The 2025 Longlist

The 2025 ASLA DANZ Children’s Book Award longlist showcases 29 exceptional titles that push boundaries, challenge stereotypes, and celebrate diversity in children’s and young adult literature.

Catch a Falling Star by Eileen Merriman (Penguin Random House New Zealand) – Winner
Into the Mouth of the Wolf by Erin Gough (Hardie Grant) – Shortlisted
Inkflower by Suzy Zail (Walker Books Australia) – Shortlisted
A Way Home by Emily Brewin (MidnightSun Publishing)
Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This) by Elisa Chenoweth (Hardie Grant)
Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina (Text Publishing)
Robert Runs by Mariah Sweetman (Magabala Books)
Slipping the Noose by Meg Caddy (Text Publishing)
Two Can Play That Game by Leanne Yong (Allen & Unwin)
The Quiet and the Loud by Helena Fox (Pan Macmillan Australia)
White Noise by Raelke Grimmer (UWA Publishing)

Young Adult Longlist

Book cover for 'Into the Mouth of the Wolf' by Erin Gough, featuring colorful abstract art of two girls' faces with swirling backgrounds.

A promotional poster for the 2025 Longlist Young Adult book award, featuring the book "A Way Home" by Emily Brewin, published by MidnightSun Publishing. The poster includes a stylized illustration of a woman with floating sheets of music and the book cover, with the logos of the Australian School Library Association and the Danz Children's Book Award.

Promotional poster featuring the book cover of 'Inkflower' by Suzy Zail, with text announcing it as the 2025 longlist Young Adult, and includes logos of the Australian School Library Association and Danz Children's Book Award, with a yellow and orange background and a gold ribbon.

Promotional poster for the 2025 Australian School Library Association Children's Book Award longlist featuring the book "Catch a Falling Star" by Eileen Merriman, illustrated book cover, with text indicating the winner, publisher, and supporting organization.

Promotional poster for the 2025 Longlist Young Adult novel 'Liar's Test' by Ambelin Kwaymullina, featuring a stylized illustration of a woman's face surrounded by branches and flowers, with event and sponsor information from the Australian School Library Association and The Danz Children's Book Award.

Award announcement for the 2025 Longlist Young Adult category, featuring the book "Robert Runs" by Mariah Sweetman, with the book cover showing a silhouette of a person running at sunset, with trees and birds in the background, and logos of the Australian School Library Association and the Danz Children's Book Award.

A promotional graphic for the 2025 Longlist Young Adult.Children's Book Award, featuring the book cover of "White Noise" by Raelke Grimmer, with decorative text and a ribbon element.

Book cover for "Two Can Play That Game" by Leanne Yong, featuring two young adults with gaming controllers, one male and one female, sitting at computers on a yellow background.

A promotional graphic for the Australian School Library Association's 2025 Longlist Young Adult Award features the book cover of 'Slipping the Noose' by Meg Caddy. The background transitions from yellow to orange, with a gold ribbon curling across the image. Text highlights the award, author, book title, and publisher, with logos of ASLA and the Danz Children's Book Award.

Bright, colorful poster featuring a book cover titled "Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This)" by Elisa Chenoweth. The background has a gradient from orange to yellow. The top left has logos for the Australian School Library Association and the Danz Children's Book Award. The right side shows an illustration resembling a passport with travel stickers, including a rainbow, a slice of pizza, and an airplane. The poster mentions the book as a 2025 longlist young adult selection and highlights Maria Petranelli as prepared for anything except the book's humorous twist.

A promotional poster for the Australian School Library Association's 2025 Longlist Young Adult Books, featuring the book "The Quiet and the Loud" by Helena Fox. The poster includes a book cover image showing a person in a boat on a body of water at sunset, with some award medals and endorsements at the top.

The Trees by Victor Steffensen and illustrated by Sandra Steffensen (Hardie Grant Explore) – Winner
Our Mob by Taylor Hampton & Jacinta Daniher and illustrated by Seantelle Walsh (Ford Street Publishing) – Shortlisted
Looking After Country with Fire by Victor Steffensen and illustrated by Sandra Steffensen (Hardie Grant Explore) – Shortlisted
Always Was, Always Will Be by Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson (Magabala Books)
Ask Aunty: Seasons by Aunty Munya Andrews and illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis (Hardie Grant Explore)
Design & Building on Country: First Knowledges for younger readers by Paul Memmott & Alison Page and illustrated by Blak Douglas (Thames & Hudson Australia)
Brilliant Minds by Shannon Meyerkort & Amy Blackwell (Affirm Press)
In My Blood It Runs by Dujuan Hoosan, Margaret Anderson & Carol Turner and illustrated by Blak Douglas (Pan Macmillan Australia)
Gurawul the Whale by Max Dulumunmun Harrison and illustrated by Laura La Rosa (Magabala Books)
The Wonder of Little Things by Vince Copley & Lea McInerney (HarperCollins)

Non-Fiction Longlist

Book cover of 'Always Was, Always Will Be' by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, featuring a brown fist with painted nails, with the title written on it, set against an orange background.

