Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Gus the Famous Football Cat

Chapter book

Set during this year’s World Cup in Russia, a Syrian refugee living in the UK discovers her rescue cat can predict England’s football scores. But can Gus handle his fame?

Splash by Claire Cashmore

Claire Cashmore & Sharon Davey

Picturebook

Claire Cashmore, MBE and Paralympic gold medallist, was born without a left forearm – but she never let being different stand in the way of her big dreams. Splash is based on Claire’s real-life experience: this gold-medal-winning swimmer really was scared of water … until one day, everything changed!

These are Claire’s big sisters.
They call her Bear and ruffle her hair.
And whatever Claire’s sisters can do,
Claire can do too …

But there is one thing Claire won’t do …The water in the swimming pool makes her feel squirmy inside. Follow her sisters? No thank you! Not today?

Can Claire conquer her fears? Can she set foot in the water – and what will happen if she does?

Villains in Venice

Karl James Mountford & Katherine Woodfine

Chapter book

Sophie Taylor and Lilian Rose make an unlikely but successful pair of secret agents, whose previous adventures in the first two books in this growing detective series have seen them solve mysteries in Paris and St Petersburg.

Now, it’s the winter of 1912 and the pair of friends are facing a surprise betrayal from someone within the Secret Service Bureau. With a double agent on the loose, the detective duo set about to navigate the tricky issue of working as a team when they are not quite sure who to trust. A new line of enquiry sets in motion an undercover mission to Venice – complete with its atmospheric canals, carnivals, piazzas and crumbling architecture. Can the pair avoid the enemies lurking in the shadows and find the final piece of their puzzle?

Many readers who have read and loved the author’s previous detective series called the Sinclair Mysteries will adore these fast-paced international adventures that are characterised by a slightly more grown-up feel. With a strong sense of peril and not-quite-knowing-who-to-trust, plenty of twists, interesting geographical details and gutsy, inspiring female lead characters, this is a thrilling middle-grade series with a winning formula for fans of detective stories.

Sam Wu is NOT Afraid of Ghosts

Kevin Tsang & Katie Tsang & Nathan Reed

Chapter book

The brilliantly funny and first book in the SAM WU series, starring the bravest scaredy-cat in the world. Sam Wu is NOT a scaredy-cat (except he is). When a trip to the Space Museum goes terrifyingly wrong, Sam begins a mission to prove to the school bully, and all of his friends, that he is a fearless space adventurer.

A truly laugh-out-loud, voice-led and madcap story of ghost hunting, snakes and mischievous pet cats called Butterbutt.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Oliver Jeffers

Picturebook

The mouth-watering new book from acclaimed author illustrator, Oliver Jeffers.

Henry loves books… but not like you and I. He loves to EAT books! This exciting story follows the trials and tribulations of a boy with a voracious appetite for books.

Henry discovers his unusual taste by mistake one day, and is soon swept up in his new-found passion – gorging on every delicious book in sight! And better still, he realises that the more books he eats, the smarter he gets. Henry dreams of becoming the Incredible Book Eating Boy; the smartest boy in the world!

But a book-eating diet isn’t the healthiest of habits, as Henry soon finds out…

Hidden Figures: The Untold Story of the African American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race

Margot Lee Shetterly

Chapter book, Non-fiction

Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program.

Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers’, calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright, talented African-American women. Segregated from their white counterparts, these ‘colored computers’ used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.

Moving from World War II through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the women’s rights movement, Hidden Figures interweaves a rich history of mankind’s greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.

You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum!

Andy Stanton

Chapter book

The Mr Gum books have become absolute classics for children who love funny books and appeal to those with a wacky style of humour.

You’re A Bad Man, Mr.Gum is a stonkingly funny read from Andy Stanton, full of pure silliness and with a track record of delighting children aged 7-10. Mr Gum is mean, untidy, grumpy and grizzly, but he is very good at keeping his garden neat. When an excitable giant dog called Jake makes a mess in Mr Gum’s garden, Mr Gum’s mean streak comes out in hilarious and fairly ineffective ways.

Children enjoy the randomness of the dialogue, the unpredictable plot, the funny character names and the author’s witty asides. Illustrations capture the madcap tone of the book and add to the fun.

Big City Atlas

Maggie Li

Non-fiction

Close your eyes and you can probably imagine the cities of London, Paris and New York -but what about Buenos Aires or Singapore or Mumbai?
With a globetrotting penguin as our guide, in The Big City Atlas we embark on a world tour to 28 different cities. With each city offering something completely new, whether it be showing the local cuisine, traditions or landmarks, readers are given a taste of what life might be like there. As a geography-enthusiast and fan of maps in general, this book appealed to me from the outset. The wealth of information included on each page paired with the bold and colourful designs make for such an enjoyable read. I was also drawn in as this book focuses solely on cities within countries rather than the countries as a whole…

Bad Nana: Older Not Wiser

Sophy Henn

Chapter book

This award-nominated series features Jeannie, aged 7-and-three-quarters, and her mischevious Nana, who gets up to all sorts of mishaps. This book features three hilarious short stories about Nana’s madcap adventures, accompanied by stylish illustrations in neon pinks and greens.

Mr Stink

David Walliams & Quentin Blake

Chapter book

From the hugely popular David Walliams, Mr Stink is a funny and thought-provoking story about giving individuals the chance to show you who they are without prejudging them. Chloe befriends Mr Stink, a local tramp with a bad smell and a big appetite for sausages. But when it looks as though Mr Stink might be driven out of town, Chloe decides to hide him in the garden shed. As she gets to know Mr Stink, Chloe discovers that there can sometimes be a lot more to people than first meets the eye and that there are ways that individuals can use their own personal freedoms and resources in order to help others.

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Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

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