Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic...
Booklist: Teachers' Favourites
Teachers' Favourites
We love to hear about which books are popular among our community of primary teachers! We asked our community to vote for their favourite children's books published in 2021 (see the full shortlist here). We invited teachers to vote for their best classroom read-alouds, the books that were the biggest hit with their pupils and the top books to support their curriculums.
Here are the books that our community of teachers and librarians chose as their favourites.
Category Winners:
Upper KS2 (Ages 9-11)
Upper KS2
Best
Classroom
Read-Aloud
The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh
Helen Rutter
Our comments:
"This is a heart-warming story with a positive message, as well as being packed with jokes which will make both children and adults laugh. This debut novel from Helen Rutter is inspired by her own son with a stammer - and although the issues tackled in the book are serious, it’s a warm and funny read. The story shows that we all have differences, and it is important to accept ourselves as we are."
Upper KS2
Best
Children's Favourite
Anisha Accidental Detective: Granny Trouble
Serena Patel & Emma McCann
Our comments: "A love of science lies at the heart of this series and readers enjoy the authentic exploration of Anisha's Indian heritage, particularly around food and fashion. The illustrations reflect the story's humour and provide a high level of accessibility. Anisha is a superb STEM-loving role model who values truth, family and friendships, and readers across KS2 are quickly charmed by her detective adventures."
Upper KS2
Best Curriculum Support
Arctic Star
Tom Palmer
Our comments: "This well-researched and highly readable novel takes its title from the name of the medal that honours the Arctic Convoys during World War II. The story, with its concluding Author’s Note and accompanying online teaching notes available from Tom Palmer's website, provides an exciting and informative classroom resource for the teaching of WWII as a curriculum topic, besides being a book many children will choose for the sheer enjoyment of reading."