Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Calling the Whales

Chapter book

When a majestic whale is stranded near their Scottish hometown, Tulsi and Satchen must summon all their courage to save it in this thrilling adventure from award-winning author Jasbinder Bilan.

After rowing out to an island near their seaside home, Tulsi and Satchen discover a whale that has been trapped in a fishing net. Determined to try to free the poor creature, they repeatedly dive down into the freezing sea to cut the netting, but eventually, exhausted and with a storm rolling in, they have to admit defeat.

As they head for home to seek help, their boat capsizes in the storm and they’re left clinging to it, dangerously adrift. Just as they think all is lost, help arrives from an unexpected source …

Follow the Swallow

Julia Donaldson & Thomas Docherty

Picturebook

Julia Donaldson has done it again with Follow the Swallow. The story follows Chack (the blackbird) and Apollo (the swallow)’s friendship over the miles. Chack can’t imagine how far Apollo will fly, and Apollo can’t understand the seasonal changes Chack will go through, both in himself and the world around him.

Children love the ‘I don’t believe you!’ repeated refrain as the birds compare their different worlds, which runs through the first part of the book until Apollo leaves for Africa and Chack watches the berries emerge and transform the trees.

The second part of the story follows Chack’s attempt to get a message to his friend (‘Come to the tree!’), but Apollo has already left for Africa. An increasingly funny series of animals mangle Chack’s message until it finally reaches Apollo, who is just about ready to come back to the North for summer. The big reveal of the correct message and of what’s happened with Chack in the meantime is hugely satisfying and the joy in Chack and Apollo’s faces when they meet again is just lovely.

The Guinea-Pig Party

Holly Webb & Rosie Butcher

Chapter book

Katy can’t believe her luck when she finds the perfect pet guinea pig hiding in the lettuce patch, but is everything as it seems?

Katy has always longed for a pet of her own, so when a cute ginger-and-white guinea pig turns up in her mum’s vegetable patch, she thinks her dreams have come true!

Katy calls the guinea pig Lettuce, as that seems to be her favourite food, and makes a lovely home for her in an old greenhouse at the bottom of the garden.

But where has Lettuce come from and will Katy really be able to keep her?

Tiny McToot

Barry Falls

Picturebook

We absolutely love Barry Falls’ rhyming and joyful picturebook, Tiny McToot. It tells the fun tale of Tiny McToot, a surprisingly small giant who demonstrates that even the littlest can make a big impact.

The story’s vibrant rhythm and engaging illustrations make it an entertaining read-aloud, sure to bring smiles to EYFS and KS1 classrooms.

This book also carries an empowering message. It champions the idea that size doesn’t determine strength or significance, making it a brilliant choice for boosting confidence among the youngest children in the school. Tiny McToot is simply a really fun and uplifting story that children will want to revisit again and again.

Shadow Thieves

Peter Burns

Chapter book

Perfect for lovers of books such as Percy Jackson, Harry Potter and Skandar, this new fantasy adventure is bound to be a hit with children.

Shadow Thieves follows the adventure of Tom Morgan, an orphan surviving on the streets of an alternative London with other children who are homeless. Set in an alternative timeline where the French Empire has expanded to include Britain, it provides an interesting backdrop to the story. Set at a school for thieves, con artists and criminals alike, children are able to follow Tom as he undertakes missions or challenges and begins his training.

Tom is a likeable character that children will root for, especially as he is often driven by looking after and protecting those he cares about. An exciting book to share with children.

Clarice Bean: Smile

Lauren Child

Chapter book

The Clarice Bean books by Charlie and Lola creator Lauren Child are cleverly written, illustrated chapter books. The books are both laugh-out-loud funny and also tinged with mature themes that are suitable for a KS2 audience.

Clarice Bean has a unique voice that readers will find funny and interesting. She is also very ecologically aware, and the sustainability and climate issues are never thrust down your throat, but are just there and explained in the best way. This book covers a child’s perspective on stress, friendship, marriage breakups and old age decline, but the narrator’s warm and sharp observations never make it heavy or a difficult read.

Clarice Bean, narrating the story, is just wonderful. She is so straight-talking and demonstrates how youth see things clearly in a way that adults often do not.

Spyceratops

Alex Willmore

Picturebook

Meet the little dinosaur who is the GREATEST SECRET AGENT IN THE WORLD.

Spyceratops has all the skills: sneaking, peeking, blending in, daredevil manoeuvres.

She has all the kit: groovy gadgets, loyal sidekick, awesome spymobile.

And luckily the perfect opportunity has arisen for Spyceratops to share her spy skills with YOU, the reader.

GRANDAD is acting very suspiciously. Can he be trusted? BIG FAT NO. Spyceratops is on the case, determined to uncover Grandad’s secret plotting and show off her extraordinary spy skills . . .

Spyceratops is Mission Impossible meets Scooby Doo in a Flintstones-esq dinosaur world – come on in and join the fun!

I Did See a Mammoth! is the winner of the InspiREAD Award 2023.

The Cafe at the Edge of the Woods

Mikey Please

Picturebook

A quirky and fun story full of mythical creatures and funny, cafe-based shenanigans.

The Illustrations and quirky characters of the book are definitely what draw children to the story. Children love the idea of disgusting recipes and escalating mishaps. I really enjoyed the way the two characters worked together to find a solution that fits both the morals of the cafe owner and the demands of the customer.

A ‘read-it-again’ choice for many children in Year 1 and beyond. It would be a great stimulus to get young children writing recipes for their own menu at the Cafe at the Edge of the Woods.

Me and My Brian

Claudia Petrazzi & Helen Rutter

Chapter book, Dyslexia-friendly

Me and My Brian by Helen Rutter is an engaging and accessible KS2 novel that is ideal for classroom use. Told with warmth and humour, the story explores children’s mental health – particularly ADHD and anxious thinking – in a way that is reassuring, relatable, and easy for children to understand.

The clear narrative voice helps normalise conversations around emotions, worries, and “busy brains,” making it especially useful for PSHE, wellbeing lessons, or guided reading.

The book also highlights the value of intergenerational relationships, showing how children and adults can support one another through listening, empathy, and shared experiences. Practical strategies for managing emotions are woven naturally into the story, encouraging self-reflection without feeling instructional.

Me and My Brain is a thoughtful, inclusive text that opens up meaningful discussion around mental health, self-acceptance, and emotional literacy, making it a valuable addition to any primary or lower secondary classroom.

Pinch Perkins and the Midsummer Curse

Cathy FitzGerald

Chapter book

Pinch Perkins lives in Tricky Dragon Lane in the Crooked Mile magical community within London. Protected by boundary charms from the sight of non-magical Londoners (Humdrums), many witches and wizards live in neighbourhoods across the city.

It soon transpires that Pinch is in more danger than she realises and that ancient, vengeful forces are at work. Her quest becomes a race against time as she meets a series of powerful and nefarious characters in a frantic attempt to save the souls of the curse’s victims before they are lost forever.

This is well set for the follow-up, and I’d be keen to read it as the writing is clever with likeable, engaging or rather dark characters, and there is a definite sense of not having heard the last of a few of them!