Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Age Group: KS2

Non-fiction

Discover the secrets of the Roman Army in this fascinating gift book from the British Museum.

What was a Roman legion? How exactly did soldiers train for battle? And why did they have to ‘march like a tortoise’? Find out the answers to these questions and many more in this complete guide to life in the Roman army. Filled with fascinating facts and grisly detail, you’ll uncover what life was like in the army camp, how soldiers planned a siege and even why they catapulted creepy-crawlies at the enemy!

With silver foil on the cover and quirky colour illustrations on every page by award-winning artist Tom Froese, children aged 6+ will love learning about one of ancient Rome’s most grisly and gripping subjects.

Poetry

From the master of rhyme comes a sweet tale of an alpaca who turns into a unicorn!

Now here’s a tall tale (in fact it’s a cracker)
all about Frank, a curious alpaca.
Although Frank’s daily life appeared simple enough,
Frank was soooo nervous, it made things quite tough!

Frank lives in a petting zoo, full of wonderful cuddly animals and the children who visit them. But he feels like he doesn’t fit in and he hides so the children can’t laugh at him and his silly ears.

But one day he discovers a book about unicorns . . . and wakes up to a horn (ice-cream cone) on his head! His dream has come true – he is a fabulous unicorn and feels loved and confident in himself. And when he performs a daring rescue he comes to see that he is perfect just the way he is.

Adorable black and white illustrations on every page from debut illustrator India Joseph.

Chapter book

In this breathtaking adventure, Zélie and Jules face a deadly race to solve a family mystery and a vicious crime that stretches from the jungles of Calcutta to the sewers of Paris.

Zélie is often accused of being a witch, but she doesn’t believe in magic. Until Jules climbs up from the reeking Parisian sewer and hands Zélie the golden locket he discovered there. The locket once held the magical Snakestone, and Zélie knows that if she can find the stone, she might also find her missing father.

But a dangerous secret society are equally desperate to get their hands on the Snakestone and its powers. With their lives under threat, Zélie and Jules embark on a desperate hunt for the treasure, facing strange riddles, a mysterious circus, and the miles of murky tunnels that twist beneath the ancient city above…

Perfect for fans of Nazneen Ahmed Pathak, Abi Elphinstone and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Chapter book

Reggie Houser has ADHD and struggles to make friends at school, plus his mum and teachers seem constantly weary about his erratic, high-energy ways. But when he sees a hypnotist perform on stage at the holiday park he visits, Reggie becomes obsessed with learning the skills of mind control – and he discovers he has an incredible talent for it! First of all he hypnotises the dog to think he’s a frog, then makes his headmaster cluck like a chicken in assembly in front of the whole school – but then a group of mean kids supposedly take him under their wing and make him use his hypnosis talents for bad: stealing a chocolate bar from a shop and escalating to a bigger theft. Reggie must decide to use his skills for good only and come to trust his own brain to make decisions.

packed with brilliant jokes and one-liners to make kids roar with laughter a book to encourage empathy and kindness in young readers Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson, Lisa Thompson and Jenny Pearson.

Non-fiction

Get designing and building with architect and TV presenter GEORGE CLARKE. From marvellous materials to future tech – discover the stories behind our homes.

Our EXPERTS are famous for their incredible know-how and passion for their subjects, and now they have made it their mission to share that knowledge with you in LITTLE EXPERTS: the inspirational non-fiction series for six- to nine-year-olds.

This fantastic non-fiction journey has colourful, playful artwork throughout by Robert Sae-Heng.

Little Experts is an unmissable series that will empower and inspire a new generation of experts.

Chapter book

Perfect for fans of Bunny Vs Monkey and Dog Man!

Do you want to laugh your pants off? Of course you do. In which case – come on into the world of the O.D.D. Squad – a team of (sort of) heroic animal crime-fighters you’ll never forget. Though maybe not for the right reasons . . .

Justice City. Rain soaks its streets. Crime soaks it more. The fate of the entire city has been left in the hands (well, paws) of one brave superhero.

That’s right – dun dun dunnnnnn – INVISIDOG!

Invisidog hunts for danger wherever he finds it. There is no job too big, and no criminal too tough for the mighty Invisidog. He is the shadows!! And actually, that’s kind of the problem. Because Invisidog’s amazing superpowers . . . are kind of rubbish.

Turns out being invisible isn’t all that helpful when you’re trying to rid a city of terrible criminals. They tend to have a habit of ignoring you for one thing. So Invisidog’s going to have to think BIG. Can he convince the most amazing superheroes of all time – adorable-but-mighty Quack Attack, and the world’s greatest thinker, Detective Octopus – to join forces?

(What does O.D.D. Squad stand for? Well you’ll have to read and find out, won’t you?)

Non-fiction

In this uproariously funny and charmingly illustrated book, readers are introduced to incredible animals and the bizarre things human scientists do to understand them.

Did you know that crows never forget a face? Or that jaguars have a favourite perfume? Have you ever wondered how to pet a yeti crab? Or whether dogs can tell if you’re smiling? And just what is a burrowing bettong?

From crafting fake poo to slurping up bugs with a straw, there’s nothing these amazing scientists won’t do to help us learn more about the animals around us. Packed with fascinating facts, this hilarious book reveals secrets like why roosters crow and how meerkats make decisions as a group – and how humans can better understand the wild creatures we share the planet with.

Graphic Novel

Meet your new favourite superheroes, a the sarcastic penguin and a clever cat with a toolbelt. Join Peng and Spanners as they investigate the craziest pizza mystery ever. A new graphic novel, perfect for fans of Dogman, Barry Loser and Bunny vs Monkey.

When the school pizza parlour disappears and a giant robot suddenly appears, Pengtastic and Spanners know that only they can help the headmaster find his parlour before the school inspectors arrive and shut him down. There’s just one massive pesky robot to defeat, Cinderella the caretaker, who roars about rules and an incredible jail break to get out of first.

Chapter book

The travelling school arrives in New York, and Libby and her friends find themselves organising a charity auction alongside Hollywood star Eloise Fitzwilliam. But something isn’t right. Why is Eloise’s friend Count Alvarez acting so strangely and can a face from the past really have followed the school all the way to New York?

Poetry

This is a book of poetry for everyone.

Inside is a treasure trove of writing celebrating mindfulness. Read the poems aloud or curl up with them in a quiet corner. Begin your journey into a lifelong love of poetry.

This beautifully illustrated collection features powerful poems written by a wide range of contemporary voices. They share their unique perspectives on the topic of mindfulness, from listening for silence and living in the moment to the colour of our dreams and what the trees can teach us. Showcasing original poems alongside existing works, this is a book to share and treasure forever.

Featuring brilliant poetry by:
Mandy Coe
Jack Prelutsky
Pat Mora
Kate Wakeling
James Carter
Nikita Gill
Joseph Coelho
Valerie Bloom
Amina Jama
Michael Rosen
Sue Hardy-Dawson
Mary Ann Hoberman
Georgia Heard
Sophia Thakur
Sanah Ahsan
Elizabeth Acevedo
Kit Wright
Naomi Shihab Nye
Zaro Weil

And awe-inspiring artwork from:
Annalise Barber
Mariana Roldan
Masha Manapov
Nabila Adani

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments