Since 2014, the Brilliant Book Award has celebrated the latest and most exciting books for readers in Years 7 to 9 in secondary schools.
The shortlisted titles are handpicked by our librarians, giving pupils the opportunity to discover and enjoy some of the best new books available through the autumn term. The award is a great way to encourage reading for pleasure in schools and gives young people the opportunity to attend a live, day-long event to meet and hear from the shortlisted authors.
Shortlist
Rosie Raja: Churchill's Spy by Sufiya Ahmed
Jamie by L.D Lapinski
When Things Went Wild by Tom Mitchell
S.T.E.A.L.T.H Access Denied by Jason Rohan
The Asparagus Bunch by Jessica Scott-Whyte
The Octopus, Dadu and Me by Lucy Ann Unwin
Winner 2024
Rosie Raja: Churchill's Spy by Sufiya Ahmed
July, 1941. Rosie Raja is half-Indian and half-English. She has always lived in India, so when her mother passes away and she moves to England (where it rains all the time) she is miserable and doesn't have any friends. Life changes dramatically for Rosie when she discovers that her army captain father is actually a spy for the British government. She can't bear to be left behind so she stows away in his plane. Finding herself in occupied France, Rosie is soon drawn into the struggle against the Nazis. With new allies and new enemies at every turn, she must help her father complete his mission, and more importantly... make sure they both get home alive.
An absolutely stunning book. I loved the WWII fiction and the characters were so interesting. I really related with Rosie and I understood her back story very well. I love the historical fare! This must have been one of my favourite books of all!
I really liked it because it was so wholesome with the people in the book and I really liked of how to be a spy and it was so historical for the lessons
I loved the book because it was so adventurous and really exiting. I loved the courage of the characters and how they acted. I rate this 11 out of 10!
Runner Up
Jamie by L.D Lapinski
Jamie Rambeau is a happy 11-year-old non-binary kid who likes nothing better than hanging out with their two best friends Daisy and Ash. And when Jamie realises no one has thought about where they are going to go, they decide to take matters into their own hands, and sort it all out once and for all. As the friends' efforts to raise awareness eventually become a rooftop protest against the binary rules for the local schools, Jamie realises that if they don't figure out a way forwards, they might be at risk of losing both their friends forever.
