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
I Am Wolf by Alastair Chisholm
Sisters of the Moon by Marie -Louise Fitzpatrick
Running Away for Beginners by Mark Illis
Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler
King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore
The Deadsoul Project: The Night House Files by Dan Smith
Winner 2026
The Deadsoul Project: The Night House Files by Dan Smith
A sci-fi horror novel where siblings Kyle and Lauren Dempsey encounter a terrifying mystery in their Alpine Heights apartment building after their stepdad, Connor, returns changed from being supposedly killed in action. As residents fall ill with a mysterious virus and develop strange physical and ocular symptoms, the siblings uncover a sinister government experiment and fight for survival against a monstrous entity.
I really liked this book! This is one of the usual types of books I would read! I love all the characters in the book and some of the pages sent shivers down my spine! I loved the illustrations I think they added a lot of detail! I also really appreciated the detail of the description. The description painted a picture in my mind and I would really love to read more books by this author!
I absolutely LOVED this book. It had great plot twists in it and the front cover caught my eye the second I read the blurb. Well done!
I really liked the plot and how intense some scenes were and unlike most stories it didn't have a happy ending! I enjoyed how the plot slowly came together as well.
One of the best books I have ever read loved how scary it was. All the action got my heart running. A great read. :)
Runner Up
Coll is Wolf. He lives with his clan on a Construct, a huge technological "creature" driven by the clan's combined willpower. Together they roam their world, fighting other clans and absorbing them into their own. But when a new and dangerous Construct attacks them, Coll is thrown clear from Wolf and left behind. Now he must survive life on ground and get back to his clan. He is helped by Rieka, a "Tock" who makes the Constructs work. She promises Coll a way to return, but can she be trusted? And what is she really trying to do...? When Coll uncovers the truth, it destroys everything he thought he knew about his clan, the world they live in, and even himself. In a world full of danger, and suddenly without meaning, can he find a way back?
