As the end of term approaches, we've rounded up some of the news you need to know from the children's book world. Dip in for new research, recent award-winners and significant announcements that will help you stay connected and informed.
The annual What Kids Are Reading report, released today, revealed that young people’s reading tastes diverge dramatically by the start of secondary school – with girls enjoying a more eclectic repertoire of teen fiction, and boys continuing to read Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Among girls in Years 7 to 9, the most popular titles include Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper, Holly Jackson’s murder mystery A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Katie Kirby’s Lottie Brooks series, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. In contrast, the data shows that many boys reach the age of 14 still reading the books that topped the charts when they were nine. Eight of the 10 most-read books for boys belong to Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid series – which is written primarily for younger readers.
The findings come from the 18th annual What Kids Are Reading report, produced by Renaissance Learning. Their research tracked 23 million books read by almost 1.1 million children across the UK and Ireland in 2024-25.
Commenting on the report, Victoria Dilly, CEO of the School Library Association said "This report reinforces what we know about choice and agency - when children can choose what they read and are interested in the subject matter, they are far more engaged.
It also highlights the importance of supportive adults enabling children's developing reading journeys: having a school librarian on hand to guide, listen and make reading recommendations is essential in encouraging children to take the next step. The ongoing worrying trend around a total lack of time to discover what to read and then be given an opportunity to enjoy it, clearly needs addressing, as does funding for schools so they can diversify their collections to be as appealing as possible and ensure all children have access to a staffed school library.
The School Library Association's Reading Reboot programme takes this formula of time, choice and support and puts young people at the heart of its approach to encouraging reading enjoyment. We are excited to see the impact this has on reading over the next three years."
Inclusive Books for Children has announced a major expansion of its book-gifting programme, with plans to gift more than 10,000 diverse and inclusive books to primary schools. Each IBC Book Box (worth around £800) contains hand-picked, expert-reviewed, inclusive children’s titles, comprising mainly fiction picture books, board books, chapter books and anthologies for three to 11-year-olds.
Sophie Hostick-Boakye, the charity’s book box coordinator, said: “Reading surveys have shown that for some children, continually not seeing diverse cultures and identities reflected in book characters can mean reading motivation suffers. IBC Book Box addresses this disconnect. Every title in every box is reviewed by experts with relevant lived experience, ensuring schools receive high quality books with representation that’s authentic, not tokenistic, and rings true for all children.”
In awards news, The Week Junior Book Awards shortlist has been announced, with 73 books featured across 12 categories including Wellbeing, STEM, Graphic Novel and Audiobook. Jack Mackay’s Gloam leads the charge, being nominated in both the Audiobook and Breakthrough categories and you can read more about Jack and his career to date in the Autumn issue of TSL. Voting for the Children’s Choice and Cover of the Year Awards is live until 4 September 2026 – you can vote for your favourites here.
Fidan Meikle has won the Jhalak Children’s and YA Prize. My Name is Samim, her debut Middle Grade novel, explores the experiences of the titular 13-year-old narrator, an unaccompanied Afghan child seeking asylum in the UK. One of the judges, author Lanisha Butterfield, said the book “deserves to be on school curriculums nationwide.”
The YA Book Awards shortlist have been announced, with the ten books on the line-up featuring themes as diverse as mental health, mythology, and murder. William Hussey’s The Boy I Love explores forbidden romance between two World War I soldiers, while Laura Steven’s and Caroline O’Donoghue’s books both explore time travel and love through the ages. The winner will be announced on 27 August.
The winners of the 2026 Carnegies were announced at a ceremony earlier this week. Beth O’Brien won both the Carnegie Medal for Writing and the Shadowers’ Choice Award for Writing for Wolf Siren, a feminist reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood. The book garnered praise for its “fresh” and “bold” storytelling and the “richly layered symbolism” which is used to explore accessibility and visual impairment.
Kate Rolfe’s Wiggling Words won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, a picture book exploring the reading experience for people with dyslexia. Judges praised the innovative typography and use of colour, as well as the depiction of a “transformative journey” celebrating the process of learning to read. Aimée de Jongh’s graphic novel retelling of Lord of the Flies took the Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration.
With a new Children’s Laureate set to be announced on 7 July, now is a good time to reflect and pay tribute to our patron Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s achievements in the role. Frank’s tenure has been defined by his belief that every child has the right to grow up reading. With that in mind, he launched the campaign Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future, shining a light on the importance of early reading. In January 2025, he hosted a Reading Rights Summit to address the “‘invisible privilege and inequality” within books and reading. Frank is currently acting as chair of judges for the inaugural Children’s Booker Prize.
Finally, the winners of the School Library Association 2026 Information Book Award will be announced next week! Find out who both the judges and children have chosen as their winners after the ceremony on Thursday 2 July.