Recommended Reads for Year 5: New Additions for 2025

Mizzy is a feisty, nearly 13-year-old girl who just happens to have Down Syndrome. She wants to be a marvellous detective, although her family think she’s more like her dad’s (Great) Aunt Jane, the village busybody. To date, she hasn’t solved a single mystery, although that might change when the holidays start. During the holidays, Mizzy stumbles upon Great Aunt Jane’s missing diaries. It transpires that somebody poisoned the old relative, and she didn’t just die in her sleep. What ensues is a comedy-style investigation to rule out relatives.

Mizzy reminded me of a young Miss Marple. Mizzy talks about how her Down Syndrome affects her (spelling, lack of direction), and this book could be used to teach empathy and awareness.

An interesting mystery that made me laugh out loud at times. I would recommend this book to fans of Melissa Savage, Enid Blyton and Lauren Child.

What a treat this is for our younger but curious readers, and especially those who like funny books.

From the former doctor and bestselling author of This is Going to Hurt comes a new side-splitting series about the world’s youngest doctor, Dexter Proctor. He is different. He is ten years old. He has friends but he is so bright and gifted. And by the age of ten, he is working as a paediatrician at Lilydale General Hospital!

But Dexter has a mortal enemy (Dr Drake) and a major problem – all the teachers are struck down with dreadful diarrhoea! Dexter must step up to the challenge and try to save the teachers and the school.

This hilarious new series about the world’s youngest doctor from the record-breaking Adam Kay and Henry Paker will keep our children informed, engaged and laughing out loud.

This gloriously detailed historical novel about theatre, set at the beginning of the 20th Century, draws an image of a buzzy, busy London theatre district, pulling together historical details with a fast-paced and exciting plot.

The main character, Charley, is exuberant and vivacious, shining as brightly as the London theatre lights. The theatre setting is a backdrop for a tale about Charley’s character growth, as she overcomes a nightmarish stint at a girls’ boarding school, a long trek from the south coast back to London and the scheming of a nefarious Fagin-esque London criminal, in the process making a friend, uncovering family secrets, and discovering how to overcome stage fright.

There are shades of Dickens, with its reference to orphans and foundlings, the clear London divide between rich and poor, and a richly descriptive text that showcases the rabbit-warren streets of London theatreland. Through the dawning of a new age with electric light and the onset of famous acts such as Duke Ellington, combined with the author’s homage to the theatre magic of Noel Streatfield books, this is a tale of a delightfully flawed main character and a twisty plot that emits a warmth and magnetism that is hard to put down.

This is a super-fun, colour-illustrated chapter book that fans of Lottie Brooks, Dork Diaries or Tom Gates will enjoy.

Nina is an ordinary ten-year-old with dreams of social media stardom. When a viral cat-in-pants moment gives her a chance, Nina’s quest for likes leads to hilarious, disastrous results.

This brilliantly fun book, with appealing illustrations, is packed with wordplay and bonkers situations. It’s perfect for reluctant readers, subtly exploring friendship and self-awareness while delivering big laughs. It also covers the topic of online stardom, viral fame and navigating the online world.

Torben Kuhlmann’s Edison is a brilliant addition to a unique science series we love, and just as recommendable as the other books – Armstrong and Lindbergh.

This beautiful text is a longer picture book, and feels more like a large-format chapter book with full-page illustrations, drawing Key Stage 2 readers into a brilliant illustrated adventure with science themes of light, design, discovery and invention. The story follows a young mouse, Pete, on a quest to uncover the mystery of his ancestor’s lost treasure, a journey that unexpectedly leads him and an old Professor into the fascinating world of submarine design and the history of invention.

The narrative weaves real-life scientific discovery into a fantasy plot, and the author’s notes at the end provide a brief history of Thomas Edison and the history of the lightbulb.

Kuhlmann’s unique and detailed illustrations are stunning, often telling aspects of the story themselves and providing incredible detail to pore over and discuss. Impressive, and highly recommended!

