Blue Peter Book Award

Updated on Jan 05, 2024

Edit

Comment

The Blue Peter Book Awards are a set of literary awards for children's books conferred by the BBC television programme Blue Peter. They were inaugurated in 2000 for books published in 1999. The Awards have been managed by reading charity, Booktrust, since 2006. As of 2013, there are two award categories: Best Story and Best Book with Facts.

The Book of the Year dated from 2000 when there were also some "Voters' Awards" (2000 to 2002). Previously there were award categories for:

Most Fun Story with Pictures, from 2007; Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud, 2004 to 2006

Best Book with Facts, from 2003; Best New Information Book, 2002

Favourite Story, 2011; Book I Couldn't Put Down, 2000 to 2010

Three books in each category were announced 4 December 2014 and considered by the panel of 200 children from 10 schools. The two winners for the 2015 awards were announced on 5 March 2015, or World Book Day (UK and Ireland).

Winners

2015

Best Story: The Spy Who Loved School Dinners by Pamela Butchart, illus. Thomas Flintham (Nosy Crow)

Best Book with Facts: The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff by Andy Seed, illus. Scott Garrett (Bloomsbury)

2014

Best Story: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (Faber)

Best Book with Facts: Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: World War II by Tony Robinson, illus. Del Thorpe (Macmillan)

2013

Best Story: Tom Gates: Genius Ideas (Mostly) by Liz Pichon (Scholastic)

Best Book with Facts: House of Horrors (Horrible Science series) by Nick Arnold and Tony De Saulles (Scholastic)

2012

Book of the Year: The Considine Curse by Gareth P. Jones (Bloomsbury)

2011

Book of the Year: Dead Man's Cove (Laura Marlin Mysteries, 1) by Lauren St John (Orion)

2010

Book of the Year: Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes (Oxford)

2009

Book of the Year: Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Corgi)

2008

Prize didn't run.

2007

Book of the Year: The Outlaw Varjak Paw by S. F. Said, illus. Dave McKean (David Fickling) – sequel to Varjak Paw (2003)

Most Fun Story With Pictures: You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum by Andy Stanton and David Tazzyman

Best Book with Facts: The Worst Children's Jobs in History by Tony Robinson

Book I Couldn't Put Down: The Outlaw Varjak Paw

2006

Book of the Year: Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)

Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud: Lost and Found

Best Book with Facts: Spud Goes Green by Giles Thaxton (Egmont)

Book I Couldn't Put Down: Blood Fever by Charlie Higson (Puffin)

2005

Book of the Year: Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (Collins)

Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud: The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler (Macmillan)

Best Book with Facts: Explorers Wanted! At the North Pole by Simon Chapman (Egmont)

Book I Couldn't Put Down: Private Peaceful

2004

Book of the Year: Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram (Templar)

Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud: Man on the Moon

Best Book with Facts: The Ultimate Book Guide edited by Daniel Hahn (A & C Black)

Book I Couldn't Put Down: Montmorency by Eleanor Updale (Scholastic)

2003

Book of the Year: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (Scholastic)

Best Book to Read Aloud: Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler (Macmillan)

Best Book with Facts: Pirate Diary by Richard Platt, illus. Chris Riddell (Walker)

Book I Couldn't Put Down: Mortal Engines

2002

Book of the Year: Feather Boy by Nicky Singer (Collins)

Best Book to Read Aloud: Crispin, the Pig Who Had It All by Ted Dewan (Random House)

Best New Information Book: Ada Lovelace: The Computer Wizard of Victorian England by Lucy Lethridge – about Ada Lovelace

Book I Couldn't Put Down: Feather Boy

Voter's Awards:

Best Storybook: The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson (Yearling)

Best Book With Facts In: Terrible Tudors (Horrible Histories series) by Terry Deary, illus. Martin Brown (Scholastic)

2001

Book of the Year: The Wind Singer by William Nicholson (Egmont)

Best Book to Read Aloud: The Bravest Ever Bear by Allan Ahlberg and Paul Howard (Walker)

Book I Couldn't Put Down: The Wind Singer

Best Book to Keep Forever: The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean (Oxford University Press)

Voters' Awards:

Best Storybook: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Bloomsbury)

Best Book of Knowledge: Rotten Romans (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary (Scholastic)

2000

Book of the Year: A Pilgrim's Progress, retelling of The Pilgrim's Progress (1678) by Geraldine McCaughrean, illus. Jason Cockcroft (Hodder)

Special Book to Keep Forever: A Pilgrim's Progress

Book I Couldn't Put Down: Shadow of the Minotaur by Alan Gibbons (Orion)

Best Book to Read Aloud: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler (Macmillan)

Voters' Awards:

Best Book With Facts In It: Guinness World Records (Guinness, 2000)

Book that Made Me Laugh the Loudest: Matilda by Roald Dahl, illus. Quentin Blake (Puffin)

Best Book to Share: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (Bloomsbury)

Shortlists

2015

Best Book with Facts:

Animalium by Jenny Broom, illus. Katie Scott (Big Picture Press)

The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff by Andy Seed, illus. Scott Garrett (Bloomsbury)

Corpse Talk: Season 1 by Adam Murphy (David Fickling Books)

Best Story

The Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen (DoubleDay)

Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death by Chris Riddell (Walker)

The Spy Who Loved School Dinners by Pamela Butchart, illus. Thomas Flintham (Nosy Crow)

2014

Best Book with Facts:

Marvellous Maths by Jonathan Litton, illus. Thomas Flintham (Templar Publishing)

The World in Infographics: Animal Kingdom by Jon Richards illus. Ed Simkins (Wayland)

Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: World War II by Tony Robinson, illus. Del Thorpe (Macmillan)

Favourite Story

Whale Boy by Nicola Davies (Random House)

Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve, illus. Sarah McIntyre (Oxford University Press)

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (Faber & Faber)

2013

Best Book with Facts:

House of Horrors (Horrible Science series) by Nick Arnold, illus. Tony De Saulles (Scholastic)

Fantastic Mr Dahl by Michael Rosen (Puffin)

Walter Tull's Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan (Frances Lincoln Children's Books) – about Walter Tull

Favourite Story

Tom Gates: Genius Ideas (Mostly) by Liz Pichon (Scholastic)

Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes (Walker)

The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas by David Almond, illus. Oliver Jeffers (Walker )

2012

Best Book with Facts:

The Official Countdown to the London 2012 Games by Simon Hart (Carlton Books)

Discover the Extreme World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, Clive Gifford, John Farndon, Steve Parker, Stewart Ross and Philip Steele (Miles Kelly)

Favourite Story

The Considine Curse by Gareth P. Jones (Bloomsbury)

A Year without Autumn by Liz Kessler (Orion Children's Books)

2011

Most Fun Story with Pictures:

Lunatics and Luck (Raven Mysteries, 3) by Marcus Sedgwick, illus. Pete Williamson (Orion Children's Books)

Alienography by Chris Riddell (Macmillan)

Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree by Andy Stanton, illus. David Tazzyman (Egmont)

Best Book with Facts:

Do Igloos Have Loos by Mitchell Symons (Doubleday)

How the World Works by Christian Dorion, illus. Beverley Young, pop-ups designed by Andy Mansfield (Templar Publishing)

What You Need To Know Now: The World in Facts, Stats, and Graphics by Joe Fullman, Ian Graham, Sally Regan and Isabel Thomas, illus. Sheila Collins, Mik Gates, Jim Green, Katie Knutton, Phillip Letsu and Hoa Luc (Dorling Kindersley)

Favourite Story

Dead Man's Cove (Laura Marlin Mystery, 1) by Lauren St John (Orion Children's Books)

A Web of Air (Mortal Engines prequel) by Philip Reeve (Scholastic Children's Books)

Tall Story by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books)

2010

Most Fun Story with Pictures:

Peter the Penguin Pioneer by Daren King (Quercus)

Spells by Emily Gravett (Macmillan)

Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things by Guy Bass (Stripes)

Best Book with Facts:

Usborne Lift-the-flap Picture Atlas by Alex Frith and Kate Leake (Usborne)

Tail-End Charlie by Mick Manning and Brita Granström (Frances Lincoln Children's Books)

Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You by Mitchell Symons (Red Fox)

Book I couldn't Put Down

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan)

The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin (Stripes)

Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes (Oxford)

2009

Most Fun Story with Pictures:

Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton and David Tazzyman (Egmont)

Fleabag by Helen Stephens (Alison Green Books)

Lost! The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong, illus. Rowan Clifford (Puffin Books)

Best Book with Facts:

Archaeology Detectives by Simon Adams (Oxford University Press)

100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne (A & C Black)

Planet in Peril (Horrible Geography series) by Anita Ganeri, illus. Mike Phillips (Scholastic)

The Book I Couldn't Put Down:

Abela by Berlie Doherty (Andersen Press)

Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Corgi)

Foul Play by Tom Palmer (Puffin)

2008

Prize didn't run.

2007

Most Fun Story with Pictures:

Melrose and Croc Together at Christmas by Emma Chichester Clark

Charlie Cook's Favourite Books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum by Andy Stanton and David Tazzyman

Best Book with Facts:

Why is Snot Green? by Glenn Murphy

The Worst Children's Jobs in History by Tony Robinson

A Little Guide to Wild Flowers by Charlotte Voake

The Book I Couldn't Put Down:

Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

The Bad Spy's Guide by Pete Johnson

The Outlaw Varjak Paw by S. F. Said, illus. Dave McKean

2006

Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud:

Traction Man is Here by Mini Grey

Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)

Guess Who's Coming for Dinner by John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell

Best Book with Facts:

Connor's Eco Den by Pippa Goodhart

Poo by Nicola Davies and Neal Layton

Spud Goes Green by Giles Thaxton (Egmont)

Book I Couldn't Put Down:

GRK and the Pelotti Gang by Joshua Doder

Blood Fever by Charlie Higson (Puffin)

The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo

2005

Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud:

The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler (Macmillan)

Biscuit Bear by Mini Grey (Red Fox)

Aristotle by Dick King-Smith, illus. Bob Graham (Walker)

Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale, retelling of "Rapunzel" by Lynn Roberts, illus. David Roberts (Chrysalis)

Best Book with Facts:

Explorers Wanted! At the North Pole by Simon Chapman (Egmont)

What's My Family Tree? by Mick Manning, illus. Brita Granström (Watts)

Art Fraud Detective by Anna Nilsen, illus. Andy Parker (Kingfisher)

Rome in spectacular cross-section by Andrew Solway, illus. Stephen Biesty (Oxford University Press)

Book I Couldn't Put Down:

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan)

SilverFin by Charlie Higson (Puffin)

Thora by Gillian Johnson (Hodder)

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (Collins)

2004

Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud:

The Woman Who Won Things by Allan Ahlberg, illus. Katharine McEwen (Walker Books)

Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram (Templar)

Quiet! by Paul Bright, illus. Guy Parker Rees (Little Tiger Press)

Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths by Lucy Coats, illus. Anthony Lewis (Orion)

The Smartest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler (Macmillan)

Best Book with Facts:

Journey into the Arctic by Bryan and Cherry Alexander (OUP)

Brilliant Brits: Shakespeare by Richard Brassey (Orion)

Who is Emily Davison? by Claudia Fitzherbert (Short Books)

The Ultimate Book Guide edited by Daniel Hahn (A & C Black)

I Spy: Shapes in Art by Lucy Micklethwaite (Collins)

Book I Couldn't Put Down:

Stealing Stacey by Lynne Reid Banks (Collins)

Fat Boy Swim by Catherine Forde (Egmont)

The Garbage King by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan)

When Mum Threw Out the Telly by E. F. Smith (Orchard Books)

Montmorency by Eleanor Updale (Scholastic)

References

Blue Peter Book Award Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

Contents

Winners

Shortlists

References