2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards – Shortlists

The annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards affirm the quality of some of Australia’s most creative people and provide a boost to their capacity to devote time to their craft. This list includes: Older Readers Shortlist, Younger Readers Shortlist, Early Childhood Shortlist, Picture Book of the Year Shortlist, Eve Pownall Award Shortlist & New Illustrator Shortlist.

Updated May 24, 2025
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City of Belmont Ruth Faulkner Library
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2025 CBCA Book of the Year Awards – Shortlists

The annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards affirm the quality of some of Australia’s most creative people and provide a boost to their capacity to devote time to their craft. This list includes: Older Readers Shortlist, Younger Readers Shortlist, Early Childhood Shortlist, Picture Book of the Year Shortlist, Eve Pownall Award Shortlist & New Illustrator Shortlist.

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A wreck of seabirds
Olson, Karleah
Paper Book
When Briony first meets Ren, he is standing in the freezing sea at the edge of their tiny town.Ren hasn' t been home for a decade but has returned to be with his dying father.Briony won' t leave, hoping that Sarah, her missing sister, will one day reappear.But Sarah and her friend Aria have been...
Birdy
Kernot, Sharon
Paper Book
Maddy is mute. Since the Incident she has barely spoken. And now she and her mother and brother are staying in a farmhouse on an old apricot orchard not far from town. It's a chance to rest and recuperate-or a way to hide further away from the world. Alice is waiting. Since Birdy, her...
Comes the night
Carmody, Isobelle
Paper Book
A superb YA fantasy set in the near future, full of secrets, high stakes, peril, deceptions and dreamwalkers, from the internationally acclaimed and bestselling author of the Obernewtyn Chronicles and The Gathering.
I'm not really here
Lonesborough, Gary
Paper Book
A wonderful coming-of-age queer romance from the multi award-winning author of The Boy from the Mish. Jonah is the new kid in a country town. When he joins the local footy team to be closer to his crush, Harley, it feels like a fresh start - but he still has to navigate new friendships, an...
Into the mouth of the wolf
Gough, Erin
Paper Book
Part-thriller, part-queer romance, We Were Liars meets Station Eleven in this extraordinary young adult novel about love, grief and climate change from the award-winning author of Amelia Westlake.  &...
The skin I'm in
Tisdell, Steph
Paper Book
'It was the beginning of everything. And the end of so much.' Layla is in her final year of school. It's the last year to make sure that the next major phase of her life begins correctly because she's got big plans.She just wants to be a normal teenager and to fit in but when her troubled cousin...
Aggie Flea steals the show!
Ingram, Tania
Paper Book
Mess up!
Stanton, Matt
Paper Book
The hilarious and unmissable new series about Gilbert, a boy whose best friend is an imaginary giant fluffy bunny called Fluff, from the creator who brought us The Odds, Funny Kid and Bored. Gilbert and Fluff have got themselves into an enormous mess! They have to...
Laughter is the best ending
Master, Maryam; Hicks, Astred
Paper Book
Zee is a loner. She likes to read Oscar Wilde and watch documentaries all day which, according to her parents, is not normal for 13 year olds. So they decide to send her on a five-day holiday camp, hoping she'll make 'at least one friend'.Now, Zee would rather take a bath in Tabasco sauce than...
Fundraiser fail
Shelberg, rebecka Sharpe.
Paper Book
Saskia Spark-Lee is back! This time she's on a mission to save the animals. Saskia Spark-Lee loves animals - she's almost adopted a whole zoo-worth! But when Da and Dee say they can't add another to the collection, she must come up with a new plan to continue supporting her...
Tigg and the bandicoot bushranger
French, Jackie
Paper Book
The year is 1859 and the goldfields are filled with diggers -- and danger! Orphaned twelve-year-old Tigg is the Bandicoot Bushranger, the youngest bushranger on the Ballarat goldfields in 1859. When a robbery goes wrong, Tigg must flee in disguise as one of the tens of...
To and fro
Clifford-Motopi, Anton
Paper Book
Sam tries to understand what it means to be black in this funny Australian story about identity, family and friendship.
Don't worry, Felix
Devezy, Yohann; Alice, Katherine; Bennett, Zoe
Paper Book
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tooth Fairy
Stewart, Briony.
Paper Book
Every single minute, of every single day, a child somewhere loses a baby tooth.But what happens to all those teeth?They are collected by the tooth fairy, of course! Or the tooth fairies - because there is more than just one tooth fairy. In fact, there are millions! Like us, they are all...
How to Move a Zoo : The Incredible True Story
Simpson, Kate/ Swan, Owen (ILT)
Paper Book
