Halfway’s Books Of The Year 2022

Just a perfect day…

aving pulled together some of our finest children’s authors, Trish and the Halfway Up The Stairs gang have come up with their Books Of The Year 2022.

As you might expect, they’re full of joy and wonder.

And beautiful, intoxicating illustrations.

“It’s always hard, picking your favourites, especially when we had so many wonderful books released this year,” says Trish, “but the ones chosen here had all the judges enthralled.

“These are the sort of books that make you wish you were a child again…”

In the Picture Book category, there’s Lily Murray and Jenny Lovlie’s A Dress With Pockets, Sadhbh Devlin and Brian Fitzgerald’s Amuigh Faoin Spéir, Paddy Donnelly’s Fox & Son Tailers, Steve McCarthy’s The Wilderness and Well Done, Mummy Penguin by Chris Haughton, whilst the Picture Book Of The Year is Be Wild, Little One by Olivia Hope and Daniel Egnéus.

For 6+, it’s Mark Bradley’s Bumble & Snug and The Excited Unicorn, Louie Stowell’s Loki and Shane Hegarty’s The Shop Of Impossible Ice Creams, whilst for the 9+ gang, there’s Aoife Dooley’s Frankie’s World, Eve McDonnell’s The Chestnut Roaster, Hannah Gold’s The Lost Whale, Alan Nolan’s The Sackville Street Caper and Phil Earle’s While The Storm Rages, whilst Katya Balen’s The Light In Everything was crowned Novel Of The Year.

For teens and young adults, the books of the year are Aislinn O’Loughlin’s Big Bad Me, Alex Barclay’s My Heart And Other Breakables, Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber’s Twin Crowns and Sue Divin’s Truth Be Told.

For those kids keen to get their smarts on, the two biggies for 2022 are Sarah Webb’s Be Inspired (illustrated by Graham Corcoran) and Ellen Ryan’s Girls Who Slay Monsters (illustrated by Shona Shirley Macdonald).

You can check out the full list (including a few more favourites) right here. Better still, get yourself down to Halfway. Today.