Children's Book Council of Australia Awards 2023
August 2023
Below is the shortlist of books for the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Awards. Further information can be found on the CBCA website. Click on the links to be taken to their entries in our catalogue and place a hold.
Alternatively, Storybox has many of these books in their catalogue, along with activity for each book. You will need your library card and PIN to access the site. Storybox is an online resource where you can have your favourite stories read by Australia's best storytellers.
Book of the Year - Older Readers
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers in their secondary years of schooling. Ages 13-18 years.
Note: Books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended
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Ask no questions (a migrant's tale)
by Eva Collins
With a third of Australians born and around half with one parent born overseas, migration stories are a crucial part of our national experience. In her verse novel, Ask No Questions, Eva Collins writes spare affecting lines about her own experience as a teenager when her parents decided to emigrate from Poland to Australia.
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Completely normal (and other lies)
by Biffy James
Honour award
Love has rules. So does grief. And Stella Wilde's about to break them all... Stella Wilde is secretly in love with Isaac Calder. He already has a girlfriend -- the gorgeous Grace Reyes -- but he seems to love Stella back. He even promises Stella he'll break up with Grace. But then Isaac is killed in a car accident, and Stella is left wondering who Isaac really had feelings for. So when Stella and Grace unexpectedly become friends, Stella hides the fact that she and Isaac were together. After all, being friends with Grace -- at least until the truth comes out -- is completely normal. Isn't it?
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The greatest thing
by Sarah Winifred Searle
It's the first day of Grade Ten, and Winifred is going to reinvent herself. Now that her two best (and only) friends have transferred to a private school, Win must navigate high school on her own. Luckily, she isn't alone for long. In art class, she meets Oscar and April. They don't look or act like the typical teenagers in her town: they're creative, a little rebellious and seem comfortable in their own skin in a way that Win can only dream of. But even though Winifred is breaking out of her shell, there's one secret she can't bear to admit to April and Oscar, or even to herself and this lie threatens everything. Win needs to face her own truths, but she doesn't need to do it alone. Through the healing power of friendship, Win finds and accepts what it means to be herself.
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Neverlanders
by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva
Winner Book of the Year 2023
Bee and her fellow runaways are their own found family. So when a stranger named Paco saves her life, Bee invites him to join their crew, thinking he's another lost teen. The truth is Paco's not just a lost teen, he's a Lost Boy from Neverland. And he needs Bee and the others to come back with him. When the group is then spirited away by a foul-mouthed Tinker Bell, they discover that Neverland is not some fun-filled hideaway. It's a war zone under siege by a horde of pirates with a merciless new leader who will stop at nothing to steal the land's magic. Tink leads a fairy army that barely holds them at bay. Peter Pan is gone. And rest of the Lost Boys have been killed. Paco is all that remains... but he hopes that this group of teens will become the new Lost Ones. These young runaways may be Neverland's only hope - but they're about to learn that it'll take a lot more than happy thoughts to win a war.
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The other side of tomorrow
by Hayley Lawrence
Honour award
What if you thought you had forever ... to live your life, to tell your story. But what if forever was taken from you? When your tomorrows are counted, all you have is this moment. And this story you wish was never yours to tell. When Abby traded her life in the city for a wholesome new life on the coast, it was meant to be a fresh start for her family. Behind them was the sickness and sadness of the past. But sickness doe not always play by the rules. And as Abby's past threatens to swallow her future, she is forced to decide what is most important. What she will fight for. And she will fight. For however many days she has left.
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What we all saw
by Mike Lucas
Witches only exist in stories. Everyone knows that. But what if the stories are real? Four friends. Four truths. One nightmare. If you wander into the wood... If you hear scratching sounds from the Old Quarry...If you go too close to the edge...Watch out!.
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Book of the Year: Younger Readers
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for readers from the middle to upper primary years. 7-12 years.
Note: Some of the titles in this category may only be suitable for readers who are in the upper primary years as they contain mature themes, including violence. Parental guidance is recommended.
