Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: USA

Stretching across a rocky plateau in America, carved deep into the rocks by the rushing Colorado River, lies the Grand Canyon. Its bands of rock tell us about millions of years of our planet’s history and the indigenous Hopi, Havasupai, and Navajo tribes that have ties to the land. Today at least five million people visit Grand Canyon National Park every year.

This stunning illustrated guide is packed with incredible facts about this natural wonders’ wildlife, people, geography, and history. The Grand Canyon has captured humankind’s imagination since the Ice Age. Now it is your turn to explore!

Encompassing more than 2 million acres of protected land, Yellowstone is home to a rich variety of wildlife including species like the grizzly bear, wolf, bison and wolverine. Readers will discover the rainbow waters of the Grand Prismatic Spring, the tallest geyser in the world and discover how life in the park survives in the depths of winter when there’s 20 feet of snow! Yellowstone also has strong indigenous cultural connections, with 27 tribes celebrating ties to the land, its wildlife and geography which the park has only recently begun to acknowledge and celebrate. This stunning illustrated guide is packed with incredible facts about Yellowstone’s wildlife, people, geography and history.

USA Topic Booklist

Get ready for a road trip across the USA! Take in the sights and sounds of America, from skyscrapers and statues to canyons and coastlines. Learn about the varied geography of the 50 states of America, influential people from history and native American folklore. We’ve got the topic covered with our handpicked selection of recommended children’s books for the USA topic.

Meet ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the power-speaking president of the USA. He helped free millions of people from slavery, and his rags to riches tale is legendary.

Find out: How he came up with one of the best speeches ever given; How he got the nickname ‘Spotty Lincoln; And how wrestling and crowd-surfing helped him win votes.

Get to know ABRAHAM on first name terms.

On a visit to the US things take a strange turn for 12-year-old Ajay when, completely at random and totally by accident, he is sworn in as the new president. Well, I guess he can’t be any worse than that guy who had the job before him, right? Wrong. It’s quite easy for power to go to your head and Ajay, overwhelmed by it all, goes rogue. Soon he’s too busy ordering sparkly capes and enforcing the new national spider plan to spot the dastardly plot unfolding right under his nose.

Little Bird has landed in America, far from her home in Scotland and far from the danger that stalked her family. But the new world holds new perils, and soon she’s on the run again. From the teeming streets of New York to the prairies of the west, Little Bird holds tight to secrets and dreams of freedom. Then, on her journey, she comes face-to-face with an unwelcome ghost from the past…

A modern-day Little House on the Prairie, this is an exciting story of settling in the New World while still being haunted by everything you’ve left behind. The story follows one family’s journey from Scotland to America in search of a promised better life. Set in 1860s America against the backdrop of the American Civil War, the story also explores how the influx of European immigrants in this period forced the Native American population to become displaced.

Take a tour of America’s great outdoors and discover the beauty and diversity of its most iconic and majestic national parks. Packed with maps and fascinating facts about the flora and fauna unique to each of the 21 parks portrayed , this lushly illustrated coast-to-coast journey documents in large format the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places – and shows why they should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Set in 1960s New York, this is another beautifully written mystery from Sylvia Bishop with themes of fake news, friendship and loyalty. It’s really unusual to find a historical novel for children which isn’t based either on WW2 or in the far distant past; a story set in the living memory of their grandparents is a real treat. There are just enough touches to locate you in the 1960s without the setting being overwhelming. It’s also a great look at a besetting issue of our times: fake news.

1892, New Mexico. A wolfpack roams the Currumpaw Valley, preying on the cattle and evading capture by the exasperated local ranchmen. Due to his knowledge of wolf behaviour, a British naturalist by the name of Ernest Thompson Seton is employed to hunt down their notorious pack leader, king Lobo…

This is a retelling of the tale of Snow White, transposed to New York in the 1920s. Snow White’s wicked stepmother uses her position of influence in the city’s underworld to contract the killing of Snow White. Snow White stumbles into a club where the seven jazz-men take pity on her and she joins their band. A reporter who hears her sing propels her into the headlines . . . but her fame puts her once again in the sights of her evil stepmother. She is poisoned with a cocktail cherry. A shocked city mourns the death of the beautiful and talented Snow White but as her coffin is carried up the church steps by the grief-stricken jazz-men, Snow White’s eyes open and her gaze is met by the reporter. They fall in love and live happily ever after.

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