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Meet the Shortlisted Authors

Picture Books

Speak Up!
Written by Nathan Bryon, Illustrated by Dapo Adeola
Published by Puffin

Instagram: @NathanBryon  X: @NathanBryon  

Instagram: @dapsdraws  X: @DapsDraws

Speak Up! Picture book featuring a child speaking into a megaphone

One Hungry Dragon
Written by Alastair Chisholm, Illustrated by Alex Willmore
Published by Hachette

Instagram: @alastairchisholm  X: @alastair_ch

Picture Book Cover 'One Hungry Dragon' with an orange dragon eating on the front cover

Mavis the Bravest
Written by Lu Fraser, Illustrated by Sarah Warburton
Published by Simon and Schuster

Instagram: @lu.fraser  X: @_lufraser

Mavis the Bravest picture book cover with a chicken sat on a fence with wool and knitting needles

That's MY Flower
Written by Alice Hemming, Illustrated by Nicola Slater
Published by Scholastic

Instagram: @alicehemmingauthor Blog: alicehemming.co.uk/

picture book 'That's MY Flower' with a cartoon squirrel and wooden tree stump

Shorter Novels

My Mum is a Spy
Written by Andy McNab and Jess French, Illustrated by Nathan Reed

Published by Welbeck

Andy McNab: 

Facebook: @AndyMcNabOfficial X: @The_Real_McNab 

Jess French: 

Instagram: @_jess_french X: @Zoologist_Jess

My Mum is Spy book cover with three cartoon children and an orangutan

Adventure Mice: Otter Chaos

Written by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre
Published by David Fickling


Philip Reeve

Instagram:@thesolitarybee X: @philipree

Sarah McIntyre

Facebook: @illustratrix  Instagram: @jabberworks X: @jabberworks

adventure mice otter chaos book cover with a cartoon otter in the sea and a cartoon boat with cartoon mice

adventure mice otter chaos book cover 

Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions

Written by Carrie Sellon, Illustrated by Sarah Horne

Published by Guppy Books

Twitter: @carrie_sellon

pizza pete book cover featuring a young boy with ginger hair and a pizza at the top of it

The Tyrannosaur's Feathers

Written by Dr Adam S. Smith, Jonathan Emmett, Illustrated by Stieven Van Der Poorten

Published by Uclan Publishing

Jonathan Emmett 

Web: jonathanemmett.com   X: @JonathanEmmett  Facebook: @JonathanEmmettAuthor  Instagram: @jonathanemmett

Adam Smith

Web: plesiosauria.com/author/   Facebook: @adam.stuart.smith   Instagram: @adamstuartsmith 

Stieven Van der Poorten

Web: stieven.com   X: @StievenVdP  Facebook: @stieven.vanderpoorten  Instagram: @stievenvdp

The tyrannosuars feathers book cover featuring an illustration of a dinosaur

Longer Novels

Lost on Gibbon Island
Written by Jess Butterworth
Published by Hachette Childrens

Instagram: @jessbutterworthauthor Blog: jessbutterworth.com/

lost on gibbon island book cover with an orangutan in the top right corner and green leaves

Glitter Boy
Written by Ian Eagleton
Published by Scholastic

Instagram: @ian.eagleton X: @MrEagletonIan

glitter boy book cover featuring a young boy smiling, raising his arms and wearing a rainbow tshirt

The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder
Written by Kereen Getten
Published by Pushkin Childrens

the case of the lighthouse intruder book cover featuring a group of children looking up at a lighthouse
My Name is Sunshine Simpson
Written by G. M Linton

Published by Usborne

X: @glintinhereye

book cover for my name is sunshine simpson featuring an illustration of three children and the sun in the background