CBCA Book of the Year 2024 winners announced

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced the winners of the 2024 Book of the Year Awards.

This year, the CBCA shadow judging winners were announced simultaneously. Now in its third year, the shadow judging process involves over 240 groups of school students voting for their winners from the shortlisted books.

Book of the year: older readers

• Grace Notes (Karen Comer, Lothian)

Honour books

• A Hunger of Thorns (Lili Wilkinson, A&U Children’s)
• Let’s Never Speak of This Again (Megan Williams, Text)

Shadow judging

• Inkflower (Suzy Zail, Walker Books)

Book of the year: younger readers

• Scar Town (Tristan Bancks, Puffin)

Honour books

• Huda Was Here (H Hayek, A&U Children’s)
• Real Pigeons Flap Out (Andrew McDonald, illus by Ben Wood, HGCP)

Shadow judging

• Scar Town (Tristan Bancks, Puffin)

Book of the year: early childhood

• Gymnastica Fantastica! (Briony Stewart, Lothian)

Honour books

• Bear and Duck Are Friends (Sue deGennaro, Little Hare)
• Grace and Mr Milligan (Caz Goodwin, illus by Pip Kruger, Marshall Cavendish)

Shadow judging

• The Concrete Garden (Bob Graham, Walker Books)

Picture book of the year

• Timeless (Kelly Canby, Fremantle Press)

Honour books

• Paper-flower Girl (Mateja Jager, written by Margrete Lamond, WestWords)
• That Bird Has Arms (Ronojoy Ghosh & Niharika Hukku, written by Kate Temple & Jol Temple, HGCP)

Shadow judging

• Every Night at Midnight (Peter Cheong, Affirm)

Eve Pownall Award

• Country Town (Isolde Martyn & Robyn Ridgeway, illus by Louise Hogan, Ford Street)

Honour books

• Australia: Country of Colour (Jess Racklyeft, Affirm)
• Our Country: Where History Happened (Mark Greenwood, illus by Frané Lessac, Walker Books)

Shadow judging

• Australia: Country of Colour (Jess Racklyeft, Affirm)

CBCA Award for New Illustrator

• Hope Is the Thing (Erica Wagner, written by Johanna Bell, A&U Children’s).

Category: Awards Local news