Readings 2025 Children’s Fiction Prize

Readings has announced the shortlist for the 2025 Readings Children’s Fiction Prize.

The shortlisted titles are:

• Big Trouble with Angry Chairs (Lachlann Carter & Douglas Holgate, HGCP)
• Brightest Wild (Tania Crampton-Larking, Lothian)
• The Girl Who Cried Bird (Katherine Collette, HarperCollins)
• Hi from Outer Space (Fiona Katauskas, A&U Children’s)
• How to Free a Jinn (Raidah Shah Idil, A&U Children’s)
• Queen of Dogs (Joe Weatherstone, Walker).

Judges for this year’s prize include Tamuz Ellazam (chair of judges; Readings Malvern), Bernard Caleo (Readings Carlton), Kim Gruschow (Readings St Kilda) and Celeste Perry (Readings Emporium).

The winner will be announced alongside the winner of the New Australian Fiction Prize, the Young Adult Prize and the Gab Williams Prize for Young Adult Literature at Readings’ A Day in Carlton festival on Friday 14 November 2025. Each category winner will receive $5000, and the Gab Williams Prize winner will receive $1000.

Last year’s winning children’s book was Wurrtoo: The Wombat Who Fell in Love with the Sky (Tylissa Elisara, illus by Dylan Finney, Lothian).

More information is available on the Readings website.

Category: Awards Local news