Lancashire Book of the Year 2025 winner announced by council

Lie or Die by A. J. Clack has been named the Lancashire Book of the Year 2025, a regional book award now in its 39th year that is entirely judged by young people.

The award, organised by Lancashire County Council, is the longest-running young people’s regional book award in the country.

A. J. Clack said: "It's hard to express how much it means to me to have young adults read Lie or Die and enjoy it enough to vote it the winner.

"That it resonated with them as readers means the world.

"To have such an overwhelmingly positive response from the very people you were writing for is the best validation a writer can have.

"I am so grateful and honoured to have been judged the winner of this prestigious award, from such an amazing shortlist of books, and would like to thank each student judge for their vote and their support."

Cllr Alf Clempson, chairman of Lancashire County Council, with the 12 shortlisted authors (Image: Supplied) The title, described as perfect for fans of The Traitors, follows 10 strangers trapped in a TV studio who must identify a traitor among them.

It was selected through a confidential vote in June by Year 9 pupils from 35 high schools across Lancashire, including Blackpool.

Young judges began with a longlist of 96 young adult fiction titles, which they narrowed down to a shortlist of 12 before choosing the winner.

Lancashire County Council’s library service partnered with eBook platform BorrowBox to ensure all shortlisted titles were available in both digital and physical formats.

Matthew Salter, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for education and skills, said: "Lancashire Book of the Year is a brilliant award that enables young adults across the county to share their love of reading.

"Studies have shown that children who enjoy reading and read regularly reap the benefits in many areas including academically, socially and in their wellbeing.

"Thank you to everyone who took part in this year's judging process.

"I also want to give a huge congratulations to A.J. Clack and to all of our shortlisted authors."

Lancashire Book of the Year was the first regional book award for children when it launched in 1987.

It was first won by Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, and has since been awarded to well-known writers including Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz, and Sarah Crossan.

The award has been sponsored by UCLan for the past 25 years.