Promotional poster for the 2025 longlist Non-Fiction of the Danz Children's Book Award, featuring the book "Gurawul the Whale" by Max Dulumnumnun Harrison, illustrated by Laura La Rosa, with a cover image of a stylized whale surrounded by abstract ocean and plant illustrations.

Announcement for the 2025 Longlist Non-Fiction of The Danz Children's Book Award, featuring the book "Ask Aunty Seasons" by Aunty Munya Andrews, illustrated by Charmaine Ledden-Lewis, with a cover image of the book showing a sea turtle and colorful flowers.

A promotional poster for the 2025 Longlist Non-Fiction of The Danz Children's Book Award by the Australian School Library Association, featuring a yellow to orange gradient background. It displays a book titled 'In My Blood It Runs' by Dujuan Hoosan, Margaret Anderson, and Carol Turner, illustrated by Blak Douglas. The poster also includes text about support from the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund and social media information.

Cover of a book titled 'Our Mob' by Jacinta Daniher and Taylor Hampton, illustrated by Seantelle Walsh, featuring children playing in a tree and a flying bird with a teal background.

Event poster for the 2025 Longlist Non-Fiction of the Australian School Library Association Danz Children's Book Award, featuring a book titled "Looking After Country with Fire" with illustrations by Sandra Steffensen, authored by Victor Steffensen, and explained by Hardie Grant Explore, with a colorful background and an illustration of children and a man in a nature scene.

Graphic Novel Longlist

Ghost Book by Remy Lai (Allen & Unwin) – Winner
Neverlanders by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva (Penguin Random House) – Shortlisted
The Sweetness Between Us by Sarah Winifred Searle (Allen & Unwin) – Shortlisted
Hairy Holes by Brenton E McKenna (Magabala Books)
When the World Was Soft by Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation (Allen & Unwin)
The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle (Allen & Unwin)

Announcement poster for the 2025 Longlist Graphic Novel, featuring 'Neverlanders' by Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva. The poster includes colorful graphics, a cover image of the comic, and logos of the Australian School Library Association and The Danz Children's Book Award.

A graphic promoting the 2025 longlist of the Australian School Library Association's Danz Children's Book Award featuring the book "Hairy Holes" by Brenton E. McKenna, with a bright orange cover showing cartoon-style hairy monsters and flying birds.

Poster for the 2025 Longlist Graphic Novel, The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle. Features an illustration of three children with closed eyes looking happy under a starry night sky with a large star. The poster also shows logos of the Australian School Library Association and the Danz Children's Book Award, along with gold medals for winners and supporters.

Poster announcing the 2025 longlist graphic novel 'The Sweetness Between Us' by Sarah Winifred Searle, awarded by the Australian School Library Association. Features a colorful illustration of two girls close to each other, with the book title written across their faces, and information about the Danz Children's Book Award and supporting organizations.

Poster promoting the 2025 Longlist Graphic Novel for the Australian School Library Association, featuring the book 'Ghost Book' by Remy Lai, published by Allen & Unwin. The poster includes a colorful illustration of the book cover, showing a girl riding a bicycle past a spooky, ghost-filled scene. There are logos, text about the award, and social media and website information at the bottom.

A graphic promoting the 2025 longlist of the Australian School Library Association's Danz Children's Book Award, featuring a book titled "When the World Was Soft" by Juluwarulu Group Aboriginal Corporation, with a blue cover illustration of a tree and a moon

Announcement for the 2025 longlist non-fiction of the Danz Children's Book Award, featuring the book 'Brilliant Minds' by Shannon Meyerkort and Amy Blackwell; includes logos of ASLA and Danz Children's Book Award; gold ribbon decoration, background with gradient from yellow to orange.

A promotional poster for a children's book award, featuring a display of the book cover titled "Design & Building on Country: First Knowledges for younger readers" by Alison Page & Paul Memott, illustrated by Blak Douglas. The poster has a yellow and orange gradient background with text about the award and book, and a small illustration of children on a landscape with a sunset.

Pasifika Navigators by 52 Pasifika Student Authors (Mila's Books) – Winner
It’s the Sound of the Thing by Maxine Beneba Clarke (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)

Poetry Longlist

A promotional poster for Maxine Beneba Clarke's book "It's the Sound of the Thing," featuring the book cover with a blue background, a purple and white microphone illustration, and pink geometric shapes. The poster includes logos of the Australian School Library Association and The Danz Children’s Book Award, along with text announcing the 2025 longlist poetry for young people, and supporting information about copyright and project sponsors.

Poster promoting the 2025 longlist of poetry for Pasifika Navigators, part of the Pasifika Student Poetry Collection, featuring cover art of a traditional Polynesian-style sailing canoe on waves and displaying logos of the Australian School Library Association and the Danz Children's Book Award.

Green circular object with a black outline