Skip to content

Office and phone line closures during festive bank holidays

Our offices and phone lines will be closed between 25-27 December and 1 January. For emergencies please check our out of hours numbers.

Libraries/community centres - Christmas and New Year opening times

There will be changes to our opening times during the festive period - get more details.

In this section
Share this page

Our Best Book

OBB Logo

Each year we run the Our Best Book competition for year five and six children, in schools across the city. The award is led by Leicester libraries in partnership with the School Development Support Agency and Creative Learning Services.

Competition

Our Best Book runs from the autumn right through to the summer term in participating schools. These schools each receive the long list and multiple copies of the short list books. 

A long list of 12 titles are discussed, debated and voted on by pupils in participating Leicester schools, to produce a short list of five great books.

The top five books are read and voted on by the children involved and online author talks also take place for the schools.

The winning book is announced in June.

2025 shortlist

  • Nina Peanut is Amazing – Sarah Bowie
  • Lost on Gibbon Island – Jess Butterworth
  • Reek – Alastair Chisholm
  • Stitch – Pádraig Kenny
  • Hercules: The Dairy of a (Sort of) Hero – Tom Vaughan

2025 longlist

  • Nina Peanut is Amazing – Sarah Bowie
  • Lost on Gibbon Island – Jess Butterworth
  • Reek – Alastair Chisholm
  • Things That Go Bump – Kathryn Foxfield
  • The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder – Kereen Getten
  • Skylar and the K-Pop Headteacher – Luan Goldie
  • Stitch – Pádraig Kenny
  • The House With a Dragon in It – Nick Lake
  • Reggie Houser Has the Power – Helen Rutter
  • The Girl Who Couldn't Lie – Radhika Sanghani
  • Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions – Carrie Sellon
  • Hercules: The Dairy of a (Sort of) Hero – Tom Vaughan

All of the long-listed books are available to borrow. You can pop in and pick one up at your local library.

Our Best Book 2024 Winners

  • 1st: Worst week ever! Monday by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove 
  • 2nd: Trixie Pickle Art Avenger by Olaf Falafel 
  • 3rd: Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tọlá Okogwu

Follow Libraries on social media for regular updates about all our projects, services and the latest bestsellers

Follow us

Follow Libraries on social media for regular updates about all our projects, services and the latest bestsellers.