The Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership are excited to announce the shortlist for the 2026 School Library Book Awards.

This year's shortlist includes a zombie story with an environmental twist, a murder mystery, a historical romance inspired by Robin Hood's legacy, and a YA gothic novel inspired by Mary Shelley and co. 's stay at the Villa Diodati. A middle years horror story and ghost tale complete the shortlist.

The shortlisted books are:

• Young Gothic by M. A. Bennett
• Not for The Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
• Fear Files: Hide and Seek by Christopher Edge
• Mondays are Murder by Ravena Guron
• The Zombie Project by Alice Nutall
• The Scream of The Whistle by Emily Randall-Jones

Panels of students at secondary schools, including St. Dunstan's School in Glastonbury, will read and review the shortlisted books.

Students' ratings will then decide their favourite book from the shortlist, and the overall winner of the award will be announced at a ceremony on 23rd April at the Merlin Theatre in Frome.

The MNSP's School Library Book Award was founded in 2024 by school librarians and library staff, with the idea to join forces and work together; to enhance students' reading, by giving them a unique opportunity to explore a variety of texts and genres that they might not have otherwise chosen and to celebrate the love of reading and books, across the whole of the MNSP Trust.