The Blue Peter Book Awards were a set of literary awards for children's books conferred by the BBC television programme Blue Peter. They were inaugurated in 2000 for books published in 1999 and 2000. The awards were managed by reading charity, BookTrust, from 2006 until the final award in 2022. From 2013 until the final award, there were two award categories: Best Story and Best Book with Facts.
The awards were discontinued in 2022, one month after the end of the Costa Book Awards, which included a category for children's book, leaving only three widely recognized awards for children's literature (the Kate Greenaway Medal, the Carnegie Medal, and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize).
Categories The Book of the Year dated from 2000 when there were also some "Voters' Awards" (2000 to 2002). Previously there were award categories for: Most Fun Story with Pictures, from 2007 Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud, 2004 to 2006 Best Book with Facts, from 2003 Best New Information Book, 2002 Favourite Story, 2011 Book I Couldn't Put Down, 2000 to 2010
Three books in each category were announced 4 December 2014 and considered by the panel of 200 children from 10 schools. The two winners for the 2015 awards were announced on 5 March 2015, or World Book Day (UK and Ireland)."Blue Peter Book Awards 2015 Winners Announced". 5 March 2015. Booktrust. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
Winners
+Blue Peter Book Award winnersYearCategoryAuthorTitleRef.2000Book of the Year, illus. by Jason Cockcroft, retelling of The Pilgrim's ProgressBest Book to Read Aloud, illus. by Axel SchefflerBook I Couldn't Put DownShadow of the MinotaurSpecial Book to Keep Forever, illus. by Jason CockcroftVoters' Awards: Best Book With Facts in ItGuinness Book of World RecordsVoters' Awards: Best Book to ShareHarry Potter and the Goblet of FireVoters' Awards: Book that Made Me Laugh the Loudest, illus. by Quentin BlakeMatilda2001Book of the YearBest Book to Keep ForeverBest Book to Read Aloud and Paul HowardBook I Couldn't Put DownVoters' Awards: Best Book of KnowledgeRotten RomansVoters' Awards: Best StorybookHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone2002Book of the YearFeather BoyBest Book to Read AloudCrispin, the Pig Who Had It AllBest New Information BookAda Lovelace: The Computer Wizard of Victorian EnglandBook I Couldn't Put DownFeather BoyVoter's Awards: Best Book With Facts In, illus. by Martin BrownTerrible TudorsVoter's Awards: Best Storybook2003Book of the YearMortal EnginesBest Book to Read Aloud, illus. by Axel SchefflerRoom on the BroomBest Book with Facts, illus. by Chris RiddellPirate DiaryBook I Couldn't Put DownMortal Engines2004Book of the YearMan on the MoonBest Book with Facts, Leonie Flynn, and Susan Reuben (eds.)Best Illustrated Book to Read AloudMan on the MoonBook I Couldn't Put DownMontmorency2005Book of the YearPrivate PeacefulBest Book with FactsExplorers Wanted! At the North PoleBest Illustrated Book to Read Aloud, illus. by Axel SchefflerBook I Couldn't Put DownPrivate Peaceful2006Book of the YearLost and FoundBest Book with FactsSpud Goes GreenBest Illustrated Book to Read AloudLost and FoundBook I Couldn't Put DownBlood Fever2007Book of the Year, illus. by Dave McKeanBest Book with FactsBook I Couldn't Put Down, illus. by Dave McKeanMost Fun Story With Pictures and David TazzymanYou're a Bad Man, Mr Gum2008 colspan="3" 2009Book of the YearShadow Forest2010Book of the YearFrozen in Time2011Book of the YearDead Man's Cove2012Book of the Year2013Best Book with Facts and Tony De SaullesHouse of HorrorsBest StoryTom Gates: Genius Ideas (Mostly)2014Best Book with Facts, illus. by Del ThorpeTony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: World War IIBest StoryRooftoppers2015Best Book with Facts, illus. by Scott GarrettBest Story, illus. by Thomas Flintham2016Best Book with FactsBest Story2017Best Book with Facts, illus. by Kerry HyndmanSurvivorsBest Story, illus. by David WyattPodkin One Ear2018Best Book with Facts, illus. by Vicky BarkerReal-Life MysteriesBest Story2019Best Book with Facts, illus. by Marc-Etienne PeintreBest Story2020Best Book with Facts, illus. by Amy Blackwell, designed by Kim Hankinson and Jack ClucasRise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary StoriesBest StoryWildspark2021Best Book with Facts, illus. by Jess BradleyBest Story2022Best Book with Facts, illus. by Gosia HerbaInvented by AnimalsBest Story
