On Wednesday 22nd November, at the annual An Post Book Awards, we were named Bookshop of the Year! We are so happy and so proud of this achievement, especially considering how brilliant the other five bookshops on the shortlist are. Congratulations to Bridge Books, Bridge Street Books, Liber, Maynooth Bookshop and O’Mahony’s.
Here are some pictures from the night (taken by Ger Holland, for writing.ie)
There were so many wonderful books published in 2023, it was very difficult to choose our Books of the Year!
Our team of children’s booksellers carefully selected their favourite books of the year in each category. We added together all these and came up with our overall selection. And from these books we chose our unanimous overall winner:
We are delighted to announce our overall Book of the Year is The Girl Who Fell to Earth by our Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde! A thought provoking, sci-fi adventure, perfect for age 11+.
Our Picture Books of the Year
The Mermaid Moon by Briony May Smith (age 4+). Order here
Kevin’s in a Mood by Sarah Bowie (age 3+). Order here
It’s Too Dark Puffling by Erika McGann & Gerry Daly (age 3+) . Order here
Little Wolf by Peter Donnelly (age 4+). Order here
Age Six Plus Books of the Year
The Wishkeeper’s Apprentice by Rachel Chivers Khoo (age 7+). Order here
We are absolutely thrilled and honoured to have been named Best Independent Bookshop in Ireland, 2022, as well as being shortlisted for Children’s Bookseller of the Year!
We are so proud of this achievement! There are so many wonderful indie bookshops in Ireland, especially our fellow nominee, Little Acorn Books in Derry, and it is a real honour to receive this accolade, especially as a dedicated Children’s Bookshop.We have a wonderful team of dedicated children’s booksellers – Trish, Amanda, Meriel, Kathleen and our Events Manager, author Sarah Webb. We work hard to get the best books into children’s hands and we are lucky there are so many wonderful children’s books out there!
All five of us at Halfway up the Stairs cast our votes for our favourite books published in 2022. There were two books that were unanimously chosen as our Top Books of the Year and we chose a selection of our top 20 books across all categories that we loved! You can follow the links below to find out more about the books.
You can download this picture of hope and friendship (designed by Alan Nolan) to show support for the children of Ukraine and children from all over the world who have been affected by war or had to leave their countries. (Or email us at info@halfwayupthestairs.ie and we will send it to you). You can decorate it with your own pictures and messages. Drop it back to us or email a photo to info@halfwayupthestairs.ie. We will display them in the window and online.