BOOK NEWS: CBCA Announces the 2021 Book of the Year Shortlist

Exciting news just in from the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) who have announced the CBCA Awards Short List.

The CBCA is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation that aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians.

Regarded as Australia’s most prestigious children’s literature award, the CBCA Book of the Year is presented in six categories: Older Readers, Younger Readers, Early Childhood, Picture Books, the Eve Pownall Award and the CBCA Award for New Illustrator.

The Shortlist for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2021 is below. Did your favourite Kids and YA reads make the list?

Book of the Year: Older Readers

• The End of the World is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell (Text Publishing)
• The Lost Soul Atlas by Zana Fraillon (Hachette Australia)
• When Rain Turns to Snow by Jane Godwin (Hachette Australia)
• Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore (Text Publishing)
• Where We Begin by Christie Nieman (Pan Macmillan Australia)
• Peta Lyre’s Rating Normal by Anna Whateley (Allen & Unwin)

Book of the Year: Younger Readers 

• Aster’s Good, Right Things by Kate Gordon (Riveted Press)
• The Stolen Prince of Cloudburst by Jaclyn Moriarty and illustrated by Kelly Canby (Allen & Unwin)
• Worse Things by Sally Murphy and illustrated by Sarah Davis (Walker Books Australia)
• We Are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad (Harper Collins Australia)
• Bindi by Kirli Saunders and illustrated by Dub Leffler (Magabala Books)
• The Book of Chance by Sue Whiting (Walker Books Australia)

CBCA Award for New Illustrator 

• Ribbit Rabbit Robot by Sofya Karmazina (Scholastic Australia)
• No! Never! by Mel Pearce (Hachette Australia)
• Seven Seas of Fleas by Dave Petzold (Starfish Bay Publishing)
• Shirley Purdie: My Story, Ngaginybe Jarragbe by Shirley Purdie (Magabala Books)
• This Small Blue Dot by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson Australia)
• Go Away, Worry Monster! by Robin Tatlow-Lord (EK Books)

For the full list, click here.

The Short List and the Notables List are a great place to start if you’re looking for reading ideas for young children up to teens and as they have all been rigorously assessed you can be sure that they will hit the spot.

It’s also a great idea to familiarise yourself with the short-listed books as many schools and libraries will incorporate them into their CBCA Book Week celebrations.