Best children's books - Best Books This Month

It’s easy to feel lost in the flood of so many new children’s books available. Each month, our Review Panel reads scores of new books and we highlight five of our recently published favourites.

This month, our panel of experienced teachers, librarians and children’s book experts has carefully selected five outstanding titles for you to read, with something for all young readers including two picturebooks, two chapter books and a verse novel.

The topic of school transition is explored in two of this month’s selected titles. Zak Monroe is (Not) My Friend is a thought-provoking chapter book about friendships and self-belief in year 6, while verse novel The First Year picks up in year 7, as protagonist Nate tackles challenges both at home and at his new school.

Action and adventure are at the heart of Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed, a chapter book for upper KS2 which weaves themes of loyalty, kindness and fairness through a story of theft and deception.

For younger readers, this month’s selection includes two picturebooks. Fluffy, Flying Seed is a non-fiction pick, following a seed as it drifts through the air, lands and grows into a beautiful flower. In contrast, We Are Definitely Human is a riotous story of crash-landing aliens and a suspicious dog, with a clear message about kindness to those who are different from us.

Discover our Review Panel’s top new children’s books for you to read in April 2025.

The First Year

Joe Todd Stanton & Matt Goodfellow

Poetry, Verse novel

The First Year by Matt Goodfellow is the highly anticipated sequel to the emotionally powerful The Final Year. The previous book has made a profound impact on readers and significantly boosted the popularity of verse novels for Key Stage 2. The First Year follows into KS3, on as Nate navigates the ups and downs of his first year of secondary.

Matt Goodfellow explores the themes of family bonds, resilience, finding one’s voice, the power of language and the influence of supportive (and unsupportive) adults in school. This sequel is just as emotive – perhaps even more – as Nate is torn away from the familiar comfort and safety of primary school and finds himself thrown into the stark environment of secondary. The story also celebrates the joy of new friendships and the strong sense of belonging Nate shares with his brothers and friends.

This is a verse novel where the story unfolds through poetry. Some of the shortest and most sparse poems are the ones that evoke the greatest depth of emotion, with the white space on the page providing the reader with a moment to reflect and process – but only a moment, as this is really a page-turner that makes you greedy to read on.

We Are Definitely Human

X Fang

Picturebook

I was delighted to receive We Are Definitely Human the night before World Book Day – what perfect timing!

Children love feeling that they know more than the hapless storyteller and We Are Definitely Not Human gives plenty of scope for that. Three aliens crash-land in Mr Li’s field and are keen to insist how very ‘human’ they are. The story itself is told through pared-back, simple language, giving just enough information for the children to then look at the pictures and infer what was really going on.

I tried this book out on all our EYFS/KS1 classes on World Book Day and they thoroughly enjoyed it – there was even an honorable mention in assembly from Reception for “best story heard today”. I think that says an enormous amount that a child of five would hear multiple stories throughout the day and still go back to the first one as being their favorite. Several teachers commented on the vibrant color scheme and use of neon pink and blue to pick out the aliens, especially during the night-time scenes.

Whilst the story is about three aliens who crash-land in Mr Li’s field – who does what any kind human would do and helps them to fix their “car” – I fell immediately in love with the dog, who is the best side-eyed, suspicious hound I’ve ever seen! A message about kindness to people who are not like you is clear and warmly given. Readers can also have lots of fun creating voices for the aliens’ not-quite-English speech.

We loved it and I’m sure you will too.

Zak Monroe is (not) My Friend

Simon Packham

Chapter book

This is a thought-provoking story about school friendships, bullying and the transition to secondary school.

The story follows the trials and tribulations of Sam in Year 6, who overhears his friends Fin, Cal and Jay saying that they won’t be putting his name on their ‘friends list’ for the Year 7 tutor group in their new secondary school.

When Fin, Cal, Jay and their families go to Barcelona without him during half-term, Sam strikes up a rather one-sided friendship with Zak Monroe – a new boy in the year group who has already been dubbed ‘weird’ by his peers. As Sam increasingly tries to disassociate himself from anything and anyone that his old friends make fun of, he realises that he is trying to change to please them and that there are more important issues at stake.

There are many different threads to this story that children struggling with change and friendships might empathise with. Transition to a new school is a big part, but also self-belief, resilience, anxieties, acceptance of differences and challenging stereotypes.

Fluffy, Flying Seed

Dawn Cooper & Mary Auld

Non-fiction

If you’ve ever watched a dandelion seed float away on the breeze and wondered what happens next, Fluffy, Flying Seed by Mary Auld is the perfect book to explore that journey!

This non-fiction book follows a tiny seed as it drifts through the air, eventually landing and growing into a beautiful wildflower. The story is told in the first person, making the seed’s adventure feel even more engaging for young readers. Along the way, key facts about nature and plant life are introduced in a way that’s easy to understand without feeling overwhelming.

A real highlight is the giant fold-out poster at the back of the book, which lays out the entire life cycle of the dandelion in a clear and visual way. Plus, there’s a fun I-Spy activity where children can search for meadow creatures hidden in the pages, prompting them to think about whether these animals are active during the day or night.

This book is a great choice for primary-aged children, whether they’re learning about plants in the classroom or just curious about the world around them.

Clem Fatale Has Been Betrayed

Eve Wersocki Morris & Honie Beam

Chapter book

Clem Fatale is the daughter of one of London’s most notorious jewel thieves. Taking part in heists with her dad and the Spider Gang, Clem knows all the tricks of the trade.

It is a huge shock to her therefore, when, on a mission to steal a rare yellow diamond, things don’t go according to plan. Not only is the Fool’s Canary nowhere to be seen, but Jimmy Fatale has vanished as well. What then follows is a race through 1950’s London to try to solve the mystery and to reunite Clem and her big-hearted dad and to recover the lost gem.

Accompanied by her new-found friend, the blundering boffin, Gilbert, Clem has to stay on her toes, not knowing who to trust. Along the way, her faith in adults is restored as she encounters taxi driver, Winnie who has a soft spot for Jimmy Fatale as she is aware of his kindness to newcomers to the country and is therefore happy to return his favours.

This is a book full of action and adventure. It twists and turns like the streets of London itself and will keep the reader guessing right until the very end. Characters are vivid and varied and just as Clem experiences, the reader will soon understand that not everybody is as they seem. Whilst theft and deception are at its core, there are strong messages about loyalty, kindness and fairness.

This is a page-turner with a big heart.