BIBLIO-BUZZ 2025
Schools and Colleges
Welcome to Biblio-Buzz 2025 – the Alexandra Palace Children’s Book Award!
Biblio-Buzz is run by our Creative Learning team in partnership with Haringey Library Services, schools and local bookshops and is aimed at young people aged nine to 12 years old.
Participants are challenged to read six shortlisted texts – see the shortlist below! – before taking on a range of literary challenges and voting for their favourite book.
Biblio-Buzz 2025 will culminate with an award ceremony on Friday 14 March in the Alexandra Palace Theatre, plus a ceremony for the Haringey Library Service Award on Saturday 15 March in Wood Green Library. The ceremonies will enable our young Biblio-Buzz participants to meet the authors, get their books signed, take part in workshops and Q&As, and discover which books they voted as their winners.
This year the official suppliers of Biblio-Buzz 2025 are Muswell Hill Children’s Bookshop and Pickled Pepper Books who are offering discounted packs of the shortlisted books to schools or individuals who take part in Biblio-Buzz.
If you would like more information about Biblio-Buzz 2025 email us at learning@alexandrapalace.com
Your Biblio-Buzz 2025 books - get reading!
The 2025 shortlist is selected by a team of local school librarians, who are the founders of the Book Award:
Bird Boy by Catherine Bruton
From the multi-award-winning author of No Ballet Shoes in Syria, comes a story of migration, conservation, healing and hope as a grieving boy forms an unbreakable bond with an injured bird.
Ice Cream Boy by Lindsay Littleson
Luca thinks his future is set, running his family’s ice cream cafe. But when the business might close and his gran begins struggling with dementia, Luca feels increasingly lost. A heart-warming story of family, resilience and hope.
Mayowa and the Sea of Words by Chibundu Onuzo
The first title in a dazzlingly imaginative adventure trilogy about one girl’s power to change the world through the magic of book-jumping. Brimming with heart, Mayowa and the Sea of Words is a modern classic in the making. Perfect for everyone who knows the true power of a good book…
SCRAP by Guy Bass
When the humans arrive on Somewhere 513, they discover that the robots sent to prepare the planet for Humanity’s arrival have chosen to keep it for themselves. Only one robot remains loyal – K1-NG, aka King of the Robots. But even with the most powerful robot on their side, the outlawed humans don’t stand a chance.
Ten years on, Gnat and her sister Paige are the only humans left and have spent their lives hidden underground. Now they must venture out in search of the one robot that stood by the humans. There’s just one problem – the once mighty K1-NG has vowed never to help another human for as long as he lives…
The Clockwork Conspiracy by Sam Sedgman
A locked-room mystery packed with rooftop chases, hidden codes and mind-bending science, The Clockwork Conspiracy is a must for fans of the Adventures on Trains series and Sharna Jackson’s High Rise mysteries.
Aspiring inventor Isaac Turner lives with his dad, the horologist in charge of Big Ben. But when his father vanishes from the belfry on the night the clocks go back, leaving behind only a smashed pocket watch and a cryptic message, Isaac determines to find him.
The Island at the Edge of Night by Lucy Strange
Abandoned at a boarding school on a wild and remote island, Faye Fitzgerald discovers that she and the other pupils have been sent there for doing something wicked. But what is it that Faye has done? She might be bold enough to tackle the sinister mysteries of the island, but has she the courage to face the secrets deep within herself?