Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

What Are We Fighting For?: Poems About War

Chapter book

What Are We Fighting For? is a poetry collection that explores the concept of war in a brilliantly accessible way for younger readers.

Fascinating and moving in equal measure, there are poems about incredibly brave dogs, cats and pigeons; the Christmas truce of WWI when soldiers played football in No Man’s Land; poems about rationing and what it was like to be an evacuee, poems about modern warfare and the reality of war today; plus lots of amazing true historical facts.

This cross-curricular poetry book is a brilliant way to get young readers thinking about both the historical and philosophical aspects of war.

Tiny Hercules

Jon Lock & Nich Angell

Graphic novel

This fast-paced, joyous, laugh-out-loud text is a must for any library. Fans of graphic novels, history, or both will find the chaos of this text addictive and hard to put down.

It tells the tale of Tiny Hercules, a jam-jar-sized version of a well-known mythic hero who has to navigate their way through a series of twelve epic quests to make his way home. The re-imagined mythical adventure is full of twists, turns and laugh-out-loud moments that would be perfect for young readers or those who love comic humour.

This was a hit when I placed it in the school library; children were attracted from the outset by the cover and illustrations, and it has been checked out every week since. The last few pages offer instructions on how to draw Tiny Hercules and tease the beginning of the sequel due for publication in 2026. A great addition to any graphic novel collection!

The Fire Cats of London

Anna Fargher

Chapter book

Step into historic London and follow two young wildcats caught in the Great Fire, in The Fire Cats of London: a story of daring, courage and loyalty from bestselling, award-winning author of The Umbrella Mouse, Anna Fargher. Beautifully illustrated throughout by Sam Usher.

Young wildcats, Asta and Ash, find themselves captured and taken from their home in the forest to an apothecary’s shop in the heart of London in the summer of 1666, when fear and superstition are rife. Asta’s determination to escape London and return to the wild takes her on a perilous race against time to foil a dangerous plot that threatens the city and her brother, Ash, as the flames take hold.

Asta and Ash will take you on an inspiring journey around London during the most infamous fire in British history.

The Dragon Who Didn’t Like Fire

Gemma Merino

Picturebook

The Dragon Who Didn’t Like Fire is a deeply funny story about acceptance, difference and unconditional love.

Everybody knows that dragons can breathe fire, but unlike her brothers and sisters, this little dragon is different. She doesn’t like fire, but she desperately wants to fly and make her Dad proud. In an attempt at flying, she finds herself plunging into the lake. Being underwater should be wet, cold and horrid, but it feels amazing. Could it be that this little dragon isn’t a dragon at all?

The Last Wolf by Rob Biddulph

Rob Biddulph

Chapter book

This phenomenally gripping story is set in a recognisable community in which there is one stark difference from our own: each month on the full moon, the entire community must stay indoors in case of a werewolf attack, even though the last fully evidenced attack was more than 40 years ago.

With a nod to the experience of lockdowns, Biddulph shows what it’s like when fear is ramped up or exaggerated from a false or skewed occurrence. His main characters are highly relatable: twins, Jax and Jovi, one of whom has a ‘werewolf’ gene, and their two friends, Fourth and Esau, one of whom has a difficult home environment and another who needs a wheelchair to get around. Their friendship works in a dynamic way, with authentic dialogue and real camaraderie.

As well as the plot, which draws upon ideas such as how power corrupts, how fear-mongering works, and the importance of evidence-based science, Biddulph shows his understanding of the modern child reader, with immensely short, bite-sized chapters and phenomenal illustrations throughout. With a fast-paced story, good twists and a clever premise, this is quite rightly going to appeal to lots of readers. Highly recommended.

Quill and the Last Generation

C. M. Lewis & Marina Vidal

Chapter book

Imagine living in a world of permanent winter – summer has gone and nothing will bring it back. Main character Quill was named so because people used to write with feathers called Quills and his family knew that he would go on to write his own story. You can’t give in to ‘darkness and despair’, which is what Quill wanted to do time after time – he didn’t feel strong enough or worthy enough. Just when he thought the Light of the World was within his grasp, it soon vanished, leaving him to come face to face with the man who murdered his father and kept his mother hidden from him. How will he end this fight? Who will stand by his side on the battlefield? Can he really bring back the summer? This story is the start of something special and will have readers awaiting the next in the series.