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August & Jones
by Pip Harry
Eleven-year-old Jones Kirby has just moved to Sydney from her farm in country New South Wales. She's missing her alpacas and wide-open paddocks and can't get used to her family's tiny city apartment. She's also worried that her vision is blurry -- she lost her eye to cancer as a toddler. Could it be another tumour? Enrolling at her new school, Jones meets shy, awkward August Genting. He loves fun facts, the library and knitting as much as Jones loves rock climbing and being outdoors. Who would have thought they'd become fast friends? At home, August's parents are fighting. And for Jones, the news from the doctor is not good. To cheer themselves up, the pair hatch a brilliant plan: the August and Jones Must-See Bucket List. Together, this brave duo will set out to meet a rare monkey, run across the Harbour Bridge and even climb Australia's highest mountain. After all, with your best friend beside you, anything is possible!
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Evie and Rhino
by Neridah and Astred Hicks
Honour award
1891. On a stormy night off the coast of southern Australia, a ship transporting a cargo of exotic animals tosses and turns in enormous seas. Rhino senses they are in grave danger... Not far away, ten-year-old Evie and her grandfather shelter in their crumbling, once-grand old home. They know too well how deadly storms can be. When all is calm, Evie treks over the dunes to the sea and makes a discovery that will change her life, and Rhino's, forever. Will the tragedies of their pasts finally be put to rest?
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The raven's song
by Zara Fraillon and Bren MacDibble
Honour award
We've been told over and over we're the generation that waits for the world to recover. We endure the heat. We endure the storms, the wrecking floods, the long droughts, the days of smoke as fire burns, coz this is what the honoured earth does when she's trying to recover. Shelby and her best friend Davy live quiet low-tech lives in a closed community that is made up of exactly three hundred and fifty kind, ethical people living on exactly seven hundred hectares. When they climb through a hole in the perimeter fence to venture into the surrounding jungle, what they find is more astonishing than anything they could have imagined. And when Shelby realises the terrible danger that is unfolding, it will take all of her daring and determination to ensure the past does not repeat itself.
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Runt
by Craig Silvey and Sara Acton
Winner Book of the Year 2023
Annie Shearer lives in the country town of Upson Downs with her best friend, an adopted stray dog called Runt. The two share a very special bond. After years evading capture, Runt is remarkably fast and agile, perfect for herding runaway sheep. But when a greedy local landowner puts her family's home at risk, Annie directs Runt's extraordinary talents towards a different pursuit - winning the Agility Course Grand Championship at the lucrative Krumpets Dog Show in London. However, there is a curious catch: Runt will only obey Annie's commands if nobody else is watching. With all eyes on them, Annie and Runt must beat the odds and the fastest dogs in the world to save her farm.
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The way of dog
by Zana Fraillon and Sean Buckingham
Scruffity is born into the harsh, grey world of a puppy farm. Taken from his mamma and locked in a concrete cage, what he yearns for most is Family. To belong is The Way of Dog. But no one wants him. Just as his chances of adoption grow dangerously thin, Scruffity is set free by a boy as unwanted and lonely as he is. Outside, Scruffity learns all about The Way of Dog - it is to run, to dig, to howl and, biggest of all, to love. But when tragedy strikes, Scruffity is suddenly all alone. How does a dog find his way home when he never had one to begin with?
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Xavier in the meantime
by Kate Gordon
Sometimes Xavier wakes up feeling hopeless. Every new doctor ... this will fix it. Removing him from school ... this will fix it. The therapy group ... this will fix it. And his dad moving out. Maybe, this will fix it. His daily affirmations seem to be helping, yet the black dog never really goes away. But Xavier has a plan. Enlisting the help of best friend Aster, he tries to convince his dad to turn the family hogget farm into a therapy retreat for the group session kids. But he is up against decades of tradition, his parents who are on a break, and the spectre of the black dog. Can Xavier learn to cherish the moments in between the struggles-the moments in the meantime?
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Book of the Year: Early Childhood
Entries in this category may be fiction, drama or poetry and should be appropriate in style and content for children who are at pre-reading or early stages of reading. Ages 0-6 years.
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Bev and Kev
by Katrina Germein and Mandy Foot
Honour award
Bev is tall and Kev is small. An unlikely pair! Could this be the beginning of a very big friendship? A heartwarming tale about learning to love yourself and the value of a true friend.
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Jigsaw : a puzzle in the post
by Bob Graham
Serendipity and positive thinking come into play as a family searches for a missing puzzle piece in Bob Graham's enchanting story with a sweet surprise ending. "Oh, let's do it!" say Kitty and Katy and Mum when a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle mysteriously arrives in the post. "I have time on my hands," agrees Dad. Starting in winter with the edges, by autumn they're almost done, only to discover that one piece is missing. Mum is sure that it must have accidentally gone out with the rubbish, so the Kellys pile into the car to comb through the local tip ("shouldn't take long"). There they uncover forgotten letters, train tickets, discarded newspapers, and old photos yellow with age, but finding the missing piece is starting to seem like wishful thinking. "Let's wish, then," says Katy.
