The Young Australians Best Book Awards (YABBA) were established in 1985 by a group of Victorians keen to see children engage in reading Australian books. Their goal is to have children recommend, read, rate and reward their favourite Australian books.

During Term 1 each year children across Victoria are asked to recommend their favourite Australian books to other children by nominating four Australian titles. All nominations are collated and the 10 books with the most nominations in each of the award categories are the shortlisted books for that year.

Here are the shortlisted books for 2018…

Picture Story Books

• Arty Farty Marty: The Paint Smashin’ Kraken by Dale Baker
• Busting! by Aaron Blabey
• Chip by Kylie Howarth
• Do Not Open This Book Again! by Andy Lee & Heath McKenzie
• Excuse Me! by Dave Hughes, Holly Ife & Philip Bunting
• Flapper VC by Mark Wilson
• Go Go And The Silver Shoes by Jane Godwin & Anna Walker
• Hickory Dickory Dash by Tony Wilson & Laura Wood
• Pig The Star by Aaron Blabey
• Too Many Cheeky Dogs by Johanna Bell & Dion Beasley

Fiction for Younger Readers

• The Bad Guys Episode 5: Intergalactic Gas by Aaron Blabey
• Billie’s Yummy Bakery Adventure by Sally Rippin & Alisa Coburn
• Ella And Olivia Book 17: Zoo Rescue by Yvette Pogloshian & Danielle McDonald
• Ella Diaries Book 6: Pony School Showdown by Meredith Costain & Danielle McDonald
• Eric Vale Off The Rails by Michael Gerard Bauer & Joe Bauer
• Hotdog! Book 2: Party Time by Anh Do & Dan McGuiness
• Polly And Buster Book 1: The Wayward Witch & The Feelings Monster by Sally Rippin
• Sporty Kids Book 5: Handball by Felice Arena & Tom Jellett
• WeirDo Book 8: Really Weird! by Anh Do & Jules Faber
• You Choose: Footy Fever by George Ivanoff & James Hart

Fiction for Older Readers

• Aquatica by Lance Balchin
• Friday Barnes Book 6: Danger Ahead by R.A. Spratt
• Funny Kid For President by Matt Stanton
• Grimsdon by Deborah Abela
• Iris And The Tiger by Leanne Hall
• Our Australian Girl: Meet Grace by Sofie Laguna & Lucia Masciullo
• Mr Bambuckle’s Remarkables by Tim Harris & James Hart
• The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
• The Boy And The Spy by Felice Arena
• The Forgotten Pearl by Belinda Murrell

Fiction for Years 7-9

• Are You Seeing Me by Darren Groth
• Every Word by Ellie Marney
• Game Theory by Barry Jonsberg
• Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
• Maybe by Morris Gleitzman
• Nona & Me by Claire Atkins
• The Fall by Tristan Bancks
• The Protected by Claire Zorn
• The Secrets We Keep by Nova Weetman
• Yellow by Megan Jacobson

During Term 2 and 3, students are encouraged to read as many of the shortlisted books as they can. They are then invited to participate in the voting process in early Term 4. You can find out more about YABBA, including how to participate here. The winners are revealed on October 30 or October 31, 2018.