Scholastic announces Lollies shortlist with Jamie Smart nominated in two categories

Scholastic has announced the shortlists for the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards, known as the Lollies, with Jamie Smart shortlisted in two categories. 

Smart has been nominated for Best Laugh Out Loud Book (Ages 6–8) with Bunny vs Monkey: Machine Mayhem! (David Fickling Books) and Best Illustrator of the Year alongside Jim Field, Nicola Slater and Jim Smith. 

Writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth is up for the crown in Best Laugh Out Loud Book Non-Fiction for What Goes Up White and Comes Down Yellow? (Penguin Random House), illustrated by Emily Fox. Brandreth and Fox are shortlisted with Dr John Bradshaw and Clare Elsom’s Cats: Understanding Your Whiskered Friend (Andersen Press); Paige Towler and Andy Smith’s Gross FACTopia! (What on Earth Books) and The Funny Life of Football (Bloomsbury) by James Campbell and Rob Jones. 

Former comedian Kate Weston made it onto the Best Laugh Out Loud Book For Teens shortlist with Diary of a Confused Feminist: Must Do Better (Hachette) alongside Christine Pillainayagam’s Ellie Pillai is Brown (Faber), Jo Simmons’ The Reluctant Vampire Queen (Bonnier Books) and You’re Not the Boss of Me! by Catherine Wilkins (Nosy Crow). 

Lollies ambassador Michael Rosen selected the shortlist alongside fellow judges Shini Muthukrishnan, presenter on "Blue Peter", primary school teacher Scott Evans, school librarian Reba Khatun and Su Inglis, product manager for book clubs and fairs. 

The Lollies originally started in 2015 after the Roald Dahl Funny Prize came to an end. They celebrate the best and funniest children’s books in the UK and Ireland annually, with the winners decided by children’s votes. The prize expanded in 2022 to include additional categories after the closure of the Blue Peter Awards. 

Rachel Partridge, group marketing and PR and schools commercial director said: “With last year’s annual survey from the NLT showing that reading enjoyment for children is at its lowest level in almost two decades, awards like the Lollies couldn’t be more important. We already know that children would choose a funny book when self-selecting to read for pleasure, and the Lollies are a brilliant way to drive book discoverability to support reading for the sheer joy of it. Every year, the awards showcase a wealth of talent from brilliant authors and illustrators and teachers tell us how inspired children are to get stuck in and read and discuss the books on the shortlist. Our campaign this year will reflect our ambition to reach even more children to spread book joy.”

The full shortlist 

Best Laugh Out Loud Picture Book

• ACHOO! by Simon Philip and Nathan Reed (Bloomsbury)

• I Did See a Mammoth! by Alex Willmore (Farshore)

• PANTemonium! by Peter Bently and Becka Moor (Andersen Press)

• The Knight with the Blazing Bottom by Beach (Simon & Schuster)

Best Laugh Out Loud Book Ages 6-8

• Bad Panda: The Cake Escape by Swapna Haddow and Sheena Dempsey (Faber)

• Bunny vs Monkey: Machine Mayhem! by Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books)

• Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly! by Nadia Shireen (Simon & Schuster)

• The Worst Class in the World Goes Wild! by Joanna Nadin and Rikin Parekh (Bloomsbury)

Best Laugh Out Loud Book Ages 9-12

• How to Survive Time Travel by Larry Hayes and Katie Abey (Simon & Schuster)

• Maddy Yip’s Guide to Holidays by Sue Cheung (Andersen Press)

• The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby (Penguin Random House)

• The Underpants of Chaos by Sam Copeland, Jenny Pearson, Robin Boyden and Katie Kear 
(Penguin Random House)

Best Laugh Out Loud Book For Teens 

• Diary of a Confused Feminist: Must Do Better by Kate Weston (Hachette)

• Ellie Pillai is Brown by Christine Pillainayagam (Faber)

• The Reluctant Vampire Queen by Jo Simmons (Bonnier Books)

• You’re Not the Boss of Me! by Catherine Wilkins (Nosy Crow)

Best Laugh Out Loud Book - Non-Fiction

• Cats: Understanding Your Whiskered Friend by Dr John Bradshaw and Clare Elsom 
(Andersen Press)

• Gross FACTopia! by Paige Towler and Andy Smith (What on Earth Books)

• The Funny Life of Football by James Campbell and Rob Jones (Bloomsbury)

• What Goes Up White and Comes Down Yellow? by Gyles Brandreth and Emily Fox
(Penguin Random House)

Best Laugh Out Loud Books Poetry

• Over to You! by Roger McGough (Penguin Random House)

• The Blue-Footed Booby by Rob Biddulph (HarperCollins)

• The Gecko and the Echo by Rachel Bright and Jim Field (Hachette)

• This is NOT a Dinosaur! by Barry Timms and Ged Adamson (Nosy Crow)

Best Laugh Out Loud Illustrator of the Year

• Jim Field (Hachette)
• Nicola Slater (Scholastic)
• Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books)
• Jim Smith (Faber)