Guppy Books - Independent award-winning children’s publisher

Who we are

Guppy Books is an independent children’s fiction publisher based in Oxford, UK. Small but mighty, Guppy was set up in 2019 by publisher Bella Pearson, We publish an eclectic, diverse and above all, entertaining list of fiction, graphic novels and highly illustrated books for children from the age of five to eighteen. In 2023, The Cats We Meet Along the Way by Nadia Mikail won the Waterstones Overall Children’s Book of the Year, in 2024 Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions won the Week Junior Best Book for Younger Readers and in 2026 Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree won the Waterstones Best Book for Younger Readers. And Guppy titles have been shortlisted for all major children’s book prizes including the Carnegie Medal, the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Young Adult Book Prize and the Week Junior Awards.

Awards and Shortlistings

Latest Guppies

The Adventures of Sweet Boo: Finding A Father

Taylor Dolan

Meet Sweet Boo. Sweet Boo is a ghost. Her favourite colour is green, she wears shiny shoes and she DEFINITELY doesn’t like milk. Because she’s a ghost, she doesn’t have a family. And she doesn’t want one! Until one day she spies a picture of a friendly-looking dad – and suddenly wonders if maybe she’s missing out. Following clues, she finds herself at the office, running a company and letting all kinds of mayhem commence. Until she finds a boy and his dad who bring her right back down…

5-8

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Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir

Pedro Martín

In this extraordinary graphic memoir companion to Newbery Honor winner Mexikid; hilarious family hijinks, immigration patrols, and musical daydreams shape a year of growth and change for a Mexican-American boy and his family. The lively, lovingly detailed illustrations remain a delight. Mexikid is back, and he’s as hilarious and heartfelt as ever: more, please! —Kirkus, starred review The sequel to the widely honored Mexikid may be even better than the original… Insightful, moving, hilarious—it’s simply a masterpiece. —School Library Journal, starred review Pedro Martín is sick of strawberries. Since he was seven,…

8-12

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Bigg School: Stepmum Showdown

Lisa Williamson

Welcome to Bigg School! A real-life series following a class of kids as they navigate the ups and down of starting Year Seven at the Henry Bigg Academy. ‘The perfect books for anyone starting secondary school’ HOLLY BOURNE It’s bad enough that Gabby’s dad is dating, but when she discovers that his new girlfriend Natasha is actually Miss Bell, the super strict new teacher at school, Gabby is horrified! To make things even worse, she gets her first period, and she’s far too embarrassed to tell anyone. Gabby is determined…

8-12

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Evie and Maryam’s Little Lies

Janeen Hayat

Another story from the winner of the Waterstones Best Book for Younger Readers 2026. Two friends from very different worlds with a lot in common – Evie and Maryam discover that telling fibs soon gets them into an awful spot of bother. Evie and Maryam are back in their second adventure! Maryam is thrilled to be awarded a scholarship to an esteemed boarding school but when she arrives, the other pupils are unwelcoming and she feels totally isolated. Evie is also struggling back at home, as the play she…

8-12

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See them all

Latest news…

September 2026

BACK TO SCHOOL!

How can it be September already? It’s the start of a new school year, and it’s the perfect time to send out a reminder that many of our brilliantly talented…

3
min

June 2026

News

Drum roll… it’s that time again… Guppy Books is opening the portholes for the Open Submission Competition 2026!

Dust off those manuscripts, open your computers – and take the plunge if you think your book might be in with the chance of joining this pile of brilliant and…

5
min

June 2026

Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree shortlisted for the Week Junior Breakthrough Children’s Book of the Year!

We are thrilled that Janeen Hayat’s wonderful debut, Evie and Maryam’s Family Tree, has been recognised by the awesome Week Junior, a magazine which does so much to encourage and…

1
min

May 2026

Best Of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel is the May Waterstones YA Book of the Month!

Not just content to be the Times Children’s Book of the Year, Kenneth Oppel’s extraordinary YA Best Of All Worlds has been chosen by Waterstones as their May YA Book…

1
min