Excelsior Award White 2023


2023 Shortlist

The books on the Excelsior Award White shortlst have been designated as suitable for children aged 9+ (or Key Stage 2 in schools)

Click on the book's title for extra information


Andy, like a lot of kids, feels a little lost and out of place when he moves to Gotham. He's quiet and shy... and a little worried that the scar on his face makes him stick out. Some classmates make him feel welcome, and others don't. But Andy has a secret.
Back in Florida, his dad introduced him to the wrestler Waylon Jones, and Andy's pretty sure he's in Gotham now too. If Andy can find him and ask for some wrestling tips, he can have it all. Finding Jones won't be too hard either... because in Gotham, Jones goes by the name, Killer Croc! Trouble is, Batman is looking for Andy's childhood hero too.

Details

Writer: Sara Farizan

Artist: Nicoletta Baldari

Published by DC Comics

ISBN-13: 978-1779501240

Starting out at a new school is tough, and Bridgette isn't having much luck, seeing as, well, she's not great at making a first impression. Or, maybe, any impression. Ugh, all these nervous feelings! Will she fit in? Will she make new friends? Will they still like her once they get to know her better? That's when she sees it. Something dark and scary... something only she can see. And she should be scared. But she isn't. Maybe scary things just need friends, too. Maybe The Glim isn't so bad after all. The Girl and The Glim is about accepting the fact that fear is okay, and that while letting other people see your vulnerabilities can be scary, it can also lead to closer friendships in the end.

Details

Writer: India Swift

Artist: India Swift

Published by IDW

ISBN-13: 978-1684057412

Genius inventor Skunky has just designed a brand-new creation - a robot called Metal Eve! She needs to learn everything there is to know about life, so it's probably not the best idea that she's surrounded by Bunny, Monkey, Weenie, Pig and the gang. The only thing she's going to learn from them is that life in the Woods is very, very silly indeed! Laughs will be aplenty in the hit comic book sensation!

Details

Writer: Jamie Smart

Artist: Jamie Smart

Published by David Fickling Books

ISBN-13: 978-1788452854

Ollie has always hated the idea of hunting, but his dad insisted they go on a trip with his business partner, Sebastian, and his son, Tyler. When Ollie fails to take a perfect shot, the teasing starts, and he wonders if his dad will ever be proud of him again. But just when he thought their trip couldn't get any worse, their private jet is struck by lightning and crash lands on a deserted island. Ollie awakens to find his dad seriously injured and the other passengers nowhere in sight. If they hope to survive, he’s going to have to learn skills he’s been avoiding developing so far. He has never felt less sure of who he is... or if he will be able to hang on until help arrives.

Details

Writer: Brendan Deneen

Artist: Bell Hosalla

Published by DC Comics

ISBN-13: 978-1779501219

When a coldly single-minded businessman uses an untested element to create clean energy for a profit, he inadvertently awakens the beast from the deep - Godzilla! Sensing the harm the new energy poses to the planet, Godzilla attacks the heart of the problem - humankind! It will be up to three intrepid middle-school students (with a little magic help from Infant Island) to show Godzilla that not all humans are bad... and that there is still hope for Planet Earth. 

Details

Writer: Erik Burnham

Artist: Dan Schoening

Published by IDW

ISBN-13: 978-1684058723

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