The ABIA Book shortlists 2019
The Australian Book Industry Awards Academy has announced the ABIA Book shortlists for 2019.
Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, narrators, and publishers.
General fiction book of the year
- Scrublands by Chris Hammer
- The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
- The Nowhere Child by Christian White
- The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Literary fiction book of the year
- Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
- Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
- Shell by Kristina Olsson
- The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton
- Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko
General nonfiction book of the year
- Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales
- Boys Will Be Boys by Clementine Ford
- Dear Santa edited by Samuel Johnson
- No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani, translated by Omid Tofighian
- Welcome to Country: A Travel Guide to Indigenous Australia by Marcia Langton
Biography book of the year
- Back, After the Break by Osher Günsberg
- Challenge Accepted! by Celeste Barber
- Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee
- Johnathan Thurston: The Autobiography by Jonathan Thurston
- Teacher by Gabbie Stroud
Book of the year for older children (ages 13+)
- Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough
- Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina & Ezekiel Kwaymullina
- Hive by A.J. Betts
- Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds by Jeremy Lachlan
- Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein
Book of the year for younger children (ages 7-13)
- Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee
- Real Pigeons Fight Crime by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood
- The 104-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
- The Bad Guys Episode 7: Do-You-Think-He-Saurus?! by Aaron Blabey
- Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Children’s picture book of the year (ages 0-6)
- All the Ways to be Smart by Davina Bell & Alison Colpoys
- Cicada by Shaun Tan
- Claris: The Chicest Mouse in Paris by Megan Hess
- Macca the Alpaca by Matt Cosgrove
- Pig the Grub by Aaron Blabey
Illustrated book of the year
- A Painted Landscape: Across Australia from Bush to Coast by Amber Creswell Bell
- Family: New Vegetable Classics to Comfort and Nourish by Hetty McKinnon
- Mirka & Georges by Lesley Harding & Kendrah Morgan
- Special Guest by Annabel Crabb & Wendy Sharpe
- The Cook’s Apprentice by Stephanie Alexander
International book of the year
- Becoming by Michelle Obama
- Circe by Madeline Miller
- Less by Andrew Sean Greer
- Lost Connections by Johann Hari
- Ottolenghi SIMPLE by Yotam Ottolenghi
Small publishers’ adult book of the year
- A Superior Spectre by Angela Meyer
- Blakwork by Alison Whittaker
- Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss
- The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman
- The Geography of Friendship by Sally Piper
Small publishers’ children’s book of the year
- Black Cockatoo by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler
- I Had Such Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness
- Rhyme Cordial by Antonia Pesenti
- The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls by Adam Cece
- Whisper by Lynette Noni
The Matt Richell award for new writer of the year
- Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
- The Nowhere Child by Christian White
- Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee
- The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Audiobook of the year
- Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton, narrated by Stig Weymss
- Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss, narrated by Gregory J Fryer, Tamala Shelton, Lisa Maza, Tony Briggs, Hunter Page-Lochard, Shari Sebbens
- The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton, narrated by Joanne Froggatt
- The Lost Man by Jane Harper, narrated by Steve Shanahan
- The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein, narrated by Rachael Tidd
The Rising Star of the year
- Alice Wood (Campaign Manager, HarperCollins)
- Catriona Murdie (Senior Editor – Young Readers, Penguin Random House)
- Ella Chapman (Head of Marketing Communications, Hachette)
- Mark Campbell (Head of Design, HarperCollins)
- Sam Cooney (Publisher, Brow Books)
