Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Format: Dyslexia-friendly

Little House

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

The importance and meaning of home is explored in this thought-provoking new novella from Carnegie Medal winning author Katya Balen.

Juno’s furious about being sent to stay with her grandfather for the summer. She’ll miss all the fun she and her friends had planned for the holidays. She’ll also miss her mum, but it’s her mum’s fault for leaving anyway.

Then Juno discovers a long-forgotten little family in her grandfather’s attic. As she works to carefully craft a new home for them, can she learn to forgive her mum and understand her reasons for going away?

Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.

Midnight Adventures in Primrose Park

Helen Peters & Isobel Lundie

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

When wild animals stray into the park and get into difficulties, Hassan and his mum are there to help in two heartwarming tales from animal-story maestro Helen Peters.

Dapple the fawn gets carried away exploring the park near the woods where he lives with his mother, Fern. But when Fern comes to find him, she gets tangled in a wire. Can Dapple find someone to help set her free?

Olive the otter loves playing in the river near her home. But when she disobeys her mother and strays out after a rainstorm, Olive gets washed far downstream and lands on the bank in a city park. How will she ever find her way home?

Luckily for Dapple and Olive, Hassan and his mum, a wildlife ranger, live close to the park and can help both little animals back to safety.

Particularly suitable for readers aged 7+ with a reading age of 7.

The Island Vet: Pirates and Sea Monsters

Gill Lewis & Irina Avgustinovich

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Tia and her mum start an adventurous new life on Gull Haven Island, finding lots of animals who need their help along the way.

Tia’s mum has a new job as the vet on Gull Haven Island and there are a lot of animals who need her help.

When she’s called away to help a sickly cow on a nearby island and gets trapped there in a storm, Tia has to step up and care for the animals staying in the surgery. It’s a big responsibility and then she has to deal with a mysterious creature that washes up on the shore after the storm.

Their new life on the Haven Islands is clearly going to be full of adventures!

Particularly suitable for readers aged 7+ with a reading age of 7.

Porky Pies

Marisa Morea & Ross Montgomery

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Tia and her mum start an adventurous new life on Gull Haven Island, finding lots of animals who need their help along the way.

Tia’s mum has a new job as the vet on Gull Haven Island and there are a lot of animals who need her help.

Their new life on the Haven Islands is clearly going to be full of adventures!

Particularly suitable for readers aged 7+ with a reading age of 7.

Reek

Alastair Chisholm & George Caltsoudas

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Climate catastrophe leaves the people of Earth fighting for oxygen in this gripping dystopian thriller from bestselling sci-fi author Alastair Chisholm.

Sparrow lives in the world after the Reek. The atmosphere is toxically polluted, and Axel Brodie, the tech billionaire behind Zephyr Industries, is cashing in as the only supplier of clean air.

Sparrow is struggling to help her family survive until her brilliant inventor friend, Miriam Fenn, comes up with a new form of technology that could break Zephyr’s stranglehold on the air supply. But men like Brodie are hard to defeat, and he will do everything in his power to stop Miriam and Sparrow. Who will triumph in this battle to breathe?

Sidney and Carrie Have a Party

Jess Rose & Lisa Thompson

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

‘Sidney and Carrie Have a Party’ by Lisa Thompson is a brightly illustrated and fun book about friendship, compromise and celebration.

This book is perfect for children who are starting their independent reading journey, as it is split into manageable chapters. The book is also written in a dyslexia friendly font, so this book could be used to help encourage a love for reading from everyone.

The bright and cartoon-style illustrations help to bring the whole book together. A wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated story.

The Missing Bunny

Antonia Woodward & Holly Webb

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

The Missing Bunny by Holly Webb is a heartwarming and captivating short chapter book story, perfect for early readers, especially those in Key Stage 1. The book blends themes of empathy and real-life situations, making it an excellent choice for both independent reading and story time in class.

The story follows Annie, a young girl with two new pet bunnies, eagerly awaiting the chance to introduce them to the hutch her dad has built. However, in the hustle and bustle of getting ready for school one morning, Annie forgets to properly close the hutch door, and Humbug, one of the bunnies, escapes. What will happen to poor Humbug?

Children will easily connect with the story, and the worry for a beloved pet opens up opportunities for meaningful discussions. The vocabulary is accessible yet not overly simplified, making it a great stepping stone for children who are ready to transition to chapter books.

A standout feature of this book is the colourful and engaging illustrations. These visuals break up the text, helping young readers understand the emotions and settings of the story, and making it easier to follow the narrative. The illustrations are especially helpful for visual learners or children with developing literacy skills.

In my Year 2 class, the storyline captured the children’s attention, and many chose to read the book independently after our class reading sessions.

The Shop-Witch’s Quest

Aisha Bushby & Patri de Pedro

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

The Shop-Witch’s Quest is a wonderful tale of magic, friendship and adventure. The light-hearted nature of this read, along with the interesting and accessible vocabulary used throughout, would make it perfect for any reader beginning their independent reading journey as an introduction to chapter books, as well as for those who enjoy stories about witches and magic.

In this story, there are a variety of witches with differing occupations, including a garden-witch, a smith-witch and post-witch. Laurel herself is a shop-witch, who helps her parents run the magic shop ‘Witch Wares Emporium’ in the village. There are also witches in the story that do not ride the traditional broomstick and instead use other interesting forms of unexpected flying transportation.

Blossom

Laura Dockrill & Sara Ogilvie

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Acclaimed author Laura Dockrill sows seeds of hope and community at the flower market in this heartfelt, lyrical tale of family life and change.

Blossom has grown up surrounded by the beautiful plants and flowers from her family’s market stall. The stall was started by her grandparents, Tutu and Pops, and passed on to Blossom’s parents after their death. It’s a magical place where customers come to find flowers for all occasions: from celebrating love to offering comfort in times of sorrow. But now the stall is at risk, with tension rising as Blossom’s parents argue about the future. Can Blossom call on the lessons she learned from Tutu and find a way to cope with the dramatic changes that are happening around her. Can she save the flower stall?

The Piano at the Station

Elisa Paganelli & Helen Rutter

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Constantly in trouble at school with little encouragement at home, Lacey’s future looks bleak until she discovers a love of music in this compelling tale by bestseller Helen Rutter.

Lacey’s smart tongue and quick temper are constantly getting her confined to isolation at school. But there’s a lot more to her that most people never see, and when Lacey gets sent to lunch-time music lessons to keep her out of trouble, she discovers a love and talent for the piano that opens up a whole new world for her.

Just as she’s really beginning to make progress, her music teacher has to leave, which throws Lacey back into turmoil. Will she go back to her self-destructive ways or will music offer her a way to save her from herself?

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