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Notes

  • 1982 -

Latest Winners / Recipients

Year: 2024

winner y separately published work icon Scar Town Tristan Bancks , Melbourne : Puffin , 2023 26224703 2023 single work novel young adult

'Twelve-year-old Will Haddon and his twin friends, Dar and Juno, find a safe full of money and human bones in an old house that’s sticking out of a rapidly receding lake amid the worst drought in history. Their mission to identify the body reveals secrets that will rewrite the history of their town and the story of their lives. 

'When Will was five, his dad, a young cop, went missing just days before Old Scarborough was drowned beneath a man-made lake for a hydroelectric scheme. Old Scarborough’s residents were promised new houses, jobs, tourist dollars and a fresh start, but hardly any of it materialised. Neither did Will’s dad. And he’s not the only person to go missing from this bad-luck town.

'Will, Dar and Juno are forced on a dangerous journey to discover the truth in a town that wants the past to stay buried' (Publication summary)   

Year: 2023

winner y separately published work icon Runt Craig Silvey , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2022 24795198 2022 single work children's fiction children's

'A heart-warming, funny, beautifully told story for readers of all ages from the bestselling author of Jasper Jones and Honeybee.

''You don't have to carry the weight of the world in your tool belt.'

'Annie Shearer likes to fix things. She lives in the country town of Upson Downs with her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt. The two share a very special bond.

'After years evading capture, Runt is remarkably fast and agile, perfect for herding runaway sheep. But when greedy local landowner Earl Robert-Barren puts her family's home at risk, Annie directs Runt's extraordinary talents towards a different pursuit - winning the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London.

'However, two things stand in her way.

'There is Fergus Fink, a vain and villainous dog handler determined to prevent Annie from upstaging him.

'And a curious predicament: Runt will only obey Annie's commands if nobody else is watching.

'Though she's used to fixing problems on her own, Annie enlists the help of her quirky family. There's Susie, her vibrantly fashionable mother, who is the worst baker in the nation. Her father, Bryan, who inherited the family farm and has a hidden passion for flower cultivation. Her teenage brother Max, an aspiring daredevil. And her grandmother Dolly, a one time champion sportswoman who, years after the death of her husband Wally, is now looking for love. Each make sacrifices and employ their own unique skills to get Annie and Runt to London.

'With all eyes on them, Annie and Runt must beat the odds and the fastest dogs in the world to save her farm.

'Runt is a heartwarming and hilarious tale of kindness, friendship, hurdles, hoops, tunnels, see-saws, and, above all, being yourself and bringing out the best in others.' (Publication summary)

winner y separately published work icon August and Jones Pip Harry , Sydney : Lothian , 2022 24411373 2022 single work children's fiction children's

'From the CBCA Award-winning author of The Little Wave comes the story of two extraordinary kids who discover the life-changing power of friendship and teamwork.

'Eleven-year-old Jones Kirby has just moved to Sydney from her farm in country New South Wales. She's missing her alpacas and wide-open paddocks and can't get used to her family's tiny city apartment. She's also worried that her vision is blurry - she lost her eye to cancer as a toddler. Could it be another tumour?

'Enrolling at her new school, Jones meets shy, awkward August Genting. He loves fun facts, the library and knitting as much as Jones loves rock climbing and being outdoors. Who would have thought they'd become fast friends?

'At home, August's parents are fighting. And for Jones, the news from the doctor is not good. To cheer themselves up, the pair hatch a brilliant plan: the August and Jones Must-See Bucket List. Together, this brave duo will set out to meet a rare monkey, run across the Harbour Bridge and even climb Australia's highest mountain.'  (Publication summary)

Shadow Judging Book of the Year Awards

Year: 2022

winner y separately published work icon A Glasshouse of Stars Shirley Marr , Melbourne : Puffin , 2021 20977819 2021 single work children's fiction children's fantasy

'Meixing Lim and her family have arrived at the New House in the New Land, inherited from First Uncle who died tragically and unexpectedly while picking oranges in the backyard. Everything is vast and unknown to Meixing and not in a good way, including the house she has dubbed Big Scary. She is embarrassed by the second-hand shoes given to her by the kind neighbours, has trouble understanding the language at school, and with fitting in and making new friends. Her solace is a glasshouse in the garden that inexplicably holds the sun and the moon and all the secrets of her memory and imagination.

'Her fragile universe is rocked when tragedy strikes and Ma Ma refuses to face the world outside. Meixing finds herself trapped within the shrinking walls of Big Scary. Her parents said this would be a better life for them all, but it feels like the worst and most heart-breaking experience of Meixing's entire existence. Surviving will take all the resilience and inner belief of this brave girl to turn their world around.

'A Glasshouse of Stars is based on the real childhood experiences of the author, brushed with a light touch of magic realism.' (Publication summary)

winner (Shadowers' Choice Award) y separately published work icon Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief Katrina Nannestad , Sydney : ABC Books , 2021 22124116 2021 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction

'Award-winning writer Katrina Nannestad transports us to Russia and the Great Patriotic War and into the life of Sasha, a soldier at only six years old ...

'Wood splinters and Mama screams and the nearest soldier seizes her roughly by the arms. My sister pokes her bruised face out from beneath the table and shouts, 'Run, Sasha! Run!'

'So I run. I run like a rabbit.

'It's spring, 1942. The sky is blue, the air is warm and sweet with the scent of flowers.

'And then everything is gone.

'The flowers, the proud geese, the pretty wooden houses, the friendly neighbours. Only Sasha remains.

'But one small boy, alone in war-torn Russia, cannot survive.

'One small boy without a family cannot survive.

'One small boy without his home cannot survive.

'What that small boy needs is an army.' (Publication summary)

Year: 2021

winner y separately published work icon Aster’s Good, Right Things Kate Gordon , Manly : Yellow Brick Books , 2020 20492755 2020 single work children's fiction children's

'Aster attends a school for gifted kids, but she doesn’t think she’s special at all. If she was, her mother wouldn’t have left. And if she isn’t careful, everyone else will leave her too.

'Each day Aster must do a good, right thing – a challenge she sets herself, to make someone else’s life better. Nobody can know about her ‘things’, because then they won’t count. And if she doesn’t do them, she knows everything will go wrong.
Then she meets Xavier. He wears princess pajamas and has his own kind of special missions to make life better. When they do these missions together, Aster feels free…but if she stops doing her good, right things will everything fall apart?' (Publication summary)

Year: 2020

winner y separately published work icon The Little Wave Pip Harry , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2019 15423250 2019 single work children's fiction children's

'When a Manly school sets out to bring a country class to the city for a beach visit, three very different kids find each other and themselves.

'Noah is fearless in the surf. Being at the beach makes him feel free. So where does his courage go when his best mate pushes him around?

'Lottie loves collecting facts about bugs, but she wishes her dad would stop filling their lonely house with junk. She doesn’t know what to do about it.

'Jack wants to be a cricket star, but first he has to get to school and look after his little sister. Especially if he wants to go on the class trip and see the ocean for the first time.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Works About this Award

Judges Comments on the Winner and Honour Books : Younger Readers 2014 single work column
— Appears in: Reading Time , August 2014;
Author Makes a Name for Herself Penny Moodie , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 22 August 2009; (p. 4)
Younger Readers Elizabeth Fensham , 2006 single work column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of The Children's Book Council of Australia , November vol. 50 no. 4 2006; (p. 5-6)
Younger Readers Sonya Hartnett , 2005 single work column
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , November vol. 49 no. 4 2005; (p. 3)
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