Best Books

The shortlist for this year’s An Post Irish Book Awards has been announced, with many of the most popular young people’s books we’ve loved this year featuring.

The Awards new sponsor, An Post, has launched a campaign #ReadersWanted, to celebrate the joy of reading and encouraging everyone to pick up more books, more often. The public are being asked to cast their votes online for the best books of the year at irishbookawards. You can vote until Friday, November 23, and the winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony in Dublin on Tuesday, November 27.

Young people’s book are recognised in the following categories:

NATIONAL BOOK TOKENS CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR (JUNIOR)

The First Christmas Jumper (And the Sheep Who Changed Everything) – Ryan Tubridy, illus. Chris Judge ( Walker) The Magic Moment – Niall Breslin, illus. Sheena Dempsey (Gill) The President’s Cat – Peter Donnelly (Gill) Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth – Oliver Je ers (HarperCollins) The Pooka Party – Shona Shirley Macdonald (O’Brien) I Say Ooh, You Say Aah –

John Kane ( Templar Press)

NATIONAL BOOK TOKENS CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR (SENIOR)

Tin – Pádraig Kenny (Chicken House)

The Trouble with Perfect – Helena Duggan (Usborne) Secret Science: The Amazing World Beyond Your Eyes – Dara Ó Briain illus. Dan Brammall (Scholastic)

The Storm Keeper’s Island – Catherine Doyle (Bloomsbury)

Blazing A Trail – Irish Women Who Changed the World – Sarah Webb, illus. Lauren O’Neill (O’Brien) The Dog Who Lost His Bark – Eoin Colfer illus. P.J Lynch ( Walker)

DEPT 51@EASON TEEN / YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE YEAR

Doctor Who: Twelve Angels Weeping – Dave Rudden (BBC Children’s Books) The Surface Breaks – Louise O’Neill (Scholastic) The Wren Hunt – Mary Watson (Bloomsbury) The Weight of a Thousand Feathers – Brian Conaghan (Bloomsbury) Spare and Found Parts – Sarah Maria Gri n ( Titan Books) Dark Wood Dark Water – Tina

Callaghan (Poolbeg)