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Best Books This Month – June 2025

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 chapter books, a graphic novel, a picturebook and an information book.

An outstanding non-fiction choice, Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses from the British Museum is a great introduction to the Greek myths, featuring a wealth of facts and exciting stories alongside eye-catching artwork from Tom Froese. Each double-page spread has a wealth of information and illustrative detail that KS2 children will love to pore over.

Anna James’s Alice With a Why is a reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland which follows Alyce (with a Y) as she follows in her grandmother Alice’s footsteps. This is a great classroom read which features a number of familiar characters, including the Mad Hatter. More challenging themese feature in My Name is Samim, a powerful read about a boy’s dangerous journey to Britain, and his time in foster care awaiting a decision on his asylum case.

For younger readers, this month’s selection includes an undersea adventure in Squid Squad, a full-colour graphic novel from Aoife Dooley. For picturebook fans, there’s the vibrantly illustrated My Rice is Best, which uses rice dishes from around the world to show that food, culture and heritage are diverse – and best shared.

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

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My Name is Samim

Fidan Meikle

Chapter book

This split narrative story – dividing time between Samim’s current situation in foster care awaiting his asylum decision, and his narrated past of how he came to Britain from Afghanistan – is both moving and pacey, standing out as a powerful refugee story.

Pathos is built through Samim’s narrative of his horrific journey and those he lost along the way, but also through the present tense story in which he is bullied at school, and the guilt he feels that he has let down and lost his best friend, Zayn. Throughout the present tense narrative, Zayn appears to him as a ghost, giving witty insights into his situation at school and his endeavours in chess club.

When Samim narrates his journey to his caseworker, Zayn is both alive and a lively character – Samim’s best friend and the closest thing he has to family. Both boys are superbly rendered, their personalities clear and engaging, which invokes empathy and understanding.

This book deals with many topical issues, not just refugees, but also the importance of cultural heritage, hobbies, friendships and an understanding of identity and rights.

This is not just an ‘issue’ book, but an engaging read. The story contains references to medication, fighting, and gender identity, and also portrays death and a graphic journey across water. Most suitable for the very oldest in primary or KS3, and is compelling and powerful, sitting alongside Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird or Boy Everywhere by AM Dassu.

My Rice is Best

Maxwell A. Oginni & Selina Brown

Picturebook

Shane loves his rice and peas, and it does look enticing, steaming hot with its scent wafting into his living room, and the most ultra-super-duper litany of adjectives to describe it. What’s wonderful is the careful insertion of family heritage – a recipe passed down through generations, with its own secret ingredient of pimento seeds. The illustrations take us from Shane’s domestic life, complete with notices on the fridge and a stash of tinned tomatoes behind proud mum, to his visions of grandiosity after eating the best rice in the world.

Until lunchtime at school, and Yinka’s claim that her Jollof rice is the best and the pair embark upon a stand off. But that’s not it. In this ultimate battle of food, everyone joins in, proclaiming their own rice is best – risotto, paella, pilau and more. The resolution, of course, is a tasting and sharing, but there’s also a beautiful little twist.

An absolute zinger of a picture book, vibrantly showing that food and culture and heritage is diverse, and is to be shared and celebrated.

British Museum: Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses

Tegen Evans & Tom Froese

Non-fiction

A brilliant guide to gods and goddesses from Ancient Greece, suitable for KS2.

Colourful pictures support a wealth of facts to inform children about the strengths and powers of the different gods and goddesses from Ancient Greece. Filled with exciting stories and surprising facts, readers will discover how Zeus became king of the gods, who gave Athens its name, and even why Hera turned a princess into a cow!

This is the perfect first introduction to the Greek myths for any child, with eye-catching artwork on every page by award-winning illustrator Tom Froese. The format gives each double-page spread one focus, and it is easily accessible to a wide range of abilities of children for the curriculum study of the Ancient Greeks.

The Squid Squad

Aoife Dooley

Graphic novel

This is a cheerful, full-colour graphic novel for young readers set in the undersea town of Nowhere. We’re introduced to the main characters, Ollie the vampire squid and his best friend Zing, the sea bunny, who with their friends and neighbours form the Squid Squad, each with their own special aquatic super power. We follow them through a series of wacky adventures in which those super powers eventually save the day.

The balance between having enough peril to make the plot exciting without scaring very young readers is very deftly managed, making this great for KS1.

I expect this book to be particularly popular with children in Years 1-4 and it would work well as a first introduction to graphic novels. It’s prefect for fans of: Max and Chaffy; Narwhal and friends; Peanut, Butter and Crackers; Bumble & Snug.

Alice With a Why

Anna James & Matthew Land

Chapter book

Alice with a Why is a charming and imaginative reimagining of Lewis Carroll’s beloved Wonderland, perfect for young readers and nostalgic adults alike.

This enchanting tale follows Alyce, the curious granddaughter of Alice, as she tumbles back into the topsy-turvy world her grandmother once explored. With familiar, friendly characters making delightful returns, like the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar, the story follows Alyce’s journey through Wonderland as she searches for The Time Being to put a stop to a celestial feud between the Queen of the Moon and the Sun King.

Alyce’s determination, kindness and hope guide her through a whimsical yet heartfelt journey, making it a wonderful read for classrooms and bedtime alike. Themes of empathy, courage, and problem-solving shine throughout, offering valuable discussion points for teachers and parents.