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Lionel and me
by Corinne Fenton and Tracie Grimwood
When Lionel arrives, Maverick is unimpressed. Is there enough love to go round for the two of them? A delightful book that celebrates inclusion and friendship.
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Market Day
by Carrie Gallasch and Hannah Sommerville
When a girl is given a coin to spend at the market, she thinks carefully about what to buy. She is tempted by the towering stacks of fruit, spinning rides and glass jars filled with sweets. But it isn't until a stranger gives something to her, without expecting anything in return, that she knows exactly what to do with her coin.
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Snap!
by Anna Walker
Honour award
Tap, tap, tap. Frog thinks there's no one else in the forest, but you never know what's just around the corner ... A rollicking and hilarious soundscape adventure for the smallest of readers
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Where the lyrebird lives
by Vikki Conley and Max Hamilton
Winner Book of the Year 2023
High in the mountains through the sleepy clouds. Deep in the forest past the chiming birds. Will we see the lyrebird? I don't know. Tip-toe, tip-toe. The beauty of the Australian rainforest and the magic of family-time come together in this lyrical and delightful story of intergenerational connection, habitat and adventure.
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Picture Book of the Year
Entries in this category should be outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity or, in wordless picture books, where the story, theme or concept is unified through illustrations. Ages 0-18 years.
Note: Some of these books may be for mature readers.
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Dirt by sea
by Michael Wagner and Tom Jellett
Honour award
Daisy lives in inland Australia with her dad and her grandparents. It's home, and she loves the red dirt land around her. But when her dad realises that she's never seen the beach and thinks the Australian anthem is about a country 'dirt by sea', he sets off to show her the ocean in a once-in-a-lifetime father-daughter trip along the Australian coast, inspired by the first holiday he took with Daisy's mum.
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Farmhouse
by Sophie Blackall
Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artefacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy. Join the award-winning, bestselling Sophie Blackall as she takes readers on an enchanting visit to a farmhouse across time, to witness the way that history spins stories.
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Frank's red hat
by Sean E Avery
Frank is a penguin with ideas. Mostly terrible ones. That's why his fellow penguins are nervous when he shows them his strange new creation. Something they'd never seen or expected to see in their cold and colourless Antarctic world - a red hat.
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My strange shrinking parents
by Zeno Sworder
Winner Book of the Year 2023
It goes without saying that we all believe our parents to be strange. Mine were unusual for a different reason than most. So begins an imaginative account of growing up different, the transformative power of love and the shape that a life can take.
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Our dreaming
by Kirli Saunders and Dub Leffler
Honours - Picture Book of the Year
Goodjagah, little one, walk with me ... I want to tell you our Dreaming as the Elders told it to me. Award-winning storytellers, Gunai woman Kirli Saunders and Bigambul man Dub Leffler, explore a deep love and respect for Country and all her spirits ... past, present and beyond.
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Paradise sands : a story of enchantment
by Levi Pinfold
Honour award
An enchanting tale of haunting places and mystical bargains, sumptuously illustrated by Levi Pinfold. "Washed clean in his pool we fall under his rule. Away from what is, for we are now his." When a young girl and her brothers step into the ghostly Paradise Sands hotel, they fall under the rule of the mysterious Teller. She makes a deal with him to free them all from his haunting paradise. But can she hold up her side of the bargain?
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Eve Pownall Award
Entries in this category should be books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material with consideration given to imaginative presentation, interpretation and variation of style. Ages 0-18 years.
Books in this category are for mature readers and some may deal with particularly challenging themes including violence and suicide. Parental guidance is recommended.
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A is for Australian reefs : a factastic tour
by Frane Lessac
Along the coastline of Australia, underwater reefs are bustling with the most amazing sea creatures living on the planet! A deep dive into the biodiversity of Australia's remarkable coastline from sharks to octopuses to dolphins and manta rays and seahorses -- and the most famous reef of all -- the Great Barrier Reef.
