Children choose their ‘Best Book’ of 2022/23

Children from more than 50 primary schools in Leicester have been voting for the book they enjoyed the most during 2022-23.

Further information

The annual Our Best Book competition asked children aged 10-11 to vote for their favourite reads from a longlist of 12 carefully selected books.

Two copies of each of the books were sent to schools during the autumn term, so that the children had a chance to read them before voting for their favourite in December.

Copies of the five books that received the most votes were then distributed to the participating schools in the new year, with the children reading them and discussing them with friends, family and even the books’ authors, thanks to specially-arranged online talks.

The final vote took place in May, with more than 3,000 children choosing their best book.

The winning book – announced today (Wednesday) – is Frankie’s World by Aoife Dooley.

The acclaimed comedian’s graphic novel gives a fresh and funny perspective on fitting in, and standing out, when you’re living with autism.

In second place was Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell – the hilarious diary of a Norse god exiled to Earth to live as an 11-year-old boy – and in third place was The Last Bear by Hannah Gold, the story of a girl, a bear and an arctic adventure.

Assistant city mayor for libraries and education Cllr Vi Dempster said: “Our Best Book motivates children to read for pleasure and encourages them to engage with a wide range of authors and styles.

“This year, the 52 participating primary schools each received 99 new books, ensuring that all those involved from years 5/6 could join in, and encouraging even the most reluctant readers to lose themselves in a good book.

“Initiatives such as Our Best Book are very welcome, as they’re brilliant at helping children to develop a lifelong love of reading.”

Our Best Book is led by Leicester City Council’s Neighbourhood Services (libraries and community centres) in partnership with the School Development Support Agency through the multi-agency reading project Whatever It Takes, Creative Learning Services and Leicester primary schools.

The 12 books on the 2022/23 longlist were as follows:

• Frankie’s World by Aoife Dooley
• Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell
• The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
• Rock Star Detectives by Adam Hills
• Grimwood by Nadia Shireen
• Max Counts to a Million by Jeremy Williams
• The Clockwork Queen by Peter Bunzl
• Happy Here introduced by Sharna Jackson
• My Big Mouth by Steve Camden
• The Insiders by Cath Howe
• Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest by Vashti Hardy
• Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City by Rob Biddulph