Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Author & Illustrators

Fleur Hitchcock Books

Murder at Christmas

Chapter book

Murder at Christmas is a gripping festive cosy crime novel that perfectly blends Christmas fun with suspense and intrigue.

After a long term at school, Grace arrives in Bath excited to spend Christmas with her mum and younger brother, Billy. Her hopes of a joyful holiday are quickly shattered when a shocking murder takes place at their hotel. Soon after, Grace’s mum mysteriously disappears.

With Billy relying on her, Grace teams up with two new friends, Olive and Doug. Streetwise, clever, and resourceful, they help Grace piece together what really happened and why her mum left the hotel. As the four friends investigate, they uncover secrets that suggest not everyone staying at the hotel is who they claim to be.

The story is full of twists and turns, keeping the tension high and the pages turning. The hotel setting adds to the atmosphere, making every character a potential suspect. Alongside the mystery, the strong friendships between the children bring warmth and heart to the story, balancing the darker elements of the plot.

Exciting, atmospheric, and a clever plot, Murder at Christmas is the perfect read for fans of cosy crime. It captures the magic of the festive season while delivering a thrilling mystery that will keep readers hooked until the very last page.

Murder at Wintertide

Fleur Hitchcock

Chapter book

A strange Christmas spent away from home in the middle of nowhere, with extended family that he does not like is not a Christmas that George is looking forward to. At least he should be able to spend some one-on-one time with Dad and his Uncle Edwin before his new baby brother or sister arrives. Strange occurrences start as soon as George and his dad leave for the South coast; a car crash, lights on the cliff side and then a body found washed up on the shore. George and his cousin soon find themselves mixed up in something much bigger than they realise. What was someone on the cliffside that night? Why do the people in the car crash keep popping up? And why do people keep dying?

I love an adult crime book and found myself instantly engrossed in this book. The story was sophisticated in its design but easy to read and comprehend. The author built the plot line up and dropped little clues throughout to help the reader try and figure out what was really going on. I found myself reading on and one to try and get to the end as I wanted to know who the murdered was. Once completed, I was let shocked and wanting to read more of her crime-based stories.

A great read that I would recommend to upper key stage two.

Murder At Twilight

Fleur Hitchcock

Chapter book

When Viv has a fight with Noah, she doesn’t think it’ll be the last time she sees him. But when she gets back from school, he’s nowhere to be found and there are police cars everywhere, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Viv is sure Noah’s run away to get attention. But it’s really cold, and getting dark, and the rain just won’t stop falling. So she sets off to look for him, furious at his selfishness, as the floodwaters rise. And then she finds him, and realises that a much more dangerous story is unfolding around them…

Mouse Heart

Fleur Hitchcock

Chapter book

The mouse may sometimes help the lion in need is one of the proverbs quoted before the prologue and beautifully sums up the ethos of this story.

Fleur Hitchcock is a master of mystery writing and involving the reader to solve clues along with the characters. Mouse Heart is no different and expertly weaves costumes, props and a close-knit cast into a captivating story for children, while holding adult interest too.

Young Mouse’s experience of vile-villains, sword fighting and outwitting deadly assassins are purely staged at first; all part of the daily performances put on by her adopted theatre family. When drama and reality suddenly collide, Mouse is caught up in a tangle of confusion, secrets and mistaken identities.

The Moth theatre setting could double for the Globe and there’s more than a hint of Shakespearian theatrics, transposed to Bristol and the fictional 18th century reign of Queen Anne. The Conte de Monte Cristo’s plight comes to mind with a wrongful imprisonment and occurrence of several gruesome murders – not for the faint-hearted!

Mouse may be small, but she is a fierce detective, determined to prove her friend, Walter, is innocent of murder. Persevering against all odds, Mouse is forced to challenge what she thinks she knows about her friends and fellow cast members. Naïve to the dark goings-on in an adult world, nothing stops her curiosity in pursuit of the truth.

As readers, we are right there with Mouse. Experiencing every heart-stopping moment, daring stunt and bright idea. An edge-of-your seat adventure to the final page.

Reviewer: Kate Spurrier

The Boy Who Flew

Fleur Hitchcock

Chapter book

Quirky, chilling and atmospheric, ‘The Boy Who Flew’ is a brand new offering from Fleur Hitchcock, author of the popular Murder in Midwinter. This is a gem of a story – with its roller-coaster adventure plot that will have readers gripped from start to finish and wide-eyed with curiosity to the very last page.

Athan Wilde befriends an inventor called Mr Chen, who shares with Athan his madcap ideas for flying machines. Athan has always dreamed of being able to fly and now, with a competition to build the first flying machine on the horizon, flight seems to be on everybody’s mind. As a result, there are people lurking around who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the competition prize.

But when Mr Chen is unexpectedly murdered, it falls to Athan to rescue the flying machine blueprints before they fall into the wrong hands. What follows is a fast-unfolding mystery with exciting and unexpected twists, played out with a curious cast of characters (including a very dark villain) and an enjoyably pacey narrative.

This is highly recommendable to KS2 readers who enjoy stories with plenty of intrigue, thrilling plot lines and cleverly imagined worlds.

Clifftoppers: The Arrowhead Moor Adventure

Fleur Hitchcock

Chapter book

A classic adventure story with plenty of action and daring rescues topped off with a good helping of home-baked scones. Four cousins – Aiden, Ava, Chloe and Josh – are staying with their grandparents along with their pet dog, Bella, at a farmhouse in the country. After nearly getting knocked down by a fast car during a bike ride one day, they discover the woman who narrowly missed them has more to hide than just her bad driving.

After overhearing a suspicious conversation outside a sinister-looking country pub, they decide to follow her and in so doing stumble upon a trail of missing royal diamonds, some stolen sheep and a gang of dangerous, daring jewel thieves. A thrilling chase across the moors ensues, complete with swirling mist, dangerous bogs and even a spot of breaking and entering. Will the cousins be able to track down the missing diamonds?

Set against a fabulous backdrop of beautiful stately homes and gardens, wild moors and twisting, turning country lanes, this story shares the same sense of adventure as the Famous Five but is brought up to date for young readers in the modern age.