Shortlists
2020
Best Book with Facts: Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories by Amanda Li, illus. Amy Blackwell designed by Kim Hankinson and Jack Clucas (Buster Books) Fanatical About Frogs by Owen Davey (Flying Eye) How To Be An Astronaut and Other Space Jobs by Dr Sheila Kanani & Sol Linero (Nosy Crow) Best Story Wildspark by Vashti Hardy (Scholastic) Owen and the Soldier by Lisa Thompson, illus. Mike Lowery (Barrington Stoke) Vote for Effie by Laura Wood (Scholastic)
2019BookTrust – Blue Peter Book Awards 2019
Best Book with Facts: The Colours of History by Clive Gifford, illus. Marc-Etienne Peintre (QED Publishing) Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey by Dr Dominic Walliman, illus. Ben Newman (Flying Eye Books) The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home by Mike Barfield, illus. Lauren Humphrey (Laurence King) Best Story The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q Raúf (Orion Children's Books) The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher (Firefly) The House With Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson (Usborne)
2018BookTrust – Blue Peter Book Awards 2018
Best Book with Facts: Real-Life Mysteries by Susan Martineau, illus. Vicky Barker (b small) Beyond the Sky: You and the Universe by Dara Ó Briain, illus. Dan Bramall (Scholastic) Corpse Talk: Ground-Breaking Scientists by Adam Murphy and Lisa Murphy (David Fickling Books) Best Story The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell (Hodder Children's Books) The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Chicken House) Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans (David Fickling Books)
2017BookTrust – Blue Peter Book Awards 2017 Best Book with Facts: Destination: Space by Christoph Englert, illus. Tom Clohosy Cole (Wide Eyed Editions) Football School: Where Football Explains the World by Alex Bellos and Ben Lyttleton, illus. Spike Gerrell (Walker Books) Survivors by David Long (Faber and Faber) Best Story: Lost Tales by Adam Murphy (David Fickling Books) Podkin One Ear by Kieran Larwood, illus. David Wyatt (Faber and Faber) Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford (Harper Collins )
2016BookTrust – Blue Peter Book Awards 2016
Best Book with Facts: The Epic Book of Epicness by Adam Frost The Silly Book of Weird and Wacky Words by Andy Seed, illus. by Scott Garrett FactFeed by Penny Arlon Best Story: The Astounding Broccoli Boy by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illus. by Steven Lenton The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson The Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie
2015BookTrust – Blue Peter Book Awards 2015 Best Book with Facts: Animalium by Jenny Broom, illus. Katie Scott (Big Picture Press) The Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff by Andy Seed, illus. Scott Garrett (Bloomsbury) Corpse Talk: Season 1 by Adam Murphy (David Fickling Books) Best Story The Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen (DoubleDay) Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death by Chris Riddell (Walker) The Spy Who Loved School Dinners by Pamela Butchart, illus. Thomas Flintham (Nosy Crow)
2014
Best Book with Facts: Marvellous Maths by Jonathan Litton, illus. Thomas Flintham (Templar Publishing) The World in Infographics: Animal Kingdom by Jon Richards illus. Ed Simkins (Wayland) Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders: World War II by Tony Robinson, illus. Del Thorpe (Macmillan) Favourite Story Whale Boy by Nicola Davies (Random House) Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve, illus. Sarah McIntyre (Oxford University Press) Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (Faber & Faber)
2013
