Brilliant Book Award celebrates authors at Nottingham Girls' High School

On Wednesday 26 February, our Education Library Service had the pleasure of hosting a fantastic event at Squire Performing Arts Centre in Nottingham to celebrate their 2025 Brilliant Book Award.

Supported by The Bookcase at Lowdham, our annual award champions reading for pleasure, highlights excellence in children's literature, and gives students a voice in choosing their favourite books from a shortlist of six books every Autumn. Open to KS3 students across Nottinghamshire, Nottingham City, and Derbyshire, the award runs from September 2024 to March 2025 and encourages participants to read all shortlisted books before selecting an overall winner.

This year is the first that we've brought together all six shortlisted authors for one day-long event at a venue here in Nottingham. We were thrilled to welcome a total audience of 230 enthusiastic young readers from across 12 different Nottinghamshire secondary schools. 

This year's shortlisted authors include:

• Finn Jones Was Here by Simon James Green
• The Fights That Make Us by Sarah Hagger-Holt
• The Witch Stone Ghosts by Emily Randall-Jones
• Reggie Houser Has the Power by Helen Rutter
• Echo Star Is Always Listening by Melinda Salisbury
• Bite Risk by S.J. Wills

Each author delivered a 20-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session, where students’ questions - curated and read aloud by NGHS's school librarian, Rachel Whitty, sparked insightful discussions and some humorous stories!

Students also had a chance to purchase books, meet the authors, and have their copies signed. 

Students will cast their votes next month and our winner will be announced on Wednesday 26 March 2025 - if you would like to find out who our Brilliant Book Award winner is, you can follow us on social or sign up to our Services for Schools newsletter!

Find out more about the BBA on our website.

Read Nottingham Girls' High School's article for more info!