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Amazing animal journeys
by Jennifer Cossins
A beautifully illustrated title chock-full of fascinating animal facts from our bestselling, CBCA award-winning Tasmanian children's author/illustrator, Jennifer Cossins, that focuses on 25 animal species from Australia and around the world with intriguing migration journeys. Did you know that Arctic terns have the longest migration of all animals, from the Arctic to Antarctica? Or that the migration of the Wildebeest is so vast it can be seen from outer space? Come along on these amazing animal journeys! Perfect for readers aged 7+ who delight in learning about the animal kingdom and the world around them.
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Come together : things every Aussie kid should know about the First Peoples
by Isaiah Firebrace, Jaelyn Biumaiwai and Keisha Leon
Honour award
In this book, Isaiah, a Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara man, establishes a foundation of First Nations knowledge with 20 key topics and connects us to each topic through his own personal story and culture, from the importance of Elders to the Dreaming.
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Deep : dive into hidden worlds
by Jess McGeachin
Winner Book of the Year 2023
What hidden worlds lie beneath your feet? Or in the deepest parts of the ocean, where not even sunlight can reach? Come on a journey to meet glowing deep-sea creatures, zombie-making fungi and the trillions of tiny workers that live inside your own body. But be warned, things can get a little strange in the deep ... Deep is an illustrated non-fiction book that explores the places hardest to reach, from the molten depths of our planet to the frigid depths of outer space. Linking seemingly diverse subject matter, it invites the reader to explore worlds hidden from view.
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Opal and Dart
by Vianne Brain and Clare Bradley
This is a story about Opal and Dart, a pair of swallows that migrate in Spring from Queensland to Tasmania. They return to nest where Dart was hatched, to raise a family of their own. Arriving safely, they have problems with new neighbours that have settled in the garden since Dart left last Autumn.
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Wild Australian life
by Leonard Cronin and Chris Nixon
Honour award
More than one million animal species make their homes in Australia - from the deepest oceans to the tops of mountains and the harshest deserts. But just how do they survive? Discover the remarkable stories behind some of the world's most extraordinary animals.
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CBCA Award for New Illustrator
This Award aims to recognise and encourage new talent in the field of Australian children's book illustration. Ages 0-18 years.
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Australia from dawn to dusk
by Brentos
It's a new day in Australia. Let's follow the sun! Wake up with kookaburras on Arakwal Country (Byron Bay), bask with wombats on wulinantikala (Cradle Mountain), watch black and red cockatoos flying over Anangu Country, scratch the Daintree Rainforest floor with cassowaries on Kuku Yalanji Country, and go to sleep as quokkas wake up on Whadjuk Noongar Country (Rottnest Island). Welcome to Australia as you've never seen it before: a dreamy pastel-popping ode to the significant places and animals on the land we all call home, from Brentos.
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The best hiding place
by Jane Godwin and Sylvia Morris
Archie has found the best hiding place. But after a while, it feels too quiet. Is the game still on? Has Archie been forgotten? A rich and atmospheric story that captures the highs and lows of hide-and-seek, and the joy of being found.
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Naturopolis
by Deborah Frenkel and Ingrid Bartkowiak
Look closer, look with care And you may find a forest. Among the steel and stone canyons of the city, nature flourishes in tiny, tenacious ways. Follow our tiny friend to discover, celebrate and connect with the urban flora and fauna hiding in plain sight.
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Tiny wonders
by Sally Soweol Han
Winner Book of the Year 2023
Bursting with colour, Tiny Wonders is the story of a small child trying to bring wonder back to her town through the language of flowers, from Korean-Australian artist Sally Soweol Han. April thinks if her town was a colour, it would be grey. Everyone is too busy to stop and look around. How can she help them slow down? When she remembers the happiness that dandelions brought her grandmother, April comes up with a plan... Bursting with colour, this is a sweet story about flowers, family and the wonders children wish for.
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There's no such book
by Jessica Dettman and Jake A. Minton
It's the night before the Book Week parade and Ellie announces that she needs a costume by the morning. Mum, who is taken by surprise, desperately tries to piece together a costume from what's lying around the house... They went into the bathroom. 'Hmm,' said Mum. 'Don't I remember once reading you a book about a monster whose skin looked like it was made of bright green towels?' 'No,' said Ellie. 'There is no such book.' Ellie heads to bed only with Mum's promise that she'll have a costume sorted by the morning. Mum stays true to her word, but perhaps not in the way that Ellie was hoping.
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We are Australians
by Duncan Smith, Nicole Godwin and Jandamarra Cadd
What does it mean to be a citizen of Australia?
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