Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

Chapter book

The first in the bestselling Cogheart Adventures series, where mayhem, murder and mystery meet in a gripping Victorian world of fantastical imagination.

Some secrets change the world in a heartbeat.

Lily’s life is in mortal peril. Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her?

With her friends – Robert, the clockmaker’s son, and Malkin, her mechanical fox – Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart…

Chapter book

All aboard for the first journey in the bestselling Train to Impossible Places Adventures, with magic at every stop.

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Branford Boase Award and the IBW Book Awards, with dazzling illustrations from Flavia Sorrentino, join Suzy on this magical adventure, where the journey will never, ever take you where you expect it to.

When Suzy hears a strange noise in the middle of the night, she creeps downstairs to find a train roaring through her house. But this is no ordinary train. This is the magical delivery express for The Union of Impossible Places.

Whisked onboard by a troll-boy, Suzy’s world is turned upside down when she’s asked to deliver a cursed package to a fearsome sorceress. And quite suddenly, Suzy realizes the fate of the Impossible Places is in her hands…

Chapter book

Milo and I have been looking forward to this half-term for what feels like FOREVER – we’re finally going to the National Space Centre, to meet a real-life space engineer!

My whole family wanted to tag along and visit a festival first, where this super-famous, mega-expensive diamond is on display. But guess what? The diamond has been STOLEN! And the police think MY GRANNY did it so she’s in serious TROUBLE.

Someone needs to prove Granny Jas is innocent, so it looks like Milo and I might need to go UNDERCOVER. It’s lucky I’m Anisha, Accidental Detective!

Chapter book

Turn on your torches and join Aveline Jones!

Aveline loves reading ghost stories, so a dreary half-term becomes much more exciting when she discovers a spooky old book. Not only are the stories spine-tingling, but it belonged to a girl called Primrose Penberthy, who vanished mysteriously, never to be seen again. Intrigued, Aveline decides to investigate Primrose’s disappearance, with some help from her new friend, Harold.

Now someone…or something, is stirring. And it is looking for Aveline.

The first in a deliciously spine-tingling, spooky new series, where mysteries are always solved, spirits are always laid to rest, and everybody gets to bed on time. Perfect for adventurers aged 9+ and fans of Michelle Harrison, Piers Torday and Jamie Littler.

Chapter book

The hugely-anticipated, brand-new fairytale adventure from Sophie Anderson, the bestselling author of The House with Chicken Legs.

The Island of Morovia is shaped like a broken heart. The humans live on one side of the island, and the alkonosts – the bird-people – live on the other. But it wasn’t always this way…

Linnet wishes she could sing magic. But magic is forbidden and she has been banished with her father to the Mournful Swamp. She misses her old life, and dreams of reuniting with her friends.

When her father is captured for taking a precious jewel, Linnet must set out on a treacherous journey. Travelling through alligator pools and sinking sands with new friends, she learns how to be brave, and discovers something even more powerful than singing magic. Something that could save her father, and heal the broken heart of her island once more…

With themes of grief, trust, love, and that we have more in common than that which divides us, this is a heartfelt book filled with adventure and stunning storytelling from bestselling Sophie Anderson.

Chapter book

From the bestselling author of The Garden of Lost Secrets and The House of One Hundred Clocks, A.M. Howell, comes a gripping new adventure filled with buried secrets and dark lies, set against the evocative backdrop of the Edwardian era.

MAY, 1910

As the blazing Halley’s comet draws close to the earth, Nancy is uprooted to start a new life in Suffolk with a grandfather she has never met. With every curtain drawn shut, Nancy is forbidden from leaving her grandfather’s house: no one must know that her or her mother are there.

Yet, when Nancy discovers the house’s secret observatory, she watches her mother and grandfather creep out every night… Where are they going? And why mustn’t any of them be seen? As the mysteries pile up, Nancy must bring dark secrets from the past to light – even if doing so will put her own life at risk.

Chapter book

From the bestselling and award-winning A.M. Howell, author of The Garden of Lost Secrets and The House of One Hundred Clocks, comes a brand-new thrilling historical mystery of stolen treasure, friendship and deep courage set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War.

February 1948.

Ruth has been whisked off to the lonely Rook Farm to investigate the discovery of long-buried treasure with her mother. But at the farmhouse, she finds secrets lurk around every corner. Joe, the farmer’s son, is hiding something about the treasure, while land girl Audrey watches their every move.

But before Ruth can find out more, the treasure is stolen… With a storm coming, Ruth must race to uncover the secrets of the treasure keepers before all of their lives are changed forever.

Chapter book

A breathtaking reimagining of the Russian fairy tale of Baba Yaga, The House with Chicken Legs is the award-winning, spellbinding story of one girl’s adventure to find her destiny.

Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal Shortlisted for Children’s Fiction Book of the Year at the British Book Awards Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award

Marinka dreams of a normal life, where her house stays in one place long enough for her to make friends. But her house has chicken legs and moves on without warning.

For Marinka’s grandmother is Baba Yaga, who guides spirits between this world and the next. Marinka longs to change her destiny and sets out to break free from her grandmother’s footsteps, but her house has other ideas…

Chapter book

From the bestselling queen of heart and humour, JENNY PEARSON, comes a great big soaring adventure about family and finding happiness.

When Frank John Davenport inherits piles of money from a grandma he didn’t know he had, things take an unexpected turn… Because the money comes with STRICT instructions…and a NEW grandpa.

Frank quickly compiles a list of all the ways he can spend the money and look after his grumpy grandpa. Money may buy hot-air balloon rides, monster-truck lessons and epic parkour experiences, but can Frank discover that happiness is, in fact, priceless?

Chapter book

Meet the princess who loves breaking the rules and her Royal Unicorn, who happens to be a pig!

A madcap new adventure series for 6-8 year olds, perfectly bridging the gap from picture books to chapter books, from award-winning author-illustrator Hannah Shaw, filled with pictures in all the colours of the rainbow and interactive extra material.

Welcome to Twinkleland Kingdom, where everything is 100% perfect. Except Princess Pea… Today’s the day the princess has to choose her own perfect unicorn at the Royal Unicorn Parade. All is well until the muddy Unipiggle appears and creates a very big muddle. It looks like Princess Pea has met her perfect match…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

review

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?

yes

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Curriculum links (if relevant)

Any other comments

Any other comments