Best Book with Facts: House of Horrors (Horrible Science series) by Nick Arnold, illus. Tony De Saulles (Scholastic) Fantastic Mr Dahl by Michael Rosen (Puffin) Walter Tull's Scrapbook by Michaela Morgan (Frances Lincoln Children's Books) – about Walter Tull Favourite Story Tom Gates: Genius Ideas (Mostly) by Liz Pichon (Scholastic) Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes (Walker) The Boy Who Swam With Piranhas by David Almond, illus. Oliver Jeffers (Walker )
2012
Best Book with Facts: The Official Countdown to the London 2012 Games by Simon Hart (Carlton Books) Discover the Extreme World by Camilla de la Bedoyere, Clive Gifford, John Farndon, Steve Parker, Stewart Ross and Philip Steele (Miles Kelly) Favourite Story The Considine Curse by Gareth P. Jones (Bloomsbury) A Year without Autumn by Liz Kessler (Orion Children's Books)
2011
Most Fun Story with Pictures: Lunatics and Luck (Raven Mysteries, 3) by Marcus Sedgwick, illus. Pete Williamson (Orion Children's Books) Alienography by Chris Riddell (Macmillan) Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree by Andy Stanton, illus. David Tazzyman (Egmont) Best Book with Facts: Do Igloos Have Loos by Mitchell Symons (Doubleday) How the World Works by Christian Dorion, illus. Beverley Young, pop-ups designed by Andy Mansfield (Templar Publishing) What You Need To Know Now: The World in Facts, Stats, and Graphics by Joe Fullman, Ian Graham, Sally Regan and Isabel Thomas, illus. Sheila Collins, Mik Gates, Jim Green, Katie Knutton, Phillip Letsu and Hoa Luc (Dorling Kindersley) Favourite Story Dead Man's Cove (Laura Marlin Mystery, 1) by Lauren St John (Orion Children's Books) A Web of Air (Mortal Engines prequel) by Philip Reeve (Scholastic Children's Books) Tall Story by Candy Gourlay (David Fickling Books)
2010
Most Fun Story with Pictures: Peter the Penguin Pioneer by Daren King (Quercus) Spells by Emily Gravett (Macmillan) Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things by Guy Bass (Stripes) Best Book with Facts: Usborne Lift-the-flap Picture Atlas by Alex Frith and Kate Leake (Usborne) Tail-End Charlie by Mick Manning and Brita Granström (Frances Lincoln Children's Books) Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You by Mitchell Symons (Red Fox) Book I couldn't Put Down Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan) The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 by Harriet Goodwin (Stripes) Frozen in Time by Ali Sparkes (Oxford)
2009
Most Fun Story with Pictures: Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton and David Tazzyman (Egmont) Fleabag by Helen Stephens (Alison Green Books) Lost! The Hundred-Mile-An-Hour Dog by Jeremy Strong, illus. Rowan Clifford (Puffin Books) Best Book with Facts: Archaeology Detectives by Simon Adams (Oxford University Press) 100 Most Dangerous Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne (A & C Black) Planet in Peril (Horrible Geography series) by Anita Ganeri, illus. Mike Phillips (Scholastic) The Book I Couldn't Put Down: Abela by Berlie Doherty (Andersen Press) Shadow Forest by Matt Haig (Corgi) Foul Play by Tom Palmer (Puffin)
2008
Prize didn't run.BookTrust – Blue Peter Book Awards archive
2007
Most Fun Story with Pictures: Melrose and Croc Together at Christmas by Emma Chichester Clark Charlie Cook's Favourite Books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum by Andy Stanton and David Tazzyman Best Book with Facts: Why is Snot Green? by Glenn Murphy The Worst Children's Jobs in History by Tony Robinson A Little Guide to Wild Flowers by Charlotte Voake The Book I Couldn't Put Down: Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce The Bad Spy's Guide by Pete Johnson The Outlaw Varjak Paw by S. F. Said, illus. Dave McKean
2006
Best Illustrated Book to Read Aloud: Traction Man is Here by Mini Grey Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins) Guess Who's Coming for Dinner by John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell Best Book with Facts: Connor's Eco Den by Pippa Goodhart Poo by Nicola Davies and Neal Layton Spud Goes Green by Giles Thaxton (Egmont) Book I Couldn't Put Down: