Jamie Smart’s "phenomenal" graphic novel Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-Up! claimed top spot in this category. Smart enjoyed a personal best in 2023, ending the year as one of the UK’s top-selling graphic novelists with his best annual sales ever. One judge called the anarchic Bunny vs Monkey series a "game changer". It is "undiluted reading for pleasure", added another.
David Fickling Books’ investment in Smart impressed our judges, with the supermarket support for Mix-Up! declared a "major coup". "This is what happens when you nurture an author to the point where they go ’boom’," our panel agreed. DFB’s "bold" and "admirable" campaign utilised its resources effectively to make Multiverse Mix-Up! the breakout title of the Bunny vs Monkey series and push Smart to a new level of sales.