Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Author & Illustrators

Katie Kear Books

the boy in the tree

The Boy in the Tree

&
Chapter book

Troublemaker Noah reveals hidden depths as he teams up with goodie-two-shoes Grace to save a majestic local oak tree in this uplifting tale from bestselling author Lisa Thompson.

No one can quite believe it when troublemaker Noah gets involved in the campaign to save a local oak tree. And when he takes his protest up into its branches and refuses to get down, the story goes viral, attracting more attention than he could ever imagined.

But while Noah does really want to save the tree, and marvels at the thousands of creatures that depend on it as their home, he also really wants to save his parents’ marriage. He hopes that his actions will somehow unite them again and stop them arguing, but has he gone too far this time?

Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
superquesters mission river crest rescue

SuperQuesters Mission: River Crest Rescue

& &
Chapter book

Peanut Jones meets Jumanji in this exciting STEM-packed adventure! Be transported to Questland on a magical adventure in the SuperQuesters first chapter book for early readers.

When best friends Lilli, Leo and Bea open an ancient chest and discover an old board game, Questland, their day takes an unexpected twist! Magically transported to the kingdom of Questland, the trio find themselves with superpowers. Transformed into the SuperQuesters – Lillicorn, Leo Zoom and Bea Bumble – they have been summoned to save the village of River Crest, which evil goblin gardener, Mortifer, wants to destroy.
Can the SuperQuesters stop Mortifer’s Beaver Bots building dams to flood the village? And what can they do about his lethal Dragonfly Drones sowing seeds of poisonous plants?

With the help of Clover the fairy and other magical creatures, the SuperQuesters must use their STEM skills, teamwork, problem solving and a little magic to solve puzzles, crack secret codes and outsmart Mortifer on their mission to save River Crest.

An exciting new adventure story embedded with real-life fun facts, brain-teasing puzzles, secret codes to crack, STEM activities and experiments to try at home or school. Plus a map and glossary. Expertly designed to support the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2 and develop children’s STEM skills in fun and creative new ways.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
speedwheels 3000 the race against crime

Speedwheels 3000: The Race Against Crime

& &
Chapter book
book-of-the-month

Evie is an only child desperately trying to spend more quality time with her Dad, Tony, who gives most of his attention to car racing and the Speedwheels 3000 title he has been attempting to win for fifteen years. She decides to stow away in the boot of her Dad’s much-loved racing car in the belief that he won’t be able to take the time to turn back home once he discovers her.

The Speedwheels 3000 event develops into a race against time (and the other competitors) as Evie attempts to unravel the mystery of the stolen gold, evade the Swiss police, and keep ahead of the villains who are trying to retrieve the gold by any means, whilst still winning the competition with her dad.

Written with Jenny Pearson’s trademark humour whilst addressing a serious issue, this story has themes of family, mental health, grief and loss, resilience and hope. The additional ‘fun facts’ about racing and European countries at the start of each chapter are a bonus for curious readers, racing fans and adventure lovers. Highly recommended!

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
Buy Audiobook
the underpants of chaos

The Underpants of Chaos

& & &
Chapter book

“I should have realised that there was going to be something SERIOUSLY weird about a town called Little STRANGEhaven.”

Something BAD is happening at Little Strangehaven Primary.

What are the peculiar SHIVERS that keep striking the school, bringing Strangeness in their wake –
from uncontrollable ballroom dancing to an attack by military chickens?

Spy-detective Agatha Topps is determined to find out. She’s the only person who doesn’t forget the Strangeness as soon as it’s over. At least, until new boy Lenny Tuchus turns up and remembers too.

Their spy-detectoring leads them to the Book of Chaos, an ancient text which has been hidden away in the Room of Forbidden and Dangerous Books. Can Agatha and Lenny fight off attacks from evil underpants and Transylvanian gargoyles to stop the SHIVERS before their town is sucked into oblivion?

Because power lies in books – especially this one . . .

The perfect story for 7 to 9-year-olds (or STRANGE adults) and fans of Ben Miller, David Walliams and Tom Fletcher. Packed with hilarious illustrations and easy-to-read text, discover the secrets of Little Strangehaven.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
how to be a hero

How to Be a Hero

&
Chapter book
resources-available

If you are studying the Vikings, the Viking gods and the myths and legends that surround them, then this is certainly an adventure story that will entertain and inform.

