
Finalists 2022
Below is a list of the 2022 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, 2023.
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:

Benny the Brave in The First Day Jitters
Author: Julie Anne Penn and Darren Penn
Illustrator: Sergio De Giorgi

The Dragon and the Unicorn: The Magic of Friendship,
Author: Charly Froh
Illustrator: Zuzana Svobodova

Novo, The Space Robot, How to Solve the Mystery of Crying
Author: Charly Froh
Illustrator: Zuzanna Svobodova

Super Kena - A Girl Made Fierce with Hearing Aids
Author: Becky Cymbaluk
Illustrator: Zuzana Svobodova
A Red Ribbon is awarded to a book that did NOT get over 25/35 to be a finalist, but was still very much enjoyed by the readers.
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LADY REAPER
Disorderly ghosts. Dejected
fays. Dreadful elves.
books2read.com
MaryLou
"An engaging, well-crafted
family drama" TWSA
Amazon
Alfie Slider vs Shape Shifter
It’s no ordinary key –
it breaks the laws of physics!
Amazon
HENRY
Inspiring WWII Nonfiction
survival account
Amazon
Ruby the Emotional Stingray
Handling emotions for kids.
BEDTIME STORY
Amazon
Day & Night
A behind the scenes tour
and evening immersion!
Amazon
DON'T DOUBT THE RAINBOW series
Crime-busting teen
detective adventures!
www.crownhouse.co.uk
THE UNBROKEN
Love and adventure in
the strange worlds of mind.
Nigel Peace
BURT, THE AIRPORT CAT
Follow Burt, the black cat,
on a fun family adventure
Amazon
LOOK AWAY NO MORE
A story rich in history & love
at a Georgia college in 1970.
Amazon
Of the Noble and Great Ones
Real fiction about an autistic
teen who figures out life
Amazon
False Neutral
A story of choices made & not
made, & the collision of paths
Amazon
Dislodged
“An LGBTQ+ thriller and a
tale for the working class…â€
Amazon
Crowded platforms Window Seats
One family's adventures
around Europe by train.
Amazon
Harmony Dances On
Helping children navigate the
journey through grief
Amazon
THE LIGHTNESS OF WATER
"A refined fantasy adventure”
- Silver Medal, TWSA
books2read.com
The Boy and the Jaguar
A magical Mayan tale
for middle-grade readers.
Amazon
Girl & the Lock on Her Heart
An empowering book to
ignite everyone’s self love.
Amazon
From Patriarchy to Paradise
The script is flipped:
Women steer back to garden.
expandjoy
The Putaway Monster
A delightful mystery to
solve as toys disappear.
Amazon
Adventures of Negassi Brothers
Exciting children's adventure
into African history
Amazon
No Death in Finding Nemo
Stories of mundane lives which
change in surprising ways
www.jeffreyfeingold.com
Crossing Borders
American memoir on prospects
for peace in Palestine/Israel
christabruhn.com
Wartime Secrets, Family Lies
London to life in Washington
in a family of secrets
Amazon
Jemma and the Raven
A luminous adventure in
this epic YA fantasy debut
Amazon
RED CHAIR PRESS
Titles in Dyslexic and
/or Large Print editions
ReadHowYouWant
Tilda Finds Her Rainbow
Journey of kindness, courage,
friendship and forgiveness
nicolaalewis.com
Ian's Realm Saga
A 7 book adventure fantasy
series for the family.
gardnersart.com
THE WAY OF WATER
Brilliant YA Fantasy with
Magic, Mystery & Romance
Amazon
DAUGHTER OF SPIES
Wartime Secrets, Family Lies
A FINALIST in TWSA
Amazon
Battle for Eklatros
Can Ànifa’s party save
Eklatros from the invasion?
Amazon
MEMOIR OF A MANGLED MIND
Three minds. One body.
And nobody is safe.
Amazon
Winkle and Aster
Urban fantasy that takes
imagination to its limits
books2read
Alphamind
Embark on a journey into the
depths of the human spirit!
Amazon
Glitching Souls - Steve Kenney
Neil can read minds...
He can't turn them off.
Amazon
Soul Release
An epic fantasy action
adventure in a world of magic.
Amazon
Azoria's Blade
They attacked her homeland.
Now, Azoria seeks her revenge.
Amazon
Escape From Peconic Bay
A fast-paced, historical novel
set during the run up to WW2
books2read
Moving Men by Karene Horst
A modern novel, relationships
% the scars they leave behind
Flying Trees Publishing
My Year at the Good Bean Café
Weird and inexplicable events
and their effect on our lives
Amazon
The Gift of Knowing You
Discover all of who you are &
the power of your story.
Amazon
100% SUCCESS MINDSET
Achieve your goals and
improve personal development
Amazon
A Vampire's Tooth Fairy Chase
A vampire with flat teeth
searches for the Tooth Fairy.
Amazon
S.O.S. by Sue C Dugan
An exciting, time-travel
adventure for middle graders
Amazon
CHARLES DARWIN...
An entertaining learning
resource for curious kids.
www.alanhesse.com
Publishing Questions?
Find easy to understand
answers, top tips & more.
oldmatemedia
Jack's 1st Birthday Adventure
Journey to Jingle Jangle:
A fun story with activities!
Amazon
Then We'll Say Goodnight
How would you get your
unruly puppies back to bed?
Amazon
THE MAGIC OF KINDNESS
Join the adventure with
the cat witches here:
Amazon
THE TRALL SERIES
Middle-grade portal
fantasies set in Australia.
by Gayle Torrens
Perfect Middle Grade Series
Montana and her friends
save the forest animals!
Amazon
TOUCH
Gritty coming-of-age
fiction with a purpose
Amazon
INTO THE BLAZE
A new trilogy where fantasy,
myth, and reality entwine
Amazon
Guiding Kids Through Anger
Parenting chaos
meets humor therapy
Amazon
THREE DETAIL STORIES audiobks
Where storytime is an
adventure designed by kids
threedetailaudiobooks
Crossing Borders
American memoir on prospects
for peace in Palestine/Israel
christabruhn.com
Terracolina-A Place to Belong
A fantasy to delight middle-
graders and nature lovers.
Amazon
Around the Globe
The Adventures of Squishy
and Boo, Book 3
Amazon
A Voice from Heaven
Astounding secrets of life,
death, love and spirituality
wingsofpeacepress.com