Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: Faber & Faber

From a hot air balloon to holidays on the moon, award-winning David Long captures the astonishing true stories of advances in aviation.

From the Wright Brothers’ twelve seconds aloft to the Moon landings less than a lifetime later, the story of aviation is not just a series of astonishing advances made at breathtaking speed. It’s also about the courage and ingenuity of the men and women who made such rapid progress possible; about the romance of soaring above the clouds; and perhaps most of all about the exciting and exhilarating realisation of a dream which is literally centuries old.

War has been declared and the lives of three sisters, Lydia, Peggy and Teddy, are about to be turned upside down.

As bombs rain down on London, the girls will lose their homes, their things, their loved ones . . . But they will find lost kittens, friendships with fellow rebels, the need for art, the strength and love to carry on, and a greater sense of family than ever. And with each other’s help and with the radical changes to society that war brings, the three sisters will discover the essence of who they truly are.

Lydia’s story: it’s 1939 and war has been declared. The girls have been evacuated to the countryside. Lydia, the oldest and always the sensible one, is finding a way to make everyone feel safe – with her cooking! But the weight of responsibility begins to feel unbearably heavy and Lydia decides to take drastic, dangerous action . . .

Peggy’s story: it’s 1943 and the girls are back in London, crammed into a house in Peckham Rye with numerous friends and relatives. Peggy, the arty one, is at school and hating it. Inspired by her new friend Arno, a refugee from Germany, Peggy is determined to go to art school, whatever the cost . . .

Teddy’s story: it’s 1946 and the girls are living through the war’s aftermath. Teddy, the clever one, is excelling at school. So when a school trip to Paris is on the cards, the family are keen to find the money for Teddy to go. Little do they know that, instead of learning French, Teddy plans to try and find one of the family’s very dearest lost loved ones . . .

Our favourite-pigeon-duo, Dave Pigeon and Skipper, are back in another hilarious adventure.

In this book, Dave and Skipper are looking forward to the Big Dinner Day (aka Christmas Day) and even more so to eating the delicious scraps of the main meal… That is, until their neighbour lets them in on what humans eat on Christmas Day – BIRD. Then you can look forward to another not-so-foolproof plan from Dave and Skipper and their new friend Robbie the Robin.

I’ve been a big fan of Swapna’s writing since her first Dave Pigeon book. She has taken a creature we see every day and turned it into a lovable character in her laugh-out-loud series. With beautiful illustrations from Sheena Dempsey and a well-written, hilarious text by Swapna Haddow, this is sure to be a treat for young readers who love animal stories and funny adventures. Swapna is also the author of the fabulous Bad Panda series. This is the seventh book in the series, but Turkey Dinner can be read alone.

This picturebook is an abridged version of the well-loved Iron Man tale by Ted Hughes.

The picture-book style makes it accessible for younger or less confident readers. The illustrations in the text are the star of the show and no less than you would expect from the very talented Mini Grey. Her distinct style of vivid illustrations, full of expression, brings the words of Ted Hughes to life. The illustrations alone could be used within the classroom as a stimulus for discussion and writing.

This shortened version makes it easy to share with children as a story, but it could also be used to plan a whole unit of work. This text could also be used alongside more complex versions of the Iron Man to adapt planning to make the same text accessible for pupils who may need support or those who benefit from visual resources.

The book is a must-have; it captures the suspense and wonder of the classic but is presented in a way that is inviting and captivating for younger readers.

A visually stunning representation of an incredibly emotive novel.

This story is told through the voice of Will, who has grown up knowing how to watch his own back and that of his friends and family, knowing the death of those close to him in his neighbourhood and knowing ‘The Rules’. Then the unthinkable happens, and Will knows it is his turn to right the wrongs, just like his brother, Dad and Uncle before him.

Incredibly insightful, this graphic novel opens up a world of gangland violence without sugar coating or glamorising any of it. The tale is powerfully delivered through language and watercolour.

The perfect coming-of-age summer romance by the most spectacularly funny and original debut UKYA voice.

Most days, Ellie Pillai is somewhere between invisible and not very cool – and usually she’s okay with that. But suddenly, Ellie feels different. Maybe it’s the new boy at school who makes her brain explode into rainbows every time she sees him (and also happens to be going out with her best friend), or maybe it’s her new drama teacher, the one who seems to have noticed she exists. Suddenly, her misfit style, her skin colour, her songwriting and all that getting lost in the music in her head seem to be okay too. Because maybe standing out isn’t a bad thing after all.

Before The Stand and The Hunger Games, before Battle Royale and Yellowjackets, there was Lord of the Flies.

A plane crashes on a desert island. The only survivors, a group of schoolboys. By day, they explore the dazzling beaches. By night, they are haunted by nightmares of a primitive beast and of what they’ve lost.

‘There aren’t any grown-ups anywhere.’

Orphaned by society, they must forge their own; but it isn’t long before the group is split, and their innocent games take a dangerous turn.

‘What are we? Humans? Or Animals?’

For the first time, from acclaimed artist Aimée de Jongh, comes the stunning graphic novel adaptation of this classic story, one of the BBC’s ‘100 Novels that shaped our World’.

Introducing the EXPLOSIVE first book in the Torch Trilogy – the hottest release of the decade!

They are hunting those who shine . . .

Don’t be deceived by Northaven’s prettiness, by its white-wash houses and sea views. Many of its townsfolk are ruthless hunters. They revile those who have developed songlight, the ability to connect telepathically with others. Friends, neighbours, family will turn on each other in an instant . . .

Lark has lived in grave danger ever since her own songlight emerged. Then she encounters a young woman in peril, from a city far away. An extraordinary bond is forged. But when power is everything, how will they survive?

An epic new trilogy from an award-winning, internationally acclaimed screenwriter, Songlight promises to set the world alight!

From the moment orphaned Dilly arrives on Ollipest Island to live with her grand-Aunt Florence, whom she has never met before, she can sense that there is something unusual about the place, yet she feels strangely connected to it – the storybook cottage is comforting and her aunt is kind, although for some reason distant, and she immediately feels like somehow she belongs.

Dilly quickly starts to notice some very strange happenings on the island, and when she and her new friend Callum decide to go to the reopening of a local museum, things become even more bizarre, and the pair find themselves on a quest to uncover the mysteries of this strange island. What follows is a fast-paced, fantastical adventure where time is critical and the stakes are high.

With mystery, fantasy and adventure rolled into one, The Museum of Lost Umbrellas is an engaging read from start to finish, and it is sure to capture the imagination of KS2 readers. The use of rich, vivid and descriptive language creates a strong sensory experience, and readers will find themselves transported into the fantasy world. I cannot wait for the next book in series!

This is the start of a new gothic adventure series, in which three cousins who are descendants of Dracula form a vampire healing company.

In true Emma Carroll fashion, this story has the reader on tenterhooks throughout, with chases through the dark streets of Temstown, the spine-tingling threat of attack from vengeful creatures and the need for the three brave heroines to complete their dangerous mission before the new moon deadline.

It’s all the more gripping because the identity of trustworthy good guys and shifty villains is obscured. What’s more, as the plot thickens, the readers’ perception only gradually clears, spotting connections between different characters. The way Carroll weaves numerous strands together is extremely satisfying: there’s the scene-setting, which has the reader picturing London in the late 19th Century; the kinship felt by the main characters; the power plays of ambitious, dangerous men; and the knowledge that might lead to both cure and restoration for the wronged.

This is a book that will be devoured by those with an appetite for gruesome fantasy with a historical flavour. Librarians will not need to recommend it for copies to quickly fly off the ‘horror’ shelf.

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