Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

I am Wishing Every Minute for Christmas

Picturebook

A completely NEW and original picture book to celebrate 25 years of the iconic Charlie and Lola!

I have this little sister Lola. She is small and very funny.
If Lola even thinks about Christmas she can’t sit still on her chair.
If you BREATHE the word Christmas she hops up and down.
If you say, “Christmas is coming,” she just runs round and round.

Lola is wishing every minute for Christmas, but it is a long way away and too far to wait. Can her brother Charlie think of some clever ways to make the time pass more quickly?

Find out in this hugely relatable and funny story about how to wait for something when you really can’t wait from bestselling and award-winning Lauren Child.

Satisfying, stylish storytelling from a true picture book original
The return of beloved siblings Charlie and Lola, stars of the BAFTA award-winning CBeebies TV series
The perfect book to kickstart your Christmas countdown

Supertato: We Wish You a Veggie Christmas!

Paul Linnet & Sue Hendra

Picturebook

It’s night-time in the supermarket and Supertato and the veggies are feeling festive in Santa’s Grotto…

But when the Evil Pea gets hold of a powerful shrinking machine and shrinks the veggies to the size of tiny Christmas baubles, will Christmas be CANCELLED?! Or will Santa’s little helpers find a way to save the day?

Find out in the brand-new, fabulously funny Christmassy adventure in this blockbusting series.

Ice Apprentices

Jacob North

Chapter book

This is a title that blew me away, and the sequel is my most-anticipated read of 2026. Set on a harsh, frozen world, underdog Oswin is sent to Corridor to become an ice apprentice, but some don’t want him there, and as he uncovers secrets and encounters fierce beasts, he quickly realises his life will never be the same again…

Featuring adventure, excitement, monsters, diversity and secrets!

My Small World: Frozen

Caryl Hart & Harry Woodgate

Non-fiction, Picturebook

There are creatures galore in my land made of snow
And huge floating icebergs wherever you go.
My small world is waiting, so come take my hand,
I’ll show you who lives in my cold, frozen land . . .

Discover a world full of ice, snow and sea, and meet the magnificent creatures who live on our frozen planet. From cuddly polar bear cubs playing in caves, elegant reindeer galloping across the snow and narwals and orcas who splash in the waves to the families of penguins who march across the South Pole, there is so much to see.

This interactive series from bestselling author Caryl Hart and Waterstones Children’s Book Prize winner Harry Woodgate promotes imaginative play for early years, and features a handy how-to guide with ideas to help readers create their own small worlds.

Robin

Sarah Ann Juckes

Chapter book

Eddie feels invisible – his sister Scarlet isn’t well and nobody seems to remember that he’s here. Out in the forest, as the ice hardens and winter gets deeper, the world is quiet. But there’s a monster deep among the trees – a monster that’s growing with every sad and angry thought Eddie says out loud. When a little red bird takes him to meet Mari, a strange and fierce girl with blurred edges just like him, she shows Eddie how to be loud, how to make new friends at school and enjoy the music he loves again. As Scarlet’s big operation approaches and Eddie gathers his courage to finally be heard, will he find his way back through the snow and put the monster to rest once and for all?

Capturing the rare beauty of winter’s silence, Sarah Ann Juckes’ powerful exploration of the experience of child illness, the healing power of nature, and the joy of finding hope is a future classic to be savoured every winter, beautifully illustrated by Linde Faas.

Finn’s Epic Fails

Phil Earle

Chapter book

A hilarious new series by bestselling author Phil Earle which introduces Finn N. O. Hope and his life of epic failure! Perfect for readers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Loki and Tom Gates.

Finn just wants to survive Year 7, but his life is destined to be a series of epic fails. It’s only Tuesday and his scheming, unicorn-obsessed little sister has already stuck a horn to his head (with superglue) and his properly evil older brother has wedgied him 278 times. And don’t even ask what happened at swimming, in front of the WHOLE CLASS. At least he has best friends Laszlo (a hopeless romantic) and Google (ask her anything) by his side as he attempts to turn failure into victory in his very own book that is definitely not a diary.

The Merry Christmas Murders

Alexandra Benedict

Chapter book

Brooke has always struggled to fit in, but her worries that this school will be the same as the last disappear when she meets The Neurokind Club at Wood Dean Secondary. Just as she is beginning to feel like she may have found a place where she belongs, disaster strikes and Dr Buxted, the headteacher, is found dead, murdered by mince pie with a promise of more to come!

Brooke and her new friends join forces and use their individual skills to try to find a motive and solve the mystery before anyone else gets hurt. Soon, one body turns into two and many of the teachers are looking highly suspicious.

Diverse characters with a range of neurodivergence are represented in this fast-paced, festive fiction, and it is filled with hidden clues and puzzles along the way that you can choose to solve as an add-on to the main narrative. The story touches on themes of friendship, belonging, overwhelm and social recovery, whilst celebrating the characters’ skills and achievements that make them all so unique. A ‘cracker’ of a mystery and great ‘I see me’ read for neurodivergent pupils and their peers.

I Love You Just the Same

Picturebook

A spellbinding gift book written and illustrated in full colour by Academy Award nominated star of stage and screen, Keira Knightley. Inspired by the author’s experiences as a parent, I Love You Just the Same explores themes of change, acceptance and family love.

“I love you best in all the world,” you said. Before the baby came. Now you say, “I love you just the same.”

When a young girl’s life is turned upside down by a new arrival, she’s taken on a surreal and dreamlike journey. Through enchanted forests and across mystical seas, she follows a trail of notes from her mother to find her way back home.

This gloriously illustrated book, with beautiful foiled jacket and ribbon marker, is the perfect gift for adults and children alike, and will resonate with families everywhere. A modern classic for readers who enjoyed The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, The Fox and the Star or Where the Wild Things Are. This timeless fable is the perfect book to read together at bedtime.

Champions of the Galaxy

Chapter book

A brand-new, epic sci-fi action-adventure where friendship is tested to the limits from bestselling author Tọlá Okogwu. Perfect for 8+ fans of the Onyeka series, Star Wars and Marvel!
When a powerful group of aliens threaten Earth, a mysterious species called the Onni offers humanity hope. But there’s a catch. Ninety-one children from across the planet must first prove their worth by competing in a series of trials set on a distant planet.

For twelve-year-old Kola, who has long dreamed of going into space, it’s the chance of a lifetime. But once aboard the Onni mothership, Kola finds himself thrown into a misfit team of Champions.

As secrets unravel and tensions rise, Kola and his team must decide who to trust and what it really means to be a Champion. Because in the end, it’s not about being the smartest or the strongest. It’s about standing together.

I Never Shall Fall in Love

Hari Conner

Chapter book

A joyfully queer and stunningly romantic graphic novel inspired by the work of Jane Austen and perfect for fans of Heartstopper, Bloom and Lex Croucher.

George has always been in love with their best friend, Eleanor – and has always tried to ignore it.

Now Eleanor is coming of age and expected to marry a suitable man, it doesn’t matter how George feels – they have to let her go. Besides, George is busy avoiding their aunt’s matchmaking, taking over the failing family estate, and trying to keep their dressing in men’s clothes a secret.

Eleanor has always wanted to do everything ‘right,’ including falling in love – but she’s never met a boy she’s interested in. She’s more concerned with finding the perfect match for her cousin Charlotte, and working out why George is suddenly pulling away. But Eleanor’s friendships seem to be falling apart, and she’s beginning to realise that she likes George more than any man she’s met at a ball…

With a swoon-worthy friends-to-lovers romance, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules of Happily Ever After.

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Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

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