This category rewards the entry that demonstrates the highest standards of storytelling, captivating readers from start to finish with a well-crafted plot, exceptional writing, and diverse and engaging characters.

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Finding Bear

Hannah Gold and Levi Pinfold

HarperCollins Children's Books

Impossible Creatures

Katherine Rundell and Tomislav Tomic, Virginia Allyn, Daniel Egneus

Bloomsbury Children's Books

Kicked Out

A. M. Dassu and Daby Zainab Faidhi

Old Barn Books

Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer

Jeffrey Boakye

Faber

Man-Man and the Tree of Memories

Yaba Badoe and Joelle Avelino

Head of Zeus

Monster in the Woods

Dave Shelton

David Fickling Books

Safiyyah's War

Hiba Noor Khan

Andersen Press