Gods and Monsters: Mythological Poems

Ana Sampson & Chris Riddell

Poetry

A book drawing together mythological poems – classic and brand-new – from around the world, illustrated throughout in black and white by award-winning former children’s laureate Chris Riddell. Compiled by bestselling anthologist Ana Sampson, with an introduction by Natalie Haynes, author of Stone Blind.

People all over the world have always told each other stories. And from the very earliest times, many of these stories were told in verse. This collection of poems includes retellings and reimaginings of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Aztec, Japanese and Inuit mythology.

You will meet gods, monsters, tricksters, heroes, magical creatures and objects, magicians and spirits, including Medusa, Icarus, Loki, Osiris, the Minotaur, Pegasus, Bunyip, Kukulcan, Cerberus, Beowulf and Mjolnir, and there are footnotes to shine a light on the stories themselves.

She is Fierce: Brave, Bold and Beautiful Poems by Women

Ana Sampson

Poetry

A stunning book containing 150 bold, brave and beautiful poems by women – from classic, well-loved poets to innovative and bold modern voices. From suffragettes to school girls, from spoken word superstars to civil rights activists, from aristocratic ladies to kitchen maids, these are voices that deserve to be heard.

Collected by anthologist Ana Sampson, ‘She is Fierce: Brave, Bold and Beautiful Poems by Women’ contains an inclusive array of voices, from modern and contemporary poets. Immerse yourself in poems from Maya Angelou, Nikita Gill, Wendy Cope, Ysra Daley-Ward, Emily Bronte, Carol Ann Duffy, Fleur Adcock, Liz Berry, Jackie Kay, Hollie McNish, Imtiaz Dharker, Helen Dunmore, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Christina Rossetti, Margaret Atwood and Dorothy Parker, to name but a few!

Featuring short biographies of each poet, She is Fierce is a stunning collection and an essential addition to any bookshelf.

The Legend of Viking Thunder

M.G. Leonard & Manuel Sumberac

Chapter book

Hot on the heels of Hunt for the Golden Scarab, the first in M.G.Leonard’s new Time Keys series, comes this epic Viking adventure.

Sim and his cousin Jeopardy have an ability to open doors in time when they tune in to the right frequency with their instruments. What follows is an immersive and seat-of-your-pants odyssey from Norway back to Viking England as the family try to keep the powerful Gjallarhorn out of the hands of the evil Council of Keys.

M.G. Leonard excels at bringing history to life in this series. Her writing is compelling and pacey, and her focus is always on carrying the reader along with the story, never getting bogged down too long in any one moment. For teachers looking for fiction to support and enthuse kids as they learn about history, this series is a winner!

My Enemy, My Friend

Chapter book

From award-winning and beloved children’s author Elizabeth Laird comes a stunning edition of My Enemy, My Friend, with a cover illustration by Shahar Kober. A must-read modern classic, this is richly detailed historical adventure about two boys coming together from opposing sides of a war.

Two boys. Two faiths. One unholy war.

When Adam’s mother dies unconfessed, he pledges to save her soul with dust from the Holy Land. Employed as a dog-boy for the local knight, Adam grabs the chance to join the Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem. He burns with determination to strike down the infidel enemy.

Salim, a merchant’s son, is leading an uneventful life in the port of Acre – until news arrives that a Crusader attack is imminent. To keep Salim safe, his father buys him an apprenticeship with an esteemed, travelling doctor. But Salim’s employment leads him to the heart of Sultan Saladin’s camp – and into battle against the barbaric and unholy invaders.

When Adam’s and Salim’s paths come together, they are forced to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about the enemy . . .

My Enemy, My Friend has previously been published as Crusade.

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Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

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