Hot on the heels of their award-winning, multiple middle-grade book series spanning beetles, trains and birds, M.G. Leonard is back, launching a new action-packed, time-travelling adventure series with an initial foray into Egyptology.

Sim lives with his mother, Callidora, in a flat above the museum of Sir John Soane. One evening, while Sim and his mum are training in the museum, they hear voices approaching. Callidora pales and opens a door in the museum, rushing Sim inside, opening a world of questions that even she can’t avoid forever.

Underpinned by historical fact, a tale of adventure, lies, trust and time travel unfolds, sweeping you along with twists and turns that keep you gripped and wanting to read on.

A brilliant book to accompany any unit on Ancient Egypt, readers will look forward to discovering what, where and when Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson will get up to next in this promising series.

Hamza Yassin is a famous wildlife photographer and cameraman who sprang to fame in the UK after winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Children may be more familiar with his work on CBeebies and in programmes such as Animal Park.

His book, ‘Hamza’s Wild World’, is jam-packed with interesting facts about animals, from carnivores to herbivores, predators to prey. The book starts with a highly interesting and inspiring mini autobiography, and I think his personal story would resonate with many pupils. The next section of the book covers humans, tackling our animal attributes head-on. The rest of the book is split into chapters covering all areas of animal existence, including sensing, communication, breeding and biodiversity. Each chapter is interspersed with fact pages, descriptions of Hamza’s favourite animals and his encounters with them, animal factfiles, and Hamza’s nature heroes. The book finishes with some advice for children on how they can become involved with nature, suggesting links and groups to become involved with.

The book is a very easy read and enjoyable to dip in and out of. I can see this book becoming a firm favourite of wildlife-lovers and could easily be used to tackle topics in science lessons.

A debut middle grade novel from Lui Sit, Land of the Wildcat rests beautifully as an adventure novel with an environmental undertone.

Puffin Lau, the 10 year old protagonist of the story, has lost both of her parents and lives with her best friend Lance and his grandad Moe. Thankfully, Lance shares Puffin’s love of adventure, but when her mother fails to keep her promise to deliver a talk to her class on the Kuri, long, lost wildcat of Linger Island, Puffin takes it upon herself to act as museum guide, a role she feels well qualified for.

Before she has time to complete her talk, her Mum’s boss Professor Smoult takes over and Puffin, smarting with anger, decides to investigate for herself just what her Mum felt was so important that she couldn’t be there for her daughter.

While at times fantastical, Sit masterfully weaves the emotions and relationships of each of the characters in an animal tale that explores folklore and conservation work, while keeping up the pace of the adventure and painting a picture of each scene in the story, taking the reader on a real journey of exploration.

This is a positive and uplifting book that would appeal across Key Stage Two year groups. This empathy-boosting story explores themes of change, friendship, animals and neurodiversity.

11-year-old Alex is autistic and having difficulty navigating school and friendships, especially with the transition to secondary school on the horizon. His relationship with his dog, Kevin, is at the heart of the story and their ambitions ultimately lead to important lessons about friendship.

Dog-themed books are hugely popular with children.  As well as the bond between children and pets, the story covers some of the anxieties and concerns associated with the transition to secondary school and the particular challenges of change for autistic individuals. It would also be suitable for much younger, capable readers and will be enjoyed by a wide range of readers, making it a great choice for a school library.

This is an incredibly enjoyable science-themed information book.

Packed with scientific facts and fun little experiments, all accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, it’s sure to appeal to readers of all ages. The investigations can be done with household items and are easy for everyone to do, and the scientific facts and funny asides make it a book children will enjoy dipping in and out of.

This book would be a great asset to homes and classrooms.

An atmospheric and beautifully worded story by Katya Balen, which transports the reader to feel at one with nature.

Ghostlines is set on the island of Ayrie, where Tilda is at her happiest. She thrives in nature, loves exploring and breathes in every moment of the wilderness. Living in a small and tight-knit community, Tilda is intrigued when a new boy, Albie, arrives. Tilda spends all of her efforts showing him the hidden treasures of the island, but to no avail, as he misses living life in the city.

