Recommended Reading Lists for School Year Groups: FAQ
What are the Year Group booklists for?
Each one of our Year Group Recommended Reads lists contains 50 books specially picked out for reading for pleasure in each year group, from Preschool to Year 6 in primary, and from Year 7 to Year 9 in KS3.
The lists are selected by children’s reading experts with the help of our school-based review panel and bookselling colleagues, designed to provide recommendations of age-appropriate and accessible books across a range of genres and styles, all matching the developmental stage of the relevant year groups.
These lists differ from our topic booklists, as the books are purely selected to read for pleasure at each age group.
How often do these lists get updated?
The Recommended Read lists are updated annually. The current version was launched on 2nd June 2026.
Click here to see the new additions for 2026 lists or to find out about school top-up packs.
How do you choose the books for these lists?
Our book selection process is tried and tested. We receive hundreds of submissions from publishers and collaborate with a panel of expert reviewers from across the primary education community, including teachers, librarians and education lecturers.
We prioritise a strong balance of text types for our booklists, ensuring each list features a range of themes, formats, difficulty levels, interests and genres to ensure broad appeal and relevance.
Can I download these lists in a printable format?
Each Recommended Read book list comes with a printable poster and checklist.
Click here to download the printable PDF versions of the posters and checklists for each year group.
Are the books on your lists readily available?
We work closely with librarians and booksellers like Peters to ensure that the books on our lists are easily accessible for schools and families. Many of our popular book packs are also available to purchase with a discount for schools.
Where can I purchase the books on the BooksForTopics Year Group booklists?
Can I share the links to the recommended primary reading lists?
We are happy for you to share the links to our primary reading lists on your school website, newsletter or social platform. You can also print the posters and display them in your school libraries or classrooms, or give copies to pupils.
The BooksForTopics team has put hours of work into collating these lists with due care and expertise, and we love to share our free reading-for-pleasure resources far and wide.
Here are our quick links:
