There were so many wonderful books published in 2024, it was very difficult to choose our Books of the Year!
Our team of dedicated and experienced children’s booksellers: Trish, Amanda, Kathleen, Meriel and Sarah carefully selected their favourite books of the year in each category. We added all these together and came up with our overall selection. We chose our unanimous overall winner from these books.
Our Overall Book of the Year 2024
We are delighted to announce the winner of our Overall Book of the Year: Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn!
It’s a brilliant book which we were proud to launch in September, written in verse and beautifully illustrated, with themes of friendship, family and adventure, set in snowy prehistoric Ireland. Perfect for young readers of age 9+.
Book your free ticket here
Our Picture Books of the Year
The Golden Hare by Paddy Donnelly (Irish) Age 4+ Order here
We are the Wibbly by Sarah Tagholm, illustrated by Jane McGuinness Age 3+ Order here
Little Lion Girl by Olivia Hope, Illustrated by Fiona Woodcock (Irish) Age 3+ Order here
The Great Discovery by Peter Donnelly (Irish) Age 3+ Order here
Mr Santa by Jarvis Age 3+ Order here
Santa’s First Christmas by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Sydney Smith Age 4+ Order here
Books of the Year for Age 6+
Rabbit and Bear: This Lake is Fake by Julian Gough and Jim Field (Irish) Age 6+ Order here
Lola and Larch: Fix a Fairy Forest by Sinéad O’Hart, illustrated by Rachel Seago (Irish) Age 7+ Order here
Watts and Whiskerton: Buried Bones and Troublesome Treasure by Meg McLaren Age 7+ Order here
Dinosaur Pie by Jen Wallace and illustrated by Alan O’Rourke (Irish) Age 7/8+ Order here
Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by Steve McCarthy Age 6+ Order here
Books of the Year for Age 9+
Fia and the Last Snow Deer by Eilish Fisher, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (Irish) Age 9+ Order here
The Secret of Golden Island by Natasha Farrant Age 9+ Order here
Fallout by Lesley Parr Age 10+ Order here
The Last Boy by Eve McDonnell (Irish) Age 10+ Order here
The Riddle of the Disappearing Dickens by Alan Nolan (Irish) Age 9+ Order here
The Weather Girls by Sarah Webb (Irish) Age 9+ Order here
Books of the Year for Teens
King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore Age 12+ Order here
Amanda, Sarah and Trish met Nathanael at the Children’s Books Ireland Conference this year and also highly recommend Steady for This Age 12+ Order here
Sisters of the Moon by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick (Irish) Age 13+ Order here
Me and Aaron Ramsey by Manon Steffan Ros Age 11+ Order here
Braids Take a Day by Zainab Boladale (Irish) Age 13+ Order here
YA Books of the Year (Young Adults – age 15+ )
Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain (Irish) Age 15+ Order here
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson Age 15+ Order here
Something’s About to Blow Up by Sam Blake (Irish) Age 15+ Order here
Reference and Gift Books of the Year
The History of Information by Chris Haughton (Irish) Age 9+ and all ages Order here
The Faerie Isle: Tales and Traditions of Ireland’s Forgotten Folklore by Síne Quinn, illustrated by Dermot Flynn (Irish) age 9+ Order here
Letters from the North Pole by Annie Atkins, illustrated by Fia Tobing (Irish) Age 4+ Order here (Currently out of stock)
At Home in a Book by Lauren O’Hara (Irish) Age 6+ Order here
I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me by Sarah Webb and Paul Delaney (Irish) Age 3+ Order here
Comic Book Choices
Pablo and Splash: Frozen in Time by Sheena Dempsey (Irish) Age 7+ Order here
Mego Robo Bros: Nemesis by Neill Cameron Age 8+ Order here
Nina Peanut: Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie (Irish) Age 9+ Order here
Lord of the Flies Graphic Novel by William Golding, illustrated Aimée de Jongh Age 13+ Order here
Irish Language Choices
Bí Fiáin, a Chroí by Olivia Hope and Daniel Egnéus Age 3+ Order here
Heartstopper (in Irish) by Alice Osman, translated by Eoin McEvoy Age 13+ Order here
An Fia sa Choill by Sadhbh Devlin & Anastasia Melnykova Age 6+ Order here
Other Books We Loved in 2024
Picture Books
The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston (Irish) Order here
Where to Hide a Star by Oliver Jeffers (Irish) Order here
I Love You by Mary Murphy (Irish) Order here
Dexter Lost His Boo Woo by Shane Hegarty, illustrated Ben Mantle (Irish) Order here
Waiting for Froggo by Alice Courtley Order here
There’s a Tiger on the Train by Mariesa Dulak and Rebecca Cobb Order here
Who Ate Steve? by Susannah Lloyd, illustrated by Kate Hindley Order here
Tiny Jenny: Little Fairy, Big Trouble by Briony May Smith Order here
Books for Age 6+
Evil Duck and the Feather of Fortune by Chris Judge (Irish) Order here
Adventure Mice: The Ghostly Galleon by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre Order here
Bunny vs Monkey: The Great Big Glitch or Bunny Bonanza by Jamie Smart Order here
Gordon, The Meanest Goose on Earth by Alex Latimer Order here
Books for Age 9+
Stitch by Padraig Kenny (Irish) Order here
Milly McCarthy and the Christmas Calamity by Leona Forde and Karen Harte (Irish) Order here
Skulduggery Pleasant: The Haunted House on Hollow Hill by Derek Landy (Irish) Order here
Sally and the Lost Photograph by Judi Curtin (Irish) Order here
The Tower Ghost by Natasha Mac a’Bháird (Irish) Order here
A Drop of Golden Sun by Kate Saunders Order here
Loki 4: A Bad God’s Guide to Making Enemies by Louie Stowell Order here
Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold Order here
Murder by Narwhal by Alex T Smith Order here
Movies Showing Nowhere by Yorick Goldewijk Order here
Books for Teens
The Traitor in the Game by Triona Campbell (Irish) Order here
The Things We Leave Behind by Claire Furniss Order here
Books for YA (Age 15+)
The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle (Irish) Order here
The First Move by Jenny Ireland (Irish) Order here
Who Watches This Place by Amy Clarkin (Irish) Order here
Where the Heart Should Be Sarah Crossan Order here
Apocalypse Cow by O.R. Sorrel Order here
Some Like it Cold by Elle McNicoll Order here
On Silver Tides by Sylvia Bishop Order here
Information and Gift Books
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Irish Lighthouses by David Hare, illustrated by Linda Fahrlin (Irish) Order here
The Great Irish Book of Biodiversity by Éanna Ní Lamhna and Barry Falls (Irish) Order here
The Story of Rugby by Gerard Siggins and illustrated by Graham Corcoran (Irish) Order here