The true story of how at the beginning of the 20th century Jessie the elephant walked from Moore Park Zoo to her spacious new home in the Taronga Zoological Park.
One little dung beetle
Williams, Rhian
Paper Book
Follow along as One Little Dung Beetle counts all kinds of fascinating creepies and crawlies. How many can you see?
Spiro
McGregor, Anna
Paper Book
A hilarious tale of one spider's determined search for a decent meal from award winning author and illustrator Anna McGregor. 'The protagonist is Spiro, a determined little spider on a mission to catch his next meal ... his story shows young readers that success is a combination...
The Wobbly Bike
McCallum, Darren.
Paper Book
The wonderful wobbles of learning to ride a bike, set amidst the vibrant colour and culture of Australia's "top end". How do you fix a wobbly bike? Could it be the tyres, the terrain, or maybe it might be a new rider? A joyful, multi-layered story, celebrating the unique...
Afloat
Saunders, Kirli.
Paper Book
Roam the water with me. We are here to learn.  Here to spin wisdom, to grow ... From award-winning Gunai author Kirli Saunders and seven-time CBCA-winner Freya Blackwood comes Afloat, a story told in a time of climate crisis. Against a backdrop of a...
The garden of broken things
Blackwood, Freya
Paper Book
From award-winning creator Freya Blackwood comes a beautifully tender story about curiosity and the joy of listening. One day, curious Sadie follows a cat into the tangled vines behind the lonely house at Number 9, Ardent Street. Deep in the undergrowth, past all the...
A leaf called Greaf
Canby, Kelly
Paper Book
Bear is all alone. His brothers and sisters have left him. Bear embraces his grief in the form of Greaf - the greenest, most beguiling leaf Bear has ever seen. Bear holds Greaf tight. But as the season wanes, Greaf changes, and so too does Bear. A poignant, lyrical story gently touching on the...
These long-loved things
Pyke, Josh
Paper Book
The truck cat
Frenkel, Deborah
Paper Book
A #1 bestselling picture book. The Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found.  With illustrations by multi-award-winning artist Danny Snell and words by acclaimed new writer Deborah...
We live in a bus
Petzold, Dave
Paper Book
We live in a bus. She's called Gracie Joy Rufus Bean (we couldn't agree on a name). Gracie Joy Rufus Bean has six wheels and a door that opens when you push a button, tic-shhh! Join one family as they enjoy life on the road - camping under the stars, listening to...
Always was, always will be
Muir, Fay; Lawson, Sue
Paper Book
'Each protest has been a stepping stone to the next battle...' From the very first protest of January 26th as a Day of Mourning in 1938, to the Pilbara Strike of 1946, to the struggle for the right to vote and be counted; the fight for...
Design & building on country
Page, Alison.
Paper Book
What do you need to know to prosper as a people for 65,000 years or more? Join designer and artist Alison Page alongside anthropologist and architect Paul Memmott as they share some of the incredible inventions created by the oldest continuing culture in the world. With...
Flora : Australia's most curious plants
McCartney, Tania
Paper Book
Age range 7 to 12 When it comes to flora, Australia is a land of diversity. From rainforests to deserts, mountains to the seashore, 90 per cent of our plant life is unique to this ancient land. Treasures like our wattles, eucalypts,...
I Am a Magpie, I Am a Currawong
WrightGroup/McGraw-Hill Staff
Paper Book
From magpies to currawongs, and finches to thornbills, here are a few little details to look out for when in Australian gardens, parks, beaches or bush.With simple rhymes and stunning illustrations this book is a beautiful beginning to a bird loving journey.
South with the seabirds : follow four remarkable scientists to the edge of the world
McGeachin, Jess
Paper Book
The captivating true story of four remarkable scientists and their incredible journey to the sub-Antarctic, from CBCA award-winning author and illustrator Jess McGeachin.
Digger Digs Down
Bell, Johanna.
Paper Book
Digger digs down. Digger digs deep, deep into the ground. Join happy-go-lucky Digger as he ditches the boredom of backyard life for an underground adventure. What will he find? What won't he find? Packed with hidden treasures, this picture book is perfect for small...
Grow Big, Little Seed: A story about rainbow babies
Nanayakkara, Bec.
Paper Book
Grow Big, Little Seed is a tender, hopeful picture book about miscarriage and pregnancy after loss. Illustrated by the extraordinary papercut artist, Sarah Capon (@eyepicturedthis), it's perfect...
Raymaŋgirrbuy dhäwu = When I was a little girl
Gatjawarrawuy Mununggurr, Kylie, author, illustrator.
Paper Book
Age range 4 to 8 'When I stayed out bush I sat with my grandmother and watched her paint. I used to get boxes and paint on. She painted with ochres and glue. Later she showed me how to make the marawat (hair) brush to do the fine line...
The land recalls you
Saunders, Kirli; Cragg, David; Cragg, Noni
Paper Book
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