Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Age Group: KS2

Chapter book

To the Keeper of this Book – it’s time for you to visit the magical Kingdom waiting within. Believe in yourself – that will give you wings to fly! When Maya receives a special colouring book – The Magical Kingdom of Birds – she is transported to a beautiful realm filled with magnificent birds and their fairy friends. But the kingdom is in trouble – evil Lord Astor has a plan to capture and cage the tiniest residents, the hummingbirds – and as Keeper of the Book it’s up to Maya to protect them. Packed with beautiful illustrations, information on the real birds that inspired the story, and includes a special colouring page!

Chapter book

Learning to ballet dance is harder than Millie expected. The other dancers in the class aren’t very nice to her either. But just when she’s thinking that maybe ballet isn’t for her after all, Millie meets the ballet bunnies! They live hidden in the ballet school, using what they find to make their home-ballet shoes for beds, upside down cups for tables-and secretly take the ballet classes with the humans. Maybe the ballet bunnies can help Millie master some news ballet skills after all!

Chapter book

The thrilling first book in the most extraordinary new fantasy series of 2023.

Open the door to a spellbinding world where the wilderness is alive and a deep magic rises from the earth itself . . .

Daisy Thistledown has recently escaped from boarding school and has a mystery to solve. Her search for her missing mother will lead her across London and through a hidden doorway to another world, bursting with magic: the Greenwild.

But all is not well in this astonishing land. Before long Daisy finds herself confronting a dangerous presence that threatens green magic on both sides of the door. Daisy must band together with a botanical genius, a boy who can talk to animals and a cat with an attitude, to channel the power that can revive the Greenwild and find her missing mother – and save her own world too.

Prepare to embark on a unforgettable adventure through the Greenwild, beautifully illustrated by Elisa Paganelli.

Chapter book

Mara and her dad have lived in their van for as long as she can remember. Whatever her father does to scrape a living has kept them constantly moving and Mara has never questioned it. That is until she uncovers a collection of notes addressed to ‘the Tider’, an individual responsible for harvesting lost time from people whose lives were cut short.

But before Mara can question her father he is taken by a dangerous group who want to use his power for evil. With the very fabric of time and space at stake, it’s down to Mara and her new friend Jan to find him before it’s too late…

Graphic Novel

Agent Moose and Owlfred are back and better than ever!

Strange flash floods are making waves all over the Big Forest! When Madame HQ is nabbed right out of a very wet Woodland HQ, Agent Moose and Owlfred must wade through clues to get her back and stop the mystery criminal making a big splash in Big Forest!

Can they find this fiendish villain before Big Forest floats away?

Perfect for fans of Dog Man and Bunny vs Monkey.

Laughs on every page!

Chapter book

A rip-roaring Roman mystery from Historical Association Young Quills Award-winning author Ally Sherrick.

Vita longs to write the plays that she steals off to watch – but as the daughter of a high-born Roman, her only future is marriage.

When her father is murdered, everything changes.

She escapes with her life – only to end up a slave, sharing a cell with a fierce gladiator, Brea, and her wolf.

But when Vita and Brea discover they have a common enemy, they know they must stnd together for truth and justice…

Chapter book

A hilarious new mystery adventure perfect for fans of Robin Stevens and Lemony Snicket.

On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas.

So what if her relatives all think she’s destined to turn out as a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can be whatever she wants – pirate, explorer or even detective.

Which is lucky, really, because when one of the Family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out whodunit.

With the help of her sisters and cousin, Shenanigan grudgingly takes on the case, but more murders, a hidden treasure and an awful lot of suspects make thing seriously complicated.

Can Shenanigan catch the killer before the whole household is picked off? And in a Family where definitions are so important, can she learn to define herself?

Chapter book

A spellbinding, epic and heart-racing magical adventure from an exquisite new storytelling talent.

India, 1855. The British rule, and all across the country, Indian magic is being stamped out.

More terrifying still, people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumour is that they are being taken across the sea – to England – by the all-powerful, sinister Company.

When Chompa’s home is attacked and her mother viciously kidnapped, Chompa – born with powerful and dangerous magic that she has always been forbidden from using – must travel to the smoky, bustling streets of East London in search of her. But Chompa will discover far more treachery in London than she had bargained for – and will learn that every act of her rare magic comes with a price…

Chapter book

From the superstar author of The Hate U Give comes a thrilling fantasy for readers aged 9+.

It’s not easy being Remarkable in a world where standing out is dangerous…

Nic Blake is a Manifestor. All she wants is to learn the Gift, so she can be as powerful as her dad … until she discovers a shocking secret. Now she must find a powerful magical weapon, or risk losing him for ever.

Chapter book

Meet Sunshine Simpson – a brand-new best friend for 9+ readers! Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson.

Sunshine Simpson’s larger-than-life Grandad is always telling her to get out and find her own adventures, but unfortunately BAD LUCK has a habit of coming her way.

Her new friend Evie is fast becoming a FRENEMY, her home haircut is a DISASTER, and the school showcase is so STRESSFUL! Everything seems to be going wrong! Especially with Grandad getting older every week.

Sunshine needs to find her voice, but can she break through the clouds to stand tall, stand proud, and show the world she can shine?

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