The Diverse Book awards

Created by bestselling, award-winning author Abiola Bello and award-winning publicist Helen Lewis. We want to highlight the best of the diverse voices published in the UK & Ireland both traditionally and self-published. We believe there's a need to showcase the talent of marginalised voices, so we came up with The Diverse Book Awards to open a space where the spotlight is on them.

thediversebookawards.co.uk

Updated September 22, 2025
Kirklees Libraries
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The ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye
Cameron, Briony
Paper Book
This "thrilling, swashbuckling story" (People) based on true events illuminates a woman of color's rise to power as one of the few female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and a forbidden love story that will shape the course of history. In the tumultuous town of...
Bellies
Dinan, Nicola
Ebook
"Smart, hilarious and deeply moving." -ELLIOT PAGE A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR from Google Play, NPR, BookRiot and BookPage Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Books of 2023 It begins as your typical boy meets boy. While out with...
Boy like me
Green, Simon James
Bringing back Kay-Kay
Kothari, Dev
Paper Book
Steeped in mystery and adventure, this brisk and beautifully crafted middle-grade debut set in modern-day India explores the complexities of the sibling bond. When her older brother, Karthik--Kay-Kay, the golden child of the family--heads to camp for two weeks, Lena's parents...
Ghost Girl, Banana: Worldwide Buzz and Rave Reviews for This Moving and Unforgettable Story of Family Secrets
Wharton, Wiz
Paper Book
Set between the last years of the "Chinese Windrush" in 1966 and Hong Kong's Handover to China in 1997, a mysterious inheritance sees a young woman from London uncovering buried secrets in her late mother's homeland in this captivating, wry debut about family, identity, and the price of belonging...
Gwen & Art are not in love
Croucher, Lex
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! "A total, rollicking delight. Gwen & Art gave me the same cheeky, swoony, giddy, irresistible high of the first time I saw A Knight's Tale. Lex Croucher is one of my favorite romcom authors, and they should be yours...
The House of Broken Bricks
Williams, Fiona
Paper Book
Every marriage has its seasons...It's autumn when we meet Tess, but her relationship with Richard is in a deep, cold winter. A winter so harsh, their union may never see the bright light of spring. Tess is a Londoner whose relationship with Richard transports her from a...
I'm going to be a princess
Taylor, Stephanie
Paper Book
What will Maya be when she grows up? A rocket scientist like Annie Easley? An Olympic athlete like Alice Coachman? A brain surgeon like Alexa Canady? In this heart-warming and funny story, Maya discovers the achievements of some amazing Black women . . . but it's a...
Kicked out
Dassu, A.M.
Paper Book
In this stand-alone companion novel to the acclaimed Boy, Everywhere, A. M. Dassu returns to extend the story of Sami's best friend Ali, who organizes a charity soccer match for their friend Aadam while his whole life is privately unraveling. After their friend Mark's mum...
Maame
George, Jessica
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! * A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick * A February 2023 Indie Next Pick "Sparkling." --The New York Times "An utterly charming and deeply moving portrait of the joys<...
A million to one
Jaigirdar, Adiba
Paper Book
2024 Rainbow Book List Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time's Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean's 8 makeover in this nail-biting heist set onboard the infamous ship. Josefa is an unapologetic and charismatic thief who loves the thrill of the chase. She has her eye...
Nightbloom
Medie, Peace Adzo
Paper Book
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction Inseparable when they were girls but now estranged, cousins Akorfa and Selasi have to repair the silences between them or lose each other forever in this moving novel set in Ghana and America from the author of Reese's Book...
Safiyyah's war
Khan, Hiba Noor
Paper Book
Inspired by the true story of how the Grand Mosque of Paris saved the lives of hundreds of Jews during World War II, this breathtaking tale of suspense, compassion, and courage stars an extraordinary young heroine readers will never forget. "A riveting read for children and adults alike." -...
Small Worlds
Nelson, Caleb Azumah.
Ebook
Some like it cold
McNicoll, Elle
Paper Book
A big-hearted small-town romance from bestselling, award-winning author Elle McNicoll, Some Like it Cold is perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Rainbow Rowell and Gilmore Girls. After a long absence, 18-year-old Jasper is finally heading home for the holidays - and she's...
This book kills
Guron, Ravena
Paper Book
I'll make it clear from the start: I did not kill Hugh Henry Van Boren. I didn't even help...Well, not intentionally. All Jess Choudhary wants is to keep her head down, do her work, and make it through high school without any problems. As a scholarship student--and one of only two students...
Those people next door
Abdullah, Kia
Paper Book
"One of my ten best reads of the year. Easy five stars." -- Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of None of This is True A twisty and consuming thriller, Perfectly Nice Neighbors asks: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far...
To the other side
Meza, Erika
Paper Book
Author-illustrator Erika Meza delivers a stunning and emotionally rich book from the viewpoint of those most impacted by border walls: young refugee children. This powerfully told tale highlights the spirit and strength of those embarking on a dangerous trek, and what awaits them on the other...

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