Browse our Year Group Booklists

Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Author & Illustrators

Elissa Elwick Books

the gumdrops quest for bravery

The Gumdrops: Quest for Bravery

Graphic novel

Meet the Gumdrops – the guardians of a magical land, full of magical beings!

You might meet Imaginary Friends, your favourite characters from a story, or creations from your dreams…

The Gumdrops are always up for a challenge – and when they get a letter from a child in need of an imaginary friend, they have their work cut out!

Can YOU help them search for the ingredients to make the perfect companion?

You’ll have to keep an eye out for the mischievous, but adorable, Evilee along the way…

A fun and interactive graphic novel for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Bumble and Snug.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
izzy the inventor and the elf inspectors

Izzy the Inventor and the Elf Inspectors

&
Chapter book

Join Izzy the Inventor in a laugh-out-loud chapter book series that brings together science, magic and a very lovable unicorn. Packed full of illustrations and easy-to-read text, this series is perfect for newly independent readers and fans of Isadora Moon.

Izzy’s back in Fairytale Land to help Henry win the MAGIC COMPETITION with some secret science… but little does she realise it’s A TRAP! The Elf Inspectors are after Izzy for bringing too much science to Fairytale Land. Now Izzy must try and help the Little Mermaid escape from a sea witch and persuade the Elf Inspectors that science can save the day. And if she doesn’t? Then Fairytale Land will be shut down… for good!

Every book contains ideas for science experiments and a QR code with links for more to try at home.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
izzy the inventor and the teeny tiny ogres

Izzy the Inventor and the Teeny Tiny Ogres

&
Chapter book

Meet Izzy the Inventor in a laugh-out-loud chapter book series that brings together science, magic and a very lovable unicorn. Packed full of illustrations and easy-to-read text, this series is perfect for newly independent readers and fans of Isadora Moon and the Kitty books.

Izzy is perfecting her tickle machine for her INVENTION COMPETITION when she discovers teeny-tiny ogres are on the loose in her local park – and it’s all her fault (she brought them back from Fairytale Land BY MISTAKE). Now Fairytale Land is in chaos! There are wolves chasing wizards and goblins are tormenting the poor fairies. Izzy must find the ogres with the help of her trusty friend, Henry the Unicorn, and bring them back to Fairytale Land. Can Izzy and Henry catch the ogres? And will she be back in time for her INVENTION COMPETITION?

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
izzy the inventor and the unexpected unicorn

Izzy the Inventor and the Unexpected Unicorn

&
Chapter book
teachers-favouriteguided-reading-choice

Izzy loves science. She loves experiments and wants to be an inventor. When she is summoned to help get some fairy tales back on track, she is sceptical – she doesn’t believe in fairies and magic. But can she use her science knowledge, along with a little imagination, to help everybody out?

This early, illustrated chapter book by Zanna Davidson is great for budding scientists or anyone with a curious mind. Mixing well-known fairy tales with science and experiments shows that you don’t have to believe in just one or the other. Izzy is a strong character who knows her own mind but who also realises that sometimes you have to adjust your beliefs. The book is set out in a way that makes it very accessible for emerging readers. There are no long pages full of text: the story is set out in a way that incorporates the illustrations by Elissa Elwick as part of the story, rather than an addition. Speech bubbles, maps, explanations and experiments are interspersed throughout the book as integral elements of telling the story.

This makes it very user-friendly and an ideal book to those starting out with longer texts. That’s not to say it’s and easy book- the vocabulary is challenging in places and scientific vocabulary is used appropriately throughout.This would be a great addition to any class book shelf or school library.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
izzy the inventor and the curse of doom

Izzy the Inventor and the Curse of Doom

&
Chapter book

Meet Izzy the Inventor in a laugh-out-loud series that brings together science, magic and a very lovable unicorn. Packed full of illustrations and easy-to-read text, this series is perfect for beginner readers and fans of Isadora Moon and The Naughtiest Unicorn.

Izzy the Inventor is back in Fairytale Land and this time she must rescue a prince from a wicked fairy’s curse. If she fails, he’ll vanish! With the help of Henry the unicorn, Izzy needs to work out how to make it snow in summer, create an exploding volcano and a contraption to help Henry fly. But can Izzy’s science skills stand up to an enormous dragon?

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
midnight magic mirror mischief

Midnight Magic: Mirror Mischief

&
Poetry

Black cats born at midnight
Are different indeed
A mischievous, odd
And peculiar breed.

Who says that two magical cats are better than one?

When Trixie is at school one day, Midnight gets up to some mischief with the bathroom mirror and brings her reflection to life! The mirror-Midnight causes all sorts of chaos ‒ safely on the other side of the glass. That is, until Twiggy the broomstick accidentally smashes the mirror, setting the destructive double free!

As Trixie, Dad and Nan get tangled up in the turmoil, can they work together and send the badly behaved magical cat back to where it came from before it’s too late?

A bewitching new series from the best-selling author of A PINCH OF MAGIC, Michelle Harrison. Told in rhyming verse and illustrated in colour throughout, this is perfect for readers of SQUISHY MCFLUFF, HUBBLE BUBBLE and GOBBOLINO.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
midnight magic

Midnight Magic

&
Chapter book

Black cats born at midnight
Are different indeed
A mischievous, odd
And peculiar breed

In the middle of winter, three kittens are born in a barn. Two are ordinary, but the third, jet black and born on the stroke of midnight, is brimming with magic from whiskers to tail – even sparking life into a dusty old broomstick! While her siblings pounce at rats, Midnight perfects her flying skills on the broom, not noticing how her mother disapproves of her magical ways…

When Midnight finds herself abandoned, the little black kitten sets out to find a new home with only her loyal broom Twiggy at her side. The pair soon befriend a kind-hearted girl called Trixie. But how will Trixie’s family react to Midnight’s extraordinary powers and taste for mischief?

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop

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