DANZ Children’s Book Award 2025 longlists announced

The 2025 longlists for the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) DANZ (Diversity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) Children’s Book Award have been announced.

The longlisted titles in each category are:

Graphic novel

• Ghost Book (Remy Lai, A&U)
• The Greatest Thing (Sarah Winifred Searle, A&U)
• Hairy Holes (Brenton E McKenna, Magabala)
• Neverlanders (Tom Taylor & Jon Sommariva, Penguin)
• The Sweetness Between Us (Sarah Winifred Searle, A&U)
• When the World Was Soft (Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation, A&U)

Nonfiction

• Always Was, Always Will Be (Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, Magabala)
• Ask Aunty: Seasons (Aunty Munya Andrews, illus by (Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, HG Explore)
• Brilliant Minds (Shannon Meyerkort & Amy Blackwell, Affirm)
• Design & Building on Country: First Knowledges for Younger Readers (Paul Memmott & Alison Page, illus by Blak Douglas, T&H)
• Gurawul the Whale (Max Dulumunmun Harrison & illus by Laura La Rosa, Magabala)
• In My Blood It Runs (Dujuan Hoosan, Margaret Anderson & Carol Turner, illus by Blak Douglas, Macmillan)
• Looking After Country with Fire (Victor Steffensen, illus by (Sandra Steffensen, HG Explore)
• Our Mob (Taylor Hampton & Jacinta Daniher, illus by Seantelle Walsh, Ford Street)
• The Trees (Victor Steffensen, illus by Sandra Steffensen, HG Explore)
• The Wonder of Little Things (Vince Copley & Lea McInerney, HarperCollins)

Poetry

• It’s the Sound of the Thing (Maxine Beneba Clarke, HGCP)
• Pasifika Navigators (52 Pasifika Student Authors, Mila’s Books)

YA

• A Way Home (Emily Brewin, MidnightSun)
• Catch a Falling Star (Eileen Merriman, Penguin)
• Inkflower (Suzy Zail, Walker)
• Into the Mouth of the Wolf (Erin Gough, HGCP)
• Liar’s Test (Ambelin Kwaymullina, Text)
• Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything, Except This) (Elisa Chenoweth, HGCP)
• The Quiet and the Loud (Helena Fox, Pan)
• Robert Runs (Mariah Sweetman, Magabala)
• Slipping the Noose (Meg Caddy, Text)
• Two Can Play That Game (Leanne Yong, A&U)
• White Noise (Raelke Grimmer, UWAP).

The shortlists will be announced on 3 April and the winners announced at the ASLA Conference Dinner in Geelong on 30 May.

ASLA said: ‘The 2024 and 2025 longlists are being made available as a valuable resource spotlighting quality diverse literature for educators, booksellers, parents and carers. The colourful brochures are designed and distributed by BookPeople Kids.’

More information about the award is available on the website.

Category: Awards Local news