Topic: Reading for Pleasure

If you like Max & Chaffy, try these…

Packed with adventure, puzzles and eye-catching illustrations, the Max & Chaffy books are hugely popular with early readers. These are early graphic novels suitable for children aged 5-7, and readers enjoy the comic style format and quirky animal companions.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of Max & Chaffy. Readers looking for more fun animal adventures in a graphic novel style might enjoy John Patrick Green’s popular graphic novel series InvestiGators, Mo O’Hara and Jess Bradley’s master of disguise, Agent Moose, or Aoife Dooley’s undersea adventure Squid Squad.

Those seeking more high-energy, comic-book style fun will find plenty to enjoy in brightly coloured graphic novel adventures Max Meow, Press Start! and Happy Hills.

For more graphic novel stories featuring quirky companions and partnerships, we recommend Narwhal, Meet the Mubbles and Peanut, Butter & Crackers for younger readers in particular.

If you like Loki, try these…

Louie Stowell’s Loki is a hugely popular character with young readers, offering a hilarious modern spin on mythology and magic. This highly-illustrated, humorous series is a hit with children in KS2 who love a little dose of mischief and doodle-style illustrations.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of the Loki books. Readers who love the anarchic humour in the Loki books will find more chaotic comedy in Grimwood, Fairy vs Wizard and Trixie Pickle.

Those who enjoy funny fiction inspired by history and mythology have plenty of choice in this list, including Pamela Butchart’s Icarus was Ridiculous and Maz Evans’s Who Let the Gods Out. There’s even more mythological mayhem in Medusa Gorgon’s Bad Hair Day and Hercules: The Diary of a (Sort of) Hero.

Readers looking for more illustrated, diary-style books might enjoy Phil Earle’s Finn’s Epic Fails, or Rashmi Sirdeshpande’s Hari Kumar: Ultimate Superstar.

If you like Little People, BIG DREAMS, try these…

Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara‘s prolific biographical series is incredibly popular with young readers and school librarians alike.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of the Little People, Big Dreams series. Children who love reading life stories will find plenty to interest them in this booklist.

For readers interested in biographies of inspirational STEM pioneers, we recommend the fascinating Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor, the inspiring story of Mary Anning in The Fossil Hunter, Katherine Johnson’s barrier-smashing achievements in Counting on Katherine, and Rainforest Warrior, the story of environmental activist Chico Mendes.

For stories of record breakers and famous firsts, you could try solo pilot Zara Rutherford’s autobiographical I Flew Around the World, picturebook portrait of trailblazing Muslim astronomer Ulugh Beg, Prince of Stars, or Lottie the Little Wonder, a short, colour-illustrated chapter book about the world’s first female sports superstar, Lottie Dod.

There are also some brilliant true story collections and inspiring anthologies in this list, including Young, Gifted and Black, which celebrates the achievements of 52 trailblazing black women and men, and Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, which features inspirational women around the world, ranging from singers and artists to activists and entrepreneurs.

If you like Izzy the Inventor, try these…

Izzy the Inventor is a science-meets-magic adventure series loved by new readers. Faced with a chaotic, magical cast of trolls, unicorns, ogres and more, Izzy uses science to problem-solve and save the day. Readers love the STEM-themed adventures formatted as a colour-illustrated early chapter book series with a sparkle of magic and fairytale.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of the Izzy the Inventor books. For more fearless and curious science-loving characters like Izzy, try Queen of Questions Ada Twist or the energetic Supa Nova with her secret lab.

Readers looking for new adventures featuring young inventors and engineers could try heading to the Iron Forest with Harley Hitch, or to the secret workshop of Leonora Bolt.

Newly independent readers looking for another colour-illustrated chapter book series in a similar style to Izzy might enjoy the magical Unicornia, or Harriet Muncaster’s The Diary of Wiska Wildflower.

If it’s the collectability of series you love, we recommend trying Pia’s Pet Club and The Naughtiest Unicorn next.

If you like His Dark Materials, try these…

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series is a much-loved fantasy trilogy, set across multiple worlds, with themes of free will, science and coming of age. The first book in the series, Northern Lights, is selected on our Best Books for Year 7 booklist and is well loved by many children in the 10-15 range.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of His Dark Materials. Readers who love the stories of secret, hidden or fantasy worlds might enjoy the flying ships and sky cities of Rebel Skies, the undersea mysteries of Deeplight, or the secret society and hidden palace of Alexander Armstrong’s Evenfall.

For readers searching for more adventures with mythical creatures, we recommend A. F. Steadman’s re-imagining of unicorns in Skandar, or Katherine Rundell’s magically-inhabited islands of Impossible Creatures.

For readers looking for strong female leads like Lyra, try travelling along with Isabella in The Girl of Ink and Stars, or questing with Hester Shaw in Mortal Engines. And readers who enjoyed Pullman’s tales of quests against the establishment might enjoy Jonathan Stroud’s action-packed supernatural series Lockwood, or Aisling Fowler’s prehistoric monster-hunting adventure Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest.

If you like Hannah Gold’s books, try these…

Hannah Gold’s stories of animal conservation are full of hope and adventure, with strong environmental messages. Popular with older readers, these books are set in wild worlds and feature heartfelt bonds between humans and animals.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of Hannah Gold’s books. Those who love reading about animal conservation might enjoy The White Giraffe, Land of the Last Wildcat or Carlie Sorosiak’s lab escape adventure, Always, Clementine.

For more tales of survival and adventures in the wild, you could try Lost on Gibbon Island, The Boy Who Met a Whale or S. J. Poyton’s epic tundra adventure, Mammoth Rider.

For stories featuring special or emotive bonds between humans and animals, we recommend My Dog, The Good Bear, or Pax – Sara Pennypacker’s moving story of a friendship between a boy and a fox.

If you like Grimwood, try these…

Young readers love the Grimwood series of books by Nadia Shireen, with its hilarious animal heroes, laugh-out-loud humour and high-energy adventures.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of the Grimwood series. Readers who love the anarchic humour of these books might enjoy the comically sinister The Beast and the Bethany, the darkly funny Stitch Head or the monster-hunting Grumpfort.

For readers looking for a new highly readable series featuring funny, illustrated animal characters, we recommend Swapna Haddow’s Dave Pigeon or Adam Stower’s Murray and Bun.

Those who have enjoyed Grimwood’s high-energy adventures will feel at home with the wildly chaotic Betty Steady or the high octane Race to Imagination Island.

If you like Adam Kay’s books, try these…

Adam Kay’s books are a huge hit with children, from his entertaining non-fiction titles packed with hilariously gross facts, to his laugh-out-loud fiction with quirky characters and fast-paced plots based on real-life science.

We’ve put together a list of ten similar books for fans of Adam Kay’s books. Fans of Dexter Procter who are looking for more laugh-out-loud stories of children acting beyond their years might enjoy Head Kid, Race Against Crime or A Beginner’s Guide to Ruling the Galaxy.  Readers ages 9-12 who love funny books could also try Finn’s Epic Fails or Time Travelling with a Hamster.

If it’s humour for would-be doctors and medics that you’re looking for, then we recommend Pamela Butchart’s The Broken Leg of Doom or Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s The Astounding Broccoli Boy.

Adam Kay is also known for his laugh-out-loud, entertaining and often gory non-fiction books. Readers looking for similar fact books might want to add Greg Jenner’s Totally Chaotic History series, Big Manny’s Science is Lit or Dara O Briain’s Secret Science to their collection.