We’re thrilled to announce our inaugural shortlist for The Readings Children’s Book Prize! See the eight shortlisted titles below. The winner will be announced in the July issue of the Readings Monthly.

You can visit our Children’s Book Prize blog for lots more information, including videos and details on how kids can become junior reviewers!

Jamie Reign: The Last Spirit Warrior by P.J. Tierney

Jamie Reign was born twelve years ago, on the first day of the Chinese Year of the Dragon. This supposedly auspicious start in life hasn’t been much use to him, living a loveless existence with his abusive father, Hector, on a salvage boat. Jamie’s mother Mayling died on the day he was born. When Jamie inadvertently summons some fiery orbs from the air to tackle some local bullies, he doesn’t understand that he has tapped into The Way, the universal energy source, and in doing so he sets off a chain of events with unforeseen consequences. Whisked away by the mysterious Mr Fan to the Chia Wu, a school for students with special abilities, Jamie is taken under the wing of the legendary Kung Fu Master Wu.

Song for a Scarlet Runner by Julie Hunt

Peat is on the run - forced to flee for her life when she’s blamed for bringing bad luck to her village. She heads for the endless marshes, where she’s caught by an old healer-woman who makes Peat her apprentice and teaches her the skill of storytelling. But a story can be a dangerous thing. It can take you out of one world and leave you stranded in another - and Peat finds herself trapped in an eerie place beyond the Silver River where time stands still.

The Bloodhound Boys: The Great Blood Bank Robbery by Andrew Cranna

Deep under the Earth’s crust, near Skull River City, a terrible crime has been committed - the city’s supply of blood has been stolen from the blood bank. Rocky (a werewolf-kid) and Vince (a vampire-kid) decide they must investigate to help save their friend Gretel Ghoul, who suffers from a rare blood disorder. But who could be behind the crime?

Stay Well Soon by Penny Tangey

Stevie has a lot of dreams … more friends at school, better drawing pencils and a pony. If only she had her dream horse, her life would be better and the other horse-mad girls would talk to her. When her brother is taken to hospital, Stevie’s dreams seem further away than ever. Suddenly her after-school world is filled with hospital visits and there’s even less money for anything, especially a pony. With Stevie’s mum spending more time with her brother, Stevie has to learn to figure out the hard things in life by herself.

The Girl Who Brought Mischief by Katrina Nannestad

When Inge Maria arrives on the tiny island of Bornholm in Denmark to live with her grandmother, she’s not sure what to expect. Her grandmother is stern, the people on the island are strange, and children are not allowed to run wild or express themselves the way they did back in Copenhagen - especially if you are a girl. Inge Maria tries not to feel sorry for herself, but she misses her mama. And on top of everything else, mischief seems to have a way of finding her no matter how hard she tries to be good… But could it be that a bit of mischief is exactly what Grandmother and the people of Bornholm need?

Ruby Red Shoes Goes to Paris by Kate Knapp

Ruby and her grandmother Babushka are off to Paris for a holiday! When they arrive they go and meet Babushka’s brother, Monsieur Gaspar Galushka, who loves hats as much as Ruby loves red shoes. And with Monsieur is his grandson, Felix, who becomes Ruby’s guide while she is in Paris. Together the two young hares zip around Paris on Felix’s racy red scooter taking in all of the beautiful sights that Paris has to offer. It is the adventure of a lifetime, filled with memories that Ruby will treasure forever.

Smooch & Rose by Samantha Wheeler

When Rose and Gran save a baby koala from a pack of blood-hungry dogs, he’s named Smooch because he loves to cuddle. With the help of wildlife carer Carol, Rose and her dog Lizzie look after Smooch until he is old enough to make the trees on their strawberry farm his home. Rose is deliciously happy - caring for bush babies is her dream come true! But things change for the worse when Gran gets a letter from the bank. Does this mean they have to sell the farm? Then Uncle Malcolm mentions bulldozers and Rose realises it’s not just her home that’s at stake. Rose has a voice and wants to make a difference but what can one girl and her koala do?

The Andy Flegg Survival Guide to Losing your dog, your Dad and your dignity in 138 Days by Mark Pardoe

According to his tyrannical teacher (and much to his parents’ horror), 11-year-old Andy Flegg is a reluctant writer. So that’s how he finds himself forced to write in a journal every day until his next birthday if he wants to get the Xbox that his parents had already promised him. That’s a ridiculous number of Xboxless days! But somehow this writing thing seems to grow on Andy and he soon finds himself revealing all too much!