Despite his reluctance to be friendly, they explore a nearby haunted island and strike an unexpected friendship.

Readers will find themselves absorbed in the cleverly crafted descriptions of the wild, while also rooting for the characters within. It is hard not to fall in love with Tilda and her determination to show everyone the importance of bonding with nature.

The mystery genre is incredibly popular with Key Stage 2 children, and The Case of the Lighthouse Intruder by Kereen Getten offers an evocative detective adventure.

Fayson is an aspiring detective who dreams of solving grand cases, but finds herself plunged into a real-life case during a holiday with her mysterious cousins. Fayson feels out of place with their wealthy lifestyle, yearning for the simpler, more honest life she shares with her mother.

As Fayson cleverly unravels the mystery on the island, the narrative also sensitively explores themes of social class, wealth, happiness and family values. The story could prompt discussion with KS2 children around challenging societal expectations and the meaning of belonging. A thrilling and thought-provoking mystery!

For diverse historical fiction, look no further then Sufiya Ahmed. In this first book of the new ‘Time Travellers’ series, she introduces us to Suhana and her two friends Mia and Ahmed. On a school trip to the Houses of Parliament, they find themselves magically transported back in time to 1911. They find themselves in the middle of a women’s suffrage demonstration, where, as well as meeting more familiar characters like Emily Davison, Suhana is thrilled to encounter Lolita Roy and other women of Indian heritage protesting for the right to vote too.

As the story of their day thunders along at pace, and Ahmed peppers the narrative with historical facts and thought-provoking insights into the role of women from India in the protest movement, both for the vote in Britain and for the right to independence in India.

A great choice for reluctant readers due to its snappy story, and a brilliant fiction addition to a class topic on the women’s suffrage movement. ‘Time Travellers’ is a triumph.

An interesting and accessible guide to daily life for the Ancient Maya.

This is a short chapter book, at just under 90 pages, but it is packed with knowledge, presented in an accessible way. It has 9 sections, covering who the Maya were, daily life, inventions and discoveries they made, as well as theories about what happened to them. Throughout the sections, illustrations and helpful diagrams are also included.

This is such a useful book, great for teachers to use to support them with lesson planning, but also great for children to access if they want to learn more about a particular area of Ancient Maya.

This is an uplifting story about self-belief, heritage and community.

Sunshine feels utterly ordinary, especially when a special school assembly challenges everyone to showcase what makes them unique. Surrounded by vibrant family members, particularly her effervescent Grandad, Sunshine struggles to find her own special talent. As everyday stresses mount, Sunshine grapples with a growing sense of inadequacy. The story follows her journey to follow Grandad’s advice to seek her own adventures, stand proud and shine.

Sunshine begins to embrace her unique identity and rich Jamaican heritage, making this an assured and wonderfully readable debut with an interesting cultural backdrop. Author GM Linton visited our blog to tell us more about how the Windrush Generation inspired the series.

Told with heart and humour, this relatable read will go down a treat in Year 5.

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!

This moving World War 2 novel begins with Anna, the grandmother, explaining how she was sent away by her parents, following the events during the night of the ninth of November 1938 in Germany on Kristallnacht.

Knowing that, as a Jew, she would no longer be safe, young Anna manages to get a space on the Kindertransport, bringing children like Anna to the relative safety of Britain. Following an arduous journey, Anna is taken in by a family in Kent, who live and work on a country estate. During 1940, when the threat of invasion pervades the country, Anna and her foster siblings Molly and Frank find themselves drawn into a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. This is Anna’s opportunity to prove whose side she is on.

Told in the first person, Anna’s story has an immediacy that grips the reader, drawing them in as she adapts to her new life. There is poignancy as well as excitement, through short chapters that keep up the momentum of the adventure, as well as exploring Anna’s feelings.

