Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Chapter book

This is the first in the series of Enola Holmes books, telling the story of teenage super-sleuth Enola ‘Alone’ Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective, and Mycroft Holmes, the fastidious government official.

Enola lives in the country with her mother, who is homeschooling her in subjects from fencing to the language of flowers to cryptography. On the morning of her fourteenth birthday, Enola finds her mother is missing without a trace, leaving only a few clues as to where and why she has gone. Mycroft and Sherlock soon arrive and are astonished at the unladylike but extremely astute Enola. Despite their efforts to tame her, Enola goes out into the world by herself to find her missing mother.

But it is not only Mrs Holmes who is missing. Lord Viscount Tewksbury, Marquess of Basilweather, a young man with a promising future, has also disappeared, and ransom demands have been made. Enola soon starts to investigate this mystery as well, trying to prove she is just as capable as her brothers.

This is a great tale, written in a light and fresh style, which is bound to excite avid readers. Enola is likeable, and despite being a mystery story, it is easy to follow. The books have been turned into a Netflix TV series starring Millie Bobby Brown, which is likely to draw readers towards the books.

Little Women (Illustrated) is a beautifully presented edition of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, making this much-loved story accessible and engaging for young readers. The illustrations support comprehension and help pupils visualise the characters, setting and key moments, which is particularly beneficial when reading a classic text with more challenging language.

The story follows the four March sisters as they navigate family life, growing up, relationships and personal values. Themes such as kindness, resilience, ambition, friendship, and moral responsibility are explored in a thoughtful and age-appropriate way.

Fourteen year old Calum Brooks has big dreams. One day, he’ll escape this boring life and write movies, proper ones, with massive budgets and A-list stars. For now though, he’s stuck coping alone while his dad works away, writing scripts in his head and trying to stay ‘in’ with his gang of mates at school, who don’t like new kids, especially foreign ones.

But when his father invites his new Polish girlfriend and her son, Sergei, to move in, Calum’s life is turned upside down. He’s actually sharing a room with ‘the enemy’! How’s he going to explain that to his mates? Yet when Calum is knocked down in a hit and run and breaks both legs, everything changes.

Trapped at home, Calum and Sergei slowly start to understand each other, and even work together to investigate a series of break-ins at the local community centre. But Calum can’t help feeling like Sergei’s hiding something. Is he really trying to help, or cover up his own involvement in the crime?

928 Miles from Home is a powerful new story from the multi-award-winning author of Smart and A Seven-Letter Word, Kim Slater.

The Austen Girls is the imagined tale of Jane Austen’s nieces, Anna and Fanny, and their introduction to society, balls, mature responsibility, and matters of the heart.

Anna and Fanny are cousins who have just reached marriageable age. Close friends with very different personalities, the girls have very different views of the world and their roles and responsibilities within it. The cousins are under pressure to find suitors, one for the money, the other for family. Whilst they navigate the pressures of society during the Georgian era, a darker plot enfolds, involving scams, prison and thief-takers.

The book is written by Lucy Worsley, famous for her history television programmes and the Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces. She was inspired to write this tale whilst researching for a Jane Austen Biography she was writing. It is clearly written by an Austen-lover, and there is a clear respect for the author here, which may inspire readers to start to explore Austen’s works for themselves.

A delightful and composed book for secondary pupils, this is a great read.

When the boat Bill is on capsizes during a ferocious storm, he becomes separated from his crewmates and ends up adrift in a tiny boat on the endless sea. A few days later, he comes across a girl, Aya, also a survivor of a shipwreck, and they decide that their chances of survival are better together.

As their hopes of being rescued quickly fade, Aya keeps Bill going with tales inspired by Shahrazad. Together they do what they have to do to survive – they learn how to create drinkable water from the interminable ocean, they realise they are going to have to kill to eat, and they try to protect themselves from the devastating heat of the sun. Then, one day, they spot land … but is it going to be the safe haven they have so desperately hoped for?

This is an incredible story of survival against the odds, of finding the inner strength to survive and of the power of friendship.

Lionheart Girl is filled with magic, mystery and intrigue. It is set in West Africa and focuses on Sheba, a girl born into a family of witches, who is just discovering the extents of her powers as well as the many secrets that sit within her extended family. Sheba’s relationship with her mother, Sika, is challenging. Sika’s powers are much more negative and destructive than those of her aunts, as well as her own. The way in which Sheba grapples with her feelings towards Sika is woven throughout the novel and offers much to reflect upon.

The story is written in the first person, which sets the reader right at the heart of the story; Sheba’s teenage voice is so clearly conveyed through Yaba Badoe’s writing and makes her relatable to the reader. Her quest to find her father brings so many challenges, and it is wonderful to see her grow into her powers as well as develop into an empowered young woman.

This gripping and powerful book deals with mature themes and is suitable for KS3 and upwards

A gripping tale of conflict and survival that has inspired millions of young readers and adults alike, with three million copies sold worldwide

Eleven-year-old Salva is forced to flee on foot when his village comes under attack. Braving every imaginable hardship – including killer lions and hungry crocodiles – he is one of the ‘lost boys’ travelling the African continent on foot in search of his family and a safe place to stay.

Nya goes to the pond two times a day to fetch water. It takes her eight hours. But there is unexpected hope, as these two stories set in Sudan – one unfolding in 2008 and one in 1985 – go on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.

Chapter book

Ten strangers trapped in a television studio Forty-two remote cameras One rule: Trust no one When a casting call is announced for new reality TV show Lie or Die, Kass is tricked into auditioning by her best friend. Big Brother meets Mafia, Lie or Die pits contestants against each other as they try to discover who is a murderous agent and who is an innocent player. But when contestants start to turn up dead (the real kind, not the fake kind), Kass realises that not being eliminated and winning the game is the least of her worries. No longer a game of truth and lies, Kass and her friends are in a fight for survival. ‘Reality’ just got very real.

Discover Africa by bicycle in book 1 of a delightful children’s adaptation of Alastair Humphrey’s journey around the world. In this charming caricature of Alastair Humphreys’ infamous circumnavigation of the world on his bike, children are swept along with the character of Tom, an adventurous boy who feels there must be more to life than school. The first part of The Boy Who Biked the World follows Tom leaving England, cycling through Europe and all the way through Africa to the tip of South Africa. Along the way, young readers are introduced not only to the various fascinating landscapes he passes through, but also to the various people who so happily embrace him as he traveled on his journey. With engaging illustrations, postcards, and journal entries throughout, this book provides an immersive experience for any young adventurer.

A gripping and moving novel by one of the world’s best-loved writers for children.

From much-loved author Shirley Hughes comes a thrilling World War II novel for children aged 10 and up. It is 1944 and Florence, Italy, is occupied by Nazi German forces. The Italian resistance movement has not given up hope, though – and neither have Paolo and his sister, Constanza. Both are desperate to fight the occupation, but what can two siblings do against a whole army with only a bicycle to help them? In extraordinary circumstances, people are capable of extraordinary things…

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