Indie (Books are My Bag) Book Awards

This fast-paced, joyous, laugh-out-loud text is a must for any library. Fans of graphic novels, history, or both will find the chaos of this text addictive and hard to put down.

It tells the tale of Tiny Hercules, a jam-jar-sized version of a well-known mythic hero who has to navigate their way through a series of twelve epic quests to make his way home. The re-imagined mythical adventure is full of twists, turns and laugh-out-loud moments that would be perfect for young readers or those who love comic humour.

This was a hit when I placed it in the school library; children were attracted from the outset by the cover and illustrations, and it has been checked out every week since. The last few pages offer instructions on how to draw Tiny Hercules and tease the beginning of the sequel due for publication in 2026. A great addition to any graphic novel collection!

Imagine living in a world of permanent winter – summer has gone and nothing will bring it back. Main character Quill was named so because people used to write with feathers called Quills and his family knew that he would go on to write his own story. You can’t give in to ‘darkness and despair’, which is what Quill wanted to do time after time – he didn’t feel strong enough or worthy enough. Just when he thought the Light of the World was within his grasp, it soon vanished, leaving him to come face to face with the man who murdered his father and kept his mother hidden from him. How will he end this fight? Who will stand by his side on the battlefield? Can he really bring back the summer? This story is the start of something special and will have readers awaiting the next in the series.

This is part of the wildly madcap Donut Squad series, which features collections of short comic sketches, each 1-2 pages long, that will have huge appeal to fans of series such as Bunny vs Monkey.

The short nature of these sketches will make them call out to reluctant readers as well as graphic novel fans, and the sections at the end featuring drawing tips will appeal to keen illustrators too. This will be a popular title on bookshelves – visual, jammy and perfectly wacky.

There is having a bad day, and then there is Finn’s life. Starting ‘big school’ can be a whole challenge in itself, but Finn seems to be inundated with problems. Embarrassment after embarrassment, failure after failure and mishap after mishap! Finn’s siblings (as well as his divorced parents) are not too far away from the root of all his problems.

Finn’s Fails include losing his swimming trunks in a school swimming lesson, his brother pinning him to the floor and all whilst filming, country dancing in PE and his dad’s daily cycling outfits! Luckily for Finn, he has some knights in shining armour in the form of his best mates. There is also a surprise to enter his life, and it was exactly what he needed in so many ways – with some wins for Finns finally starting to appear.

Through Finn’s first-hand account, the author captures the vulnerability and anxieties of secondary transition (where everything, from the uncomfortable uniform to whether or not to play up for a supply teacher, can feel mortifying one way or another…) with a huge dose of humour and heart.

What another superb book from Phil Earle. A light-hearted and hilarious book that would gain the attention of children in upper KS2 and lower KS3, with a particular appeal to boys, reluctant readers or lovers of funny, diary-style stories.

This story is a fresh, new addition to the popular magical world genre and stands out within this with its brilliant world building, dream magic and loyal protagonist.

When Crow is rescued by Victor, the Dreamcatcher, his underworld life with The Reavers seems to be over. Victor teaches him to harness Dream Magic, to create dreams and to develop his own magical abilities. But when Crow finds out his two best friends are alive and he receives a mysterious warning, he is unsure who to trust.

The story is set under the atmospheric countdown to the comet Oros being at its strongest, heightening all things magical and potentially enabling the devastating nightmare, ‘The Mara’ to unleash it’s devastation and despair across the city. This combination of fear and mistrust creates great tension, suspense and pace in the storytelling. Key themes include: friendship, courage, loyalty, magic, the balance between light and dark and moral choices. I particularly like the portrayal and duality of the flawed characters and the relationship between Crow and the sorcerer’s cat Nakima. A superb read aloud.