This diverse and exciting modern poetry collection celebrates nature, featuring a wide range of poets. The collection encourages children to see the natural world with fresh eyes and appreciate its awesomeness. From ponds and forests to rain and dirt, the poems sing of the wonders of the world around us in new and innovative ways

With delightful illustrations and rich verbal imagery, this book is an absolute must-have for home and classroom collections, perfect for Key Stage 2. It offers endless opportunities for enjoyment and deeper contemplation of our natural world.

Queens of the Jungle by biologist Dr Carly Anne York is a beautifully illustrated book, with artwork by Kimberlie Clinthorne-Wong, that challenges the myth of the “King of the Jungle” and showcases the incredible strength, intelligence, and adaptability of female animals. Dr York takes readers on an educational journey, highlighting female animals’ pivotal roles in their ecosystems. The book begins with the well-known lionesses, debunking the misconception that male lions are the sole providers and protectors. Instead, readers learn about the lionesses’ collaborative hunting efforts and their vital contribution to the pride’s survival.

The book features a diverse array of species, each chosen to illustrate unique aspects of female animal behaviour. From the wise orca grandmothers leading their pods to the all-female lizard species that defies traditional reproductive roles, the book is packed with intriguing facts that will captivate young readers.

This fantastic and interesting animal-themed non-fiction book can be used to introduce students to topics such as animal behaviour, adaptation, and biodiversity and encourage discussions about the roles of different species in their ecosystems.

Colourfully illustrated, ‘Robots’ begins with a timeline of the history of robots, going back much further than you might think. The book then goes through what a robot is and the difference between robots and AI. It clearly explains how different types of robots work – from robots that can help the environment to those that are designed to move around, as well as those that can help with farming.

This engineering-themed non-fiction book also provides information about the different jobs that robots can do, such as assisting in factories and hospitals. Finally, the book covers the ethics of robots as well as what the future of robotics might be. There is a handy glossary at the back explaining some of the more technical vocabulary associated with robots.

A fabulous read for KS2 children and a great book to have in the classroom as AI becomes more a part of everyday life.

This beautiful verse novel follows a girl in the transition period from primary to secondary school. The individual poems that make up the story play wonderfully with shape, rhythm and language and deliver a range of styles mirroring the complex emotional themes.

The book includes topics of domestic violence, bullying and homelessness discussed from a child’s perspective. These are handled sensitively, and there is an overall sense of positivity and optimism.

It’s a powerful, empathetic book, particularly suited to year 6.

Full of short but wonderfully detailed stories of the feminine heroes in Greek mythology, this is a perfect addition to any bookshelf of someone interested in history and Ancient Greece.

Every last detail has been considered, including the contents page, which shows a picture of each woman and a short synopsis of their story, for example, Ariadne: the Cretan princess who helped crack the Labyrinth and stop the Minotaur. Who would not want to read such an intriguing tale? Each story is written in first person, from the viewpoint of the female, a side that has not always been told before.

Though the stories are not in full, they give enough details to inspire a love of Greek mythology. It even ends with a section entitled, ‘What happened next?’ with a short insight into the future of these famous women. This book will surely be an inspiration to many and foster that interest in Ancient Greece and the tales from there.

Fast-paced, full of action and fun, Paper Dragons takes you on a journey which, while entirely fantasy fiction, delves into Chinese culture, folklore and cuisine.

Filled with adventurous twists and turns, the plot develops breathing flesh into each character seamlessly, so you gain empathy for even the most unlikeable characters and will Zhi Ging on despite all the barriers in her way. The heroine is adopted and remains on the fringe of her community for being “different”, and the reader roots for Zhi Ging to triumph against adversity throughout. The story-telling shines out above all else and the final plot twist has left me eager to read on.

A lovely addition at the end is the Author’s note, explaining some of the “Irish-tinged Cantonese” names used in the book and is indicative of the thought put into every detail of the story.

An incredibly accomplished debut novel – hopefully the first of many to come!