solve as toys disappear.
Amazon
Smurgle The Windy Dragon
By Jane Clack, ill. by Lucy
Nicholson. A FUN PICTURE BOOK!
Amazon
“Hatch Chile Willie”
offers children a heartwarming
tale of friendship
Amazon
Escape From Peconic Bay
A novel of love, impending
war, and espionage.
books2read
The Last Spiritwalker
Blood, magic, myths &
a badass female lead
Amazon
Monty and the Monster
Heartwarming adventure
of an unlikely friendship
Amazon
Lead the Competition
Read 100 Livestreaming &
Digital Media Predictions.
Amazon
A Vampire's Tooth Fairy Chase
A vampire with flat teeth
searches for the Tooth Fairy.
Amazon
The Mystery of the Lost Avenge
Multilevel story/ghost/romance
forensics/WWII/espionage
Linda Maria Frank
The Pivotal Pastor
A pastor and famous
architect transform a parish
Amazon
LADY APPRENTICE
"Love, fighting, mystery and
magic” BRAG Medallion
books2read.com
Misty Black Media, LLC
Get your picture book designed
& formatted by a professional
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Digging Deep by Dexter Hutt
She can cope with murder -
but what about betrayal?
Amazon
Guiding Kids Through Anger
Parenting chaos
meets humor therapy
Amazon
B.A. Bellec
2 x Wishing Shelf
Award Recipient
Amazon
THE UNBROKEN
Love and adventure in
the strange worlds of mind.
Nigel Peace
In Other Words, Poetic Journey
Explore life through the eyes
of a tireless wanderer
Amazon
Exclusion Zone
The VORKOSIGAN SAGA
meets DIE HARD.
Amazon
EVERKNIGHT
A Heroic Journey of
Uncompromising Honor
Amazon
Irish Famine Novel
My novel Hungry Trails
celebrates family resilience
Amazon
A Tree in Time
A fabilious journey into
the distant past.
gentlpresspublishing.co.uk
THE SOCIETY
A NATION is on the brink...
Only 1 woman can stop it
Amazon
Smurgle The Windy Dragon
By Jane Clack, ill. by Lucy
Nicholson. A FUN PICTURE BOOK!
Amazon
RAVEN'S GRAVE Charlotte Stuart
Betrayal and death in
an Alaskan Tlingit village.
Amazon