Excelsior Award White 2025
2025 Shortlist
The books on the Excelsior Award White shortlst have been designated as suitable for children aged 9+ (or Key Stage 2 in schools)
Click on the book's title for extra information
Meet Cactus Kid, a tough little cactus with a point to prove! Embark on an adventure packed with motorbikes, magic, and mayhem in the first instalment of this exciting new comic series.
Cactus Kid has exiled himself to the Neverending Desert to master magic and prove to his all-powerful father that he is the best wizard alive. All he needs is a piece of star rock to supercharge his magic, but he’s not the only one after it.
Details
Writer: Emmanuel Guerrero
Artist: Emmanuel Guerrero
Published by Flying Eye Books
ISBN-13: 978-1913123215
Build skyward in this brand new graphic novel set in the world of Minecraft!
Farmer Cobb likes to keep his crops as neat as possible, which is frustrating when he has neighbours who like to chow down on his fresh produce without asking and villagers who can’t stop themselves from planting potatoes in his field without rhyme or reason. After a rough encounter with an Enderman, he finally decides to get as far away from everyone and everything as he can... building a tower up into the sky!
Details
Writer: Andrew Clemson
Artist: Jeremy Lawson
Published by Dark Horse
ISBN-13: 978-1506743080
Lunella Lafayette - a.k.a. the smartest person in the Marvel Universe - gets her own original graphic novel!
When a rad-skating band of thieves start going wild, it's up to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to take to the streets and put a stop to their crime spree - while making sure to bust a few sweet moves along the way! But can Lunella balance fighting crime AND training with her all-new, all-awesome derby team - especially when it turns out that team might be up to no good?
Details
Writer: Stephanie Williams
Artist: Asia Simone
Published by Scholastic
ISBN-13: 978-1338785524
Heartfelt, empowering, and inspired by Linda Sargent's own lived experience.
Tosh's upbringing feels close to perfect: best friends, mischief and secondary school, just around the next corner. But when chronic illness strikes, it threatens to derail everything she loves.
A heart-rending graphic novel of discovery, adversity, and the overwhelming healing powers of imagination and stories.
Details
Writer: Linda Sargent
Artist: Joe Brady and Leo Marcell
Published by David Fickling Books / The Phoenix
ISBN-13: 978-1788453332
Enter the darkly funny world of Stitch Head, as he steps out of the shadows into the adventure of an almost-lifetime.
Deep in the maze-like dungeons of Castle Grotteskew, eccentric Professor Erasmus created Stitch Head, a small, almost-human creature. His experiments continued, filling the castle with creations so fabulously monstrous that Stitch Head was long forgotten. Until a travelling circus ringmaster knocks at the castle door, promising to make Stitch Head a star. Is this Stitch Head’s chance to venture beyond the castle walls? Or could he be making a terrible mistake.?
Details
Writer: Guy Bass
Artist: Pete Williamson
Published by Little Tiger
ISBN-13: 978-1788956376