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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Return to Vienna
How SOE worked to free
Austria from Hitler's grip
Amazon
The Graffiti Killer
A mind unhinged on
the fulcrum of our age.
by David Milnes
A Vampire's Tooth Fairy Chase
A vampire with flat teeth
searches for the Tooth Fairy.
Amazon
Exclusion Zone
The VORKOSIGAN SAGA
meets DIE HARD.
Amazon
Sam & Me & the Hard Pear Tree
A personal account of
a mother’s ultimate loss
Amazon
Rainbow Cat and Mouse
How a hungry cat and a feisty
mouse become best friends
Amazon
INTO THE BLAZE
A new trilogy where fantasy,
myth, and reality entwine
Amazon
Plea to a Frozen God
A desperate trio appeals
to the God of Death.
Amazon
Touch of the Whimsy
Witty fantasy, this Castaway
romance is an enigma!
Amazon
The B-17 Tomahawk Warrior
"This happened in 1944 but
honored 80 years later!"
Amazon
Gollogans of Carrickgollogan
An exciting woodland
adventure story for 7-9s
Amazon
The Halloween Candy MONSTER
Jimmy teaches the Halloween
candy monster a lesson
Amazon
The Toad from Outer Space
A cautionary tale about a
toad-ily historic space flight
www.childrensfunnybooks.co.uk
Escape From Peconic Bay
A fast-paced, historical novel
set during the run up to WW2
books2read
THE MERMELF
Mystery girl. Mermelves arrive
Dystopian rebellion begins
Amazon
DREAMER OF DESTINY
Her dreams are calling to her.
Should she listen?
Barbara Woster
Lines in the Sand
Edgy and isolating. A perfect
memoir of loss and endurance.
F. Scott Service
Around the Globe
The Adventures of Squishy
and Boo, Book 3
Amazon
Marvelous Mood-Mending Meadow
Picture Book About Gratitude &
Dealing with Kids Emotions
Amazon
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Steve's 2 other personalities
wreak havoc all around him
Amazon
Millie’s Magic
The little mouse
with a big heart.
Amazon
Don't Look Too Tasty
Hungry aliens, missing
friends. Who can you trust?
Amazon
Life with psychopathic brother
A quirky philosophical novel
about forgiveness.
linnaspen.com
TOUCH
Gritty coming-of-age
fiction with a purpose
Amazon
B.A. Bellec
2 x Wishing Shelf
Award Recipient
Amazon
Sea Change by Nick Bamford
'A gay romance and adventure
on a yacht at sea'
nickbamford.com
The Other Lotus Girl
He was buying tea.
She was running for her life.
danielariddle.com
IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE FABULOUS
A guide to finding self-love
and achieving your destiny💙
Amazon
FALSE NEUTRAL
One chance to finally
make sense of it all.
Amazon
EVERKNIGHT
A Heroic Journey of
Uncompromising Honor
Amazon
Building The Beast:
The Comic Memoir
of a Crazy Idea!
Amazon
PICTURE THE ALPHABET
Find over 150 objects, learn
letters & build vocabulary.
Amazon
Love in the Cupboard
A sweet, clean Catholic Priest
seeks a wife rom-com
Amazon
A Misfortunate Misfit
Incredible true story of a
man saving his own life
Amazon
VR,AR &AI in Special Education
Tech transforming special ed:
benefits, risks & apps
Amazon
THE COIN
CAN FINDING A COIN
GET YOU KILLED?
books2read
The Princess and the Spy
A witty and heartfelt
YA fantasy mystery
Amazon
The Boy and the Jaguar
A magical Mayan tale
for middle-grade readers.
Amazon
THE JEWEL OF WENZLO
An epic conflict
between rodent kings
Amazon
Perfect Middle Grade Series
Montana and her friends
save the forest animals!
Amazon
WAYS TO BE EQUALLY HUMAN
A deep dive into being non-
binary,climate activism & love
by Leslie Tate
Losing Austin
A gripping drama for teens
full of suspense & mystery
Amazon
Aunty Jane Knits Up A Storm
Knitting, Friendship, Loss &
Healing in a Children's Story
Amazon
DAUGHTER OF SPIES
Wartime Secrets, Family Lies
A FINALIST in TWSA
Amazon
CLOUDY WITH CHANCE OF ANSWERS
"Crazy family. Endless cold
case. Then there's a clue!"
Amazon
Nantucket Monsters
Island monsters on the sly,
live in the corner your eye
B. LAWSON HULL
Confidently Mindful
Answers to your most asked
mindfulness questions.
Amazon
Marlon and the Scary Something
Scaredy cat finds courage,
foils fear, wins friend
Amazon
Smurgle The Windy Dragon
By Jane Clack, ill. by Lucy
Nicholson. A FUN PICTURE BOOK!
Amazon
IF I COULD REMEMBER
A tender, unflinching memoir
on Alzheimer's caregiving
by Donna Costa
S.O.S. by Sue C Dugan
An exciting, time-travel
adventure for middle graders
Amazon
Churchill’s Secret Army
WW2 courage and sacrifice
in the undercover SOE
www.cloudshillpress.com
DRAGONDAH
The Secret Legacy
of Ottillee Bottomly
Amazon
Sibby's Secret
Heart-stopping adventure
for our detective Buccaneers
Amazon
Bentley's Fantabulous Idea
Embark on a whimsical colorful
journey filled with fun
MikiTaylor
LADY IN RED
Teen sleuths search for
a missing masterpiece.
Amazon
Into the BeanStalk
Corrupt megacity, broken world
A girl hiding from her past
Amazon
TREACHERY!
A WW2 child
evacuee thriller
Amazon
Demons to Champions
A tale of neurodivergent
awakening and triumph.
Amazon

































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