There is a handy guide to the nine worlds and to the different gods at the start of chapter two, cleverly woven in as part of Lotta’s revision before her first test as a Valkyrie – travelling to Midgard. The story weaves in the fictional names of the book characters with the real names found in Viking mythology and you need to have your wits about you to know which is which!

This story will please those who like a good quest, an adventure story with plenty of nasty characters to love to hate and unlikely heroes to cheer on. It will particularly engage those readers who enjoy anything to do with the Vikings or mythology!

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
Buy Audiobook
the boy who made monsters

The Boy Who Made Monsters

&
Chapter book
resources-availablebook-of-the-month

Told with Jenny Pearson’s care and attention to detail, this new story set in Scotland weaves humour through complex themes of grief, friendship and moving on from things lost to the past.

When Benji and Stanley’s parents go missing at sea, they have to go and live with their Uncle Hamish, whom they have never met. Uncle Hamish lives with his dog, Mr Dog, on the shores of Loch Lochy and Benji soon realises that all is not ok for Uncle Hamish. When he meets local girl Murdy, Benji sets out to prove that the Loch Lochy Monster is real, so that tourists will come back to Loch Lochy once more.

There are lots of laughs in this story, mainly around Benji and Murdy’s attempts to capture an image of the Loch Lochy Monster. Their friendship is a strong focus, particularly Murdy’s support for Benji after what he has been through, along with their relationship with Mr Dog, who also provides the emotional support that pets are sometimes able to do in their own special way.

Sitting alongside the humour there are darker undertones that provide depth and complexity to the narrative. On the surface, Benji is a fun-loving boy who wants to help Uncle Hamish’s business to survive. But underneath, has he really come to terms with the loss of his parents? His brother, Stanley, is facing his own battles – he was on the boat when it capsized and his parents went missing. Uncle Hamish is facing the loss of his business, which has been in the family for years. Murdy is the target of local bullies. Yet this is a story with a lot of heart and, ultimately, with messages of hope.

 

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
operation nativity

Operation Nativity

&
Chapter book
book-of-the-month

Oscar and Molly are spending their first Christmas with their paternal grandparents, Lord and Lady Cuthbert-Anderson. It is a family tradition to put on a Nativity production in the village church, but due to past dramas and disasters, Oscar’s parents have opted out until now. Grandfather is ill, and this may be the last opportunity to participate with him, making special memories. An angel crash landing in the garden is the first sign that this Christmas is going to be very different!

Angel Gabriel has made a mistake and accidentally blasted Mary, Joseph, Donald the donkey, Wise Man Balthazar and a shepherd called Steve, 2,000 years into the future. If they cannot be returned to the correct time and place, then Christmas will be cancelled! Besides the obvious, Christmas is important to Oscar as it is the anniversary of when his parents first met – no Christmas, no Oscar and Molly!

Once Gabriel has described the situation to Oscar, they are in a hilarious race against time to ensure that the Nativity happens in Bethlehem. With the others scattered around the countryside, and Mary and Joseph attempting to continue their journey, it will take resourcefulness to find them, not to mention keeping their identity secret.

Besides being very funny, this is a poignant and tender story about a family discovering the true meaning of Christmas. Jenny Pearson is an expert at creating likeable, personable characters with whom the reader can really engage, whatever unusual situations they find themselves in! The chapter headings of Christmas carol and song titles with additional humorous, ironic comments by Oscar, add to the fun.

This would be a great class read-aloud in the run-up to Christmas.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop

Cally & Jimmy: Twins in Trouble

&
Chapter book

Four short stories in one, pitched for 6-10 year olds.

Join Cally and Jimmy in four hilarious stories, perfect for newly confident readers. They get into scrapes together, bake some poisonous cakes, almost ruin their school assembly and finally have a twintastic birthday party. Jimmy has ADHD. His challenges and the way in which he rises above them are championed as well as his many strengths and talents.

Buy from Amazon
Buy from Bookshop
Buy Audiobook

The Lost Diary of Sami Star

&
Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly
dyslexia-friendly

Being at home is hard for Hannah. With Mum, Dad and Vix always fighting they’ve got no time for her or her worries, she might as well be invisible. But when she finds an abandoned diary in the park containing snippets and photographs of the colourful life of the mysterious Sami Star, Hannah hopes she’s found the real friend she always needed. Little does Hannah know Sami needs her too… A heart-warming story of finding friendship in the most unlikely of places. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+.

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