Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Archives: Books

Non-fictionPicturebook

Explore Christmas traditions from 13 different countries! Rhyming text and detailed illustrations make the book accessible to younger readers, while educational endnotes about the 13 celebrations add interest for older children. Gold ink and festive illustrations capture the joy of the season and make this book a beautiful gift in itself. Engaging and informative for anyone who wants to learn about the holiday.
Features Christmas traditions from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Australia, Italy, Serbia, Mexico, India, Iceland, Egypt, Argentina, Philippines, Lebanon, Canada

Chapter book

Clare Balding’s second brilliant adventure for Charlie Bass and her funny family of humans and animals.

Life is slowly getting back to normal for Charlie after her reluctant racehorse, Noble Warrior, won the Derby and saved her family from financial ruin. But drama soon returns to Folly Farm when thieves break into the farmyard in the dead of night and kidnap Noble Warrior! With the police baffled and no trace of the prizewinning thoroughbred to be found, Charlie launches her own investigation…

Picturebook

During her town’s Ganesha Chaturthi festival, young Prema comes up with an innovative plan to save the river from pollution. Persevering through multiple obstacles, she convinces her friends to help her create natural clay Ganesha statues to replace the plaster ones that harm the river when they dissolve. Created by an author and artist from different parts of India and set in modern-day India, this inclusive tale of activism, ingenuity and sustainability is sure to inspire young readers. Endnotes include information about Ganesha Chaturthi, a recipe for homemade sculpting dough and instructions for making an earth-friendly statue

Non-fiction

Fact-filled non-fiction that uncovers the who, where, why and how of historical technological inventions. From the magic of making music to lightbulb moments and tiny technology, discover the people and places behind 13 major technological breakthroughs that changed the world. You’ll read about what motivated them, why they did what they did, when they did it … and with whom! There is a glossary at the back of the book plus a ‘take it further’ activity on each page. Discover the human side of STEM!

Non-fiction

It’s the Second World War as you’ve never seen it before – discover the hidden stories of incredible human spirit during the world’s darkest hour.

Everyone knows what Adolf Hitler, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill were doing during World War II, but what about ordinary people? In this beautifully illustrated book, war historian Hattie Hearn reveals some of the most incredible true tales from the war, including:

– The Canadian cabin boy who avoided German U-boats crossing the Atlantic
– The Navajo soldiers who developed a secret code to outfox their enemies
– The African-American jazz singer who worked as a spy for the French Resistance

Beautifully illustrated by Margarida Esteves and featuring stories from all over the world, Tales of World War II also contains jaw-dropping tales including the dog used to find survivors in the London Blitz, the champion cyclist who carried secret messages to help Jews escape the Nazis, and the bear who was recruited by the Polish army!

Interspersed throughout the stories are pages explaining the key events of the war – from Pearl Harbor and Dunkirk to D-Day and the Holocaust.

Chapter book

An extraordinary destiny unfolds . . .

Twelve-year-old Zhi Ging has always been an outcast. Until she receives an invitation to Hok Woh, an underwater school that offers her the chance to become immortal, and to finally belong.

There, she battles in hair-raising boat races, meets age-shifting tutors and competes in thrilling trials.

But there are rumours of a growing dark force . . . and students who fail the trials are disappearing. Can Zhi Ging uncover the truth before it’s too late?

The first in the unmissable magical fantasy series of 2024, set to take the world by storm. Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Dragon Mountain.

Picturebook

Miss Clark has an exciting project for the class to work on – exploring their family trees! But when each child is asked to point to the place their parents come from on a map, Georgie doesn’t know which parent to choose – her dad is from Africa but her mum is from the UK. Where does she fit in?

Georgie dreads having to draw her family tree as homework but once she starts working on it, with the help of her parents she realises how special it is that the branches stretch so far and wide! And as the class all share their own family trees, the children begin to explore and celebrate each others’ heritage, and realise that all of their roots dig down into the same rich earth – so they’re not that different after all. A wonderfully life affirming picture book that celebrates diversity in all its forms.

Picturebook

Aston’s Grandad Roy played in a steel band and Grandad Harry played the trumpet in a brass band. Aston always enjoyed going to visit them and listen to them practise. But soon he wanted to join in. So he asked Grandad Roy to teach him to play the steel drums and then he asked Grandad Harry to teach him to play the trumpet. He loved practising both instruments. Then the school needs a band to play at the school fair, and both grandads want their own band to play. Finally Aston had an idea – both bands join together to make one big band, and Aston joins in first on steel drums and then on trumpet. This delightful story of a mixed-race family reconciling their very different cultures is a wonderful celebration of diversity. Written by one of Britain’s foremost campaigners and media personalities and illustrated by a highly regarded illustrator, this book is sure to build on the success of My Two Grannies.

Chapter book

Tracy has been in care as long as she can remember, and she hates it. So when a chance presents itself for her to get out, she jumps at it. But Tracy can never keep her mouth shut, tell the truth or turn down a dare for long, which inevitably gets her into A LOT of trouble. Jacqueline Wilson’s award winning series documents Tracy’s hilarious everyday life, from standing up to bullies in the playground, to starring in the school Christmas play, to finding the perfect family.

Picturebook

A sensitively-told story that addresses the tricky subject of divorce with care and understanding, from Clare Helen Welsh and Åsa Gilland.

Laughing and playing together as a family on the beach, it seems the happy, warm days of summer will never end. Then, everything changes. Mummy and Daddy say they can’t live together anymore, and sad, worried feelings begin to emerge – It’s not fair! Was it all my fault? But, as time passes and the seasons change, it becomes clearer that hard times won’t always be quite so hard . . .

A lyrical book about the difficult emotions a child can feel when their parents break up, with an optimistic message of hope and resilience. Gorgeous illustrations and an emotive colour palette perfectly capture the nuances of emotion felt by both the child and parents during a separation. Much like Pat Thomas’s My Family’s Changing, Claire Masurel’s Two Homes and Patrice Karst’s The Invisible String, Everything Changes offers a way to help children understand their feelings during big changes in their family unit.

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