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Age Group: Year 5

Best Books for Reluctant Readers in Upper KS2

For parents and teachers, there is often pressure and desire to guide every child successfully through the process of learning to read – while making sure it’s fun, enjoyable and a learning journey that will lead to a lifelong love of books. But which books are best for hooking in children who don’t feel interested in reading?

We’ve put together a curated collection of books designed to engage children who can appear reluctant to read for pleasure. At BooksForTopics, we understand the unique challenge of inspiring a love for reading in older primary school students who may be hesitant or less enthusiastic about picking up a book. Our list aims to break down common barriers and offer a diverse range of titles that cater to varied interests and reading abilities.

Try offering titles with a high image-to-text ratio like the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series or Freddy vs School, offering an immersive reading experience that appeals to visual learners. We also recommend that you explore books with high-interest themes like Rashford Rules or Gamer, addressing hobbies and interests that are likely to captivate readers seeking meaningful reads. For those drawn to real-life stories and relatable worlds that create an easy connection between the reader and the narrative, try Ella on the Outside. For those who find reading boring, why not introduce a good dose of humour through Grimwood or Iguana Boy Saves the World With a Triple Cheese Pizza?

With something for all different tastes, this selection of our top book choices for engaging reluctant readers in Year 5 and Year 6 is here to help. Schools can purchase full sets of the books from Peters.

As the football World Cup approaches, we are delighted to host a guest post from best selling author Tom Palmer.

In this guest booklist, Tom discusses his top 10 recommendations for World Cup themed books to inspire reading among young football fans.

Reading for pleasure often begins with what the reader is passionate about. For many people that is football. And, with a World Cup this year, this is a great time to engage football fans with reading through the extraordinary wealth of fiction and non-fiction for kids. Available from bookshops and libraries, here’s a list of ten books with World Cup potential.

Laura Wood, author of The Animals of Madame Malone’s Music Hall, has picked her top five recommended books for children and teens about being on stage.

Laura’s new book explores the topic of helping to save a music hall – and despite being written pre-pandemic, its publication comes at a time when local theatres need support more than ever. Read on for a guest booklist from Laura, all about her favourite fictional moments of being on stage on children’s books.

Graphic Novel

Booklist: Best Graphic Novels for Children Aged 9-11

Graphic novels are longer stories written and illustrated in the style of a comic, combining a sequence of engaging visual elements that drive the plot, coupled with short pockets of text in the form of captions and dialogue. The format has seen a burst in popularity in recent years, and these books are seeing an increasing demand in primary schools. We’ve picked out a list of brilliant graphic novels that are most suitable for children aged 9-11…

Best Picturebooks for Years 5 and 6 

Picturebooks are brilliant for all ages in primary schools and are not to be left behind in EYFS and KS1 libraries alone. Shared with older children, the best picturebooks can allow children and adults to share a reading common experience made up of the interplay between the visual and the written word.

In Upper KS2, picturebooks are excellent for opening discussions on important issues like Last: The Story of a White Rhino, for exploring philosophical or political concepts like The Island, for developing empathy and for challenging thinking like I Talk Like A River. Sometimes they simply provide an imaginative reading experience that caters to a visual appetite that is excluded from chapter books offered at this age, like The Midnight Fair. We’ve picked out a list of the best picturebooks that are suitable for children aged 9-11….

NB: If you are looking for more KS2 picturebook recommendations, try Picturebooks for Lower KS2 or Wordless Picturebooks. For even younger readers, head to Storytime Favourites for EYFS.

Politics and Democracy Booklist

Discussions about politics and general elections can be confusing for children (and adults!) at the best of times. To help, we’ve put together a list of the best children’s books about politics, including both fiction and non-fiction books that explore themes of parliament, elections, democracy and political systems.

Medieval Britain is a fascinating period to study, yet many school libraries are lacking in stories set during this time. Barbara Henderson – author of The Siege of Caerlaverock – has picked out her top five recommended children’s books set in the Middle Ages.

Children’s books about gaming, computing and coding

We’ve put together a list of books for young readers interested in computers and video games. There is an increasing thirst for books on this topic, which holds such a high interest to many young readers. Level up your reading collection with our selection of the best books about gaming, computers and coding.

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