Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Format: Chapter book

Chapter book

Magic, adventure, and a whole new world is waiting to be discovered! The perfect series for adventurers aged 9+ and fans of Michelle Harrison, Piers Torday and Jamie Littler. The Unmapped Chronicles will not only leave children entertained, but will also empower them to battle climate change and environmental issues.
‘Adventures are unpredictable and often terribly badly behaved – a bit like pickled onions if you’ve ever tried to fork one on a plate – but they have a way of unlocking people and turning them upside down so that all the astonishing things fizzing around inside them start to tumble out…’

Eleven-year-old Casper Tock hates risks, is allergic to adventures and shudders at the thought of unpredictable events. So, it comes as a nasty shock to him when he accidentally stumbles into Rumblestar , an Unmapped Kingdom full of magical beasts.

All Casper wants is to find a way home, but Rumblestar is in trouble. An evil harpy called Morg is sending her followers, the Midnights, into the kingdom to wreak havoc and pave the way for her to steal the Unmapped magic for herself. But Casper cannot turn a blind eye because the future of his own world, he discovers, is bound up with that of the Unmapped Kingdoms.

And so, together with Utterly Thankless , a girl who hates rules and is allergic to behaving, and her miniature dragon, Arlo , Casper embarks upon an adventure full of cloud giants, storm ogres and drizzle hags. Can he, Utterly and Arlo, the unlikeliest of heroes, save the Unmapped Kingdoms and our world from the clutches of Morg and her Midnights?

Live a life filled with adventure with Abi Elphinstone in this brand NEW series where a whole new world is waiting to be discovered…

Chapter book

Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and she misses her papa who works in the city. When he suddenly stops sending his wages, a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home and her mother talks of leaving.

From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. But the journey is dangerous: they must cross the world’s highest mountains and face hunger, tiredness – even snow leopards.

And yet, Asha has the unshakeable sense that the spirit bird of her grandmother – her nanijee – is watching over her …

A gorgeously original and magical adventure set in India, for children aged 9 and up.

From the author of Tamarind & the Star of Ishta – longlisted for the Blue Peter Book Prize.

Explores themes of faith, family and friendship while capturing the wild, rich heart of contemporary India.

Chapter book

From the bestselling and award-winning A.M. Howell, author of The Garden of Lost Secrets and The House of One Hundred Clocks, comes a brand-new thrilling historical mystery of stolen treasure, friendship and deep courage set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.

February 1948.

Ruth has been whisked off to the lonely Rook Farm to investigate the discovery of long-buried treasure with her mother. But at the farmhouse, she finds secrets lurk around every corner. Joe, the farmer’s son, is hiding something about the treasure, while land girl Audrey watches their every move.

But before Ruth can find out more, the treasure is stolen… With a storm coming, Ruth must race to uncover the secrets of the treasure keepers before all of their lives are changed forever.

Chapter book

From the internationally bestselling author of Beetle Boy and the Adventures on Trains series, comes the first book in The Twitchers, a brand new mystery adventure series celebrating friendship, bravery and the incredible world of birds, starring a birdwatching detective called Twitch!

Can a birdwatcher outwit an escaped convict?

Twitch has three pet chickens, four pigeons, swallows nesting in his bedroom and a passion for birdwatching. On the first day of the summer holidays, he arrives at his secret hide to find police everywhere: a convicted robber has broken out of prison and is hiding in Aves Wood. Can Twitch use his talents for birdwatching to hunt for the dangerous prisoner and find the missing loot?

Chapter book

Murph Cooper has a problem.

His new school is top secret, and super weird. His classmates can all fly or control the weather or conjure tiny horses from thin air. And what’s Murph’s extraordinary skill? Um, oh yeah – he hasn’t got one.

Just as well there are no revolting supervillains lurking nearby, their minds abuzz with evil plans. There are!? Right. Ok, then…

It’s time for Kid Normal to become a hero!

Chapter book

In a period of English History that never happened, when Good King James III is on the throne, and the whole country is ravaged by wolves which have migrated through the newly-opened Channel Tunnel. When orphans Bonnie and Sylvia fall into the hands of evil Miss Slighcarp, they need all their wits – and the help of Simon the goose-boy – to escape unscathed, for the governess is more cruel and merciless than the wolves that surround the great house of Willoughby Chase.

Filled with brilliantly-drawn Dickensian characters, it would make an excellent choice for strong preteen readers who like an old-fashioned story with a strong plot and good characterisation. This book often appears on lists of best-loved children’s books.

Chapter book

A breathtaking reimagining of the Russian fairy tale of Baba Yaga, The House with Chicken Legs is the award-winning, spellbinding story of one girl’s adventure to find her destiny.

Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlisted for Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award

Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays in one place long enough for her to make friends. But her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning.

For Marinka’s grandmother is Baba Yaga, who guides spirits between this world and the next. Marinka longs to change her destiny and sets out to break free from her grandmother’s footsteps, but her house has other ideas…

Chapter book

Football School Star Players is part of the bestselling Football School series, which teaches you about the world through football, packed with superstar stories, fun facts and laugh-out-loud illustrations. Perfect for readers 7+ and recommended by the National Literacy Trust, BookTrust, the Premier League and parents and teachers.

Get young fans dreaming big with this incredible collection of inspirational lives from the world of football.

What made Pele the greatest player of all time? How did Harry Kane overcome the odds to win the Golden Boot? What is the secret behind Lionel Messi’s outstanding success? And why is Megan Rapinoe so fearless in her beliefs? This collection of fifty biographies brings together the incredible true stories of the game’s greatest legends who changed the world of football. Empowering and inspirational, this is the perfect book to get young fans dreaming big both on and off the pitch.

Chapter book

A magical adventure to delight the imagination. A curl-up-on-the-sofa snuggle of a debut from a uniquely talented author.

Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents’ bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories.

One day Tilly realises that classic children’s characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of ‘book wandering’ – crossing over from the page into real life.

With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago, so she bravely steps into the unknown, unsure of what adventure lies ahead and what dangers she may face.

Chapter book

It’s the end of chocolate – forever! At least, until Jelly can solve the mystery of the great chocoplot…

Jelly and her family live in Chompton-on-de-Lyte, where everyone loves a Chocablocka bar or two – so when the end of chocolate is announced, she can’t believe it.

Determined to investigate, Jelly and her gran follow a trail of clues to a posh chocolate shop and its owner, the pompous Garibaldi Chocolati. Gari’s suspiciously smug, despite his failing business and yucky chocolate.

Is it really the chocopocalypse, or is there a chocoplot afoot?

An exciting, laugh-out-loud funny adventure featuring a truly ghastly villain – think evil mastermind meets Willy Wonka! – and a down-to-earth heroine with a sidekick grandma.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments