The Book of the Year Awards Shortlist 2024 is a cut down version of the 2024 Notable Australian Children's Books. Compiled from critiques submitted by our expert judges, this document can aid their discovery of good stories to read, a reported reason they give for not reading. So share it, discuss it, and let’s continue to grow our reading culture!
2024 CBCA Book of the Year Awards
Your 2024 Shortlisted titles have been released!
Congratulations to all CBCA Book of the Year Award Shortlist authors, illustrators and publishers for 2024. Please enjoy our short announcement video.
Happy reading!
Book of the Year Award Shortlist critiques, for all 2024 shortlisted titles.
(PDF 2.1 Mb.)
Book of the Year Award Shortlist, complete list (PDF 838 Kb.)
Select a button and jump straight to that award category.
Book of the Year: Older Readers
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers in their secondary years of schooling. Ages 13-18 years.
Note: Books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended.
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A Hunger of Thorns
Lili Wilkinson
A & U Children
an imprint of Allen & Unwin ISBN: 9781760526948
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Grace Notes
Karen Comer
Lothian Children's Books
an imprint of Hachette Australia ISBN: 9780734421722
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Inkflower
Suzy Zail
Walker Books Australia
ISBN: 9781760653736
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Let's Never Speak of This Again
Megan Williams
Text Publishing
ISBN: 9781922790392
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The Quiet and the Loud
Helena Fox
Pan Macmillan Australia
ISBN: 9781760983024
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Two Can Play That Game
Leanne Yong
A & U Children
an imprint of Allen & Unwin ISBN: 9781761063374
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Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers from the middle to upper primary years. 7-12 years.
Note: some of the titles in this category may only be suitable for readers who are in the upper primary years as they contain mature themes, including violence. Parental guidance is recommended.
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Being Jimmy Baxter
Fiona Lloyd
Puffin AU
an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia ISBN: 9781760148515
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Huda Was Here
H. Hayek
A & U Children
an imprint of Allen & Unwin ISBN: 9781761068430
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Real Pigeons Flap Out
Andrew McDonald
ill. Ben Wood Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
ISBN: 9781761211546
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Scar Town
Tristan Bancks
Puffin (AU)
an imprint of Penguin Random House Australia ISBN: 9780143791812
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Scout and the Rescue Dogs
Dianne Wolfer
ill. Tony Flowers Walker Books Australia
ISBN: 9781760655860
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The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart
Samera Kamaleddine
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9781460762653
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Book of the Year: Early Childhood
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for children who are at pre-reading or early stages of reading. Ages 0-6 years.
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Bear and Duck are Friends
Sue deGennaro
Little Hare
an imprint of Hardie Grant Children's Publishing ISBN: 9781761210327
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Can You Teach a Fish to Climb a Tree?
Jane Godwin
ill. Terry Denton Bright Light
an imprit of Hardie Grant Children's Publishing ISBN: 9781760508661
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Grace and Mr Milligan
Caz Goodwin
ill. Pip Kruger Marshall Cavendish International
ISBN: 9789815009811
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Gymnastica Fantastica!
Briony Stewart
Lothian Children's Books
an imprint of Hachette Australia ISBN: 9780734421852
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One Little Duck
Katrina Germein
ill. Danny Snell HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9781460761649
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The Concrete Garden
Bob Graham
Walker Books Australia
ISBN: 9781529512649
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Picture Book of the Year
Entries in this category should be outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity or, in wordless picture books, where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations. Ages 0-18 years.
(Note: some of these books may be for mature readers.)
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Bowerbird Blues
Aura Parker
Scholastic Australia
ISBN: 9781760269609
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Every Night at Midnight
Peter Cheong
Affirm Press
ISBN: 9781922992383
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If I Was a Horse
Sophie Blackall
Lothian Children's Books
an imprint of Hachette Australia ISBN: 9780734422712
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Paper-flower Girl
Mateja Jager
text. Margrete Lamond Dirt Lane Press
and imprint of WestWords ISBN: 9780645352399
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That Bird Has Arms
Ronojoy Ghosh & Niharika Hukku
text. Kate Temple & Jol Temple Little Hare
an imprint of Hardie Grant Children's Publishing ISBN: 9781761210310
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Timeless
Kelly Canby
Fremantle Press
ISBN: 9781760992323
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Eve Pownall Award
Entries in this category should be books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style. Ages 0-18 years.
(Note: books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended)
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Australia: Country of Colour
Jess Racklyeft
Affirm Press
ISBN: 9781922863881
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Country Town
Isolde Martyn & Robyn Ridgeway
ill. Louise Hogan Ford Street Publishing
ISBN: 9781922696342
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Eww Gross: Foul Facts and Putrid Pictures
Dan Marshall
Lost the Plot
an imprint of Pantera Press ISBN: 9780645624564
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Our Country: Where History Happened
Mark Greenwood
ill. Frané Lessac Walker Books Australia
ISBN: 9781760653576
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Tamarra
Violet Wadrill, Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal, Leah Leaman, Cecelia Edwards, Cassandra Algy, Felicity Meakins, Briony Barr, Gregory Crocetti
Hardie Grant Explore
ISBN: 9781741178302
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This Book Thinks Ya Deadly!
Corey Tutt
ill. Molly Hunt Hardie Grant Explore
ISBN: 9781741178159
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CBCA Award for New Illustrator
This Award aims to recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children's book illustration. Ages 0-18 years.
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Etta and the Shadow Taboo
Jeremy Worrall
text. Jared Field Bright Light
an imprint of Hardie Grant Children's Publishing ISBN: 9781760509798
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Grace and Mr Milligan
Pip Kruger
text. Caz Goodwin Marshall Cavendish International
ISBN: 9789815009811
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Hope is the Thing
Erica Wagner
text. Johanna Bell A & U Children
an imprint of Allen & Unwin ISBN: 9781761180026
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Phonobet
Kim Drane
text. Kathy Weeden NLA Publishing
ISBN: 9781922507471
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Raised by Moths
Michelle Conn
text. Charlie Archbold MidnightSun Publishing
ISBN: 9781922858184
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When You're a Boy
Blake Nuto
Affirm Press
ISBN: 9781922863652
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2024 Book of the Year Award Shortlist quick references
Please help yourself to any of these handy Shortlist document downloads.
| Category | PDF download | Word document download |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Shortlist book critiques | (PDF 2.1 Mb.) |
 (DOCX 2.4 Mb.) |
| Book of the Year Award Shortlist, complete list | (PDF 238 Kb.) |
(DOC. 66 Kb.) |
| 2024 Notable Books critiques 2024 | (PDF 178 Kb.) |
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Hold the date
The CBCA Book of the Year Award Winners, Honours and Sun Project: Shadow Judging Book of the Year Winner announcement is Friday, 16 August 2024.
Bookmark our Winners web page (https://cbca.org.au/winners-2024) for quick access on the day.
Young voices are welcome here
The 2024 Sun Project: Shadow Judging Book of the Year Awards national reading program is an excellent opprtunity to encourage young readers to explore the CBCA Bok of the Year Award Shortlisted titles in greater depth.
Register a group/s today!
2024 Children's Book Week® merchandise
Your official 2024 catalogue is now available. This year's catalogue is bursting with regular favourites, dynamic display items, and a range of new surprises. Download the PDF( 7.7 Mb.) version now or visit our store for more product details.