Today Scholastic UK announced the winners of the 2024 Laugh Out Loud Awards (The Lollies) at a ceremony filled with laughter, poetry, song, doodling and much more. The Lollies is the UK’s biggest celebration of funny books and one of the few awards where the winners are voted for by children. Hosted by author, actor and presenter Stephen Mangan at London’s Southbank Centre, the audience was full of excited children, authors, illustrators and many from the world of publishing.

Stephen Mangan was joined by guest stars from children’s books and television including Lollies’ ambassador Michael Rosen, Martin Brown, Anita Mangan, Ella McLeod, Shini Muthukrishnan, Axel Scheffler, George Webster and Cbeebies’ Dodge the Dog (puppeteer Warrick Brownlow- Pike).

Scholastic ran a competition for schools to attend to widen access for all children to this fantastic event that supports reading for pleasure and over 170 excited children filled the theatre.

The winners represent the funniest books for children from pre-school to teen – chosen by children:

• BEST LAUGH OUT LOUD PICTURE BOOK: I Did See a Mammoth! by Alex Willmore (Farshore)

• BEST LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOK AGES 6–8: Bunny vs Monkey: Machine Mayhem! by Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books)

• BEST LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOK AGES 9–12: How to Survive Time Travel by Larry Hayes and illustrated by Katie Abey (Simon & Schuster)

• BEST LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOK FOR TEENS: 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 illustrated by Clare Elsom (Andersen Press)

• BEST LAUGH OUT LOUD BOOKS POETRY: The Gecko and the Echo by Rachel Bright and illustrated by Jim Field (Hachette)

• BEST LAUGH OUT LOUD ILLUSTRATOR OF THE YEAR: Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books)

Winning authors and illustrators will have the opportunity to appear in a special public Lollies show at Imagine Festival in February 2025.

Michael Rosen says, “This is the moment when you can boost children's love of reading: a brand new tranche of funny books, hitting the button, triggering giggles and laughs. Unmissable!”

Catherine Bell, MD of Scholastic UK says, “We are so delighted to see another out-pouring of love and admiration for funny books. We know from our own research that 63% of children would self-select a funny book as a read for pleasure title* and in a world where we are experiencing a reading crisis, celebrating the books that children really want to read can only be a good thing. Long live the Lollies and long live the amazing authors and illustrators delivering these fabulous books.”

Submissions for The Lollies 2025 will be open until Friday 6th December 2024. The shortlist will be announced and the children’s vote will commence in spring 2025 and will close by the end of summer term 2025. Winners will be announced in autumn 2025. Entry forms and full criteria can be found at www.scholastic.co.uk/lollies.

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