We are so excited to announce the finalists for the 2025 Booksellers’ Choice Awards!

Adult Award finalists

• Amma by Saraid de Silva (Moa Press)
• The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone by Gareth and Louise Ward (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
• The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour and Jude Dobson (Allen & Unwin New Zealand)
• Kataraina by Becky Manawatu (Mākaro Press)
• Foraging New Zealand by Peter Langlands (Penguin Random House New Zealand)

Haydn + Rollett Children’s Award finalists

• Nine Girls by Stacy Gregg (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
• The Raven’s Eye Runaways by Claire Mabey (Allen & Unwin New Zealand)
• The Grimmelings by Rachael King (Allen & Unwin New Zealand)
• The Fantabulous Animal Orchestra by Donovan Bixley (Penguin Random House New Zealand)
• Children of the Rush by James Russell (Dragon Brothers Books)

The Booksellers’ Choice Awards are voted on by Aotearoa’s booksellers to reflect their top recommendations from the books released in the past year. This year the children’s award is kindly sponsored by Haydn + Rollett.

Congratulation to all the finalists! The winners will be announced on 19 July at the Book Industry Awards. If you don’t already have your ticket, now’s the time to secure your spot.