Topic: Y4 50 Recommended Reads

Year 4 Booklist: 50 Recommended Reads

Best Books for Y4 (Children Aged 8-9)

This list of the top books for Y4 has been selected by experienced primary teachers, librarians and children’s book experts.

Year 4 children thrive best with their reading when they are able to choose from a quality selection of adventure stories, thought-provoking chapter books, funny books, animal tales, picturebooks, graphic novels, poetry collections, non-fiction texts and more. We hope that there will be something for everyone on this list, but do keep your eyes open for alien chickens, DIY space explorers and magic wardrobes…

This Year 4 reading list is carefully designed to match the age, developmental stage and interest level of children in Year 4. This booklist includes some of the most popular Year 4 stories such as The Land of Roar, The Boy at the Back of the Class and How to Train Your Dragon as well as some lesser-known storytime delights that we recommend for Y4, like David Almond’s AI-inspired Brand New Boy, Elizabeth Laird’s Song of the Dolphin Boy and the super fun choose-your-own-adventure style mystery The Monster Maker.

As well as the Y4 reading list below to browse, we’ve also got a printable poster, a downloadable checklist and a handy bookmark for you, and schools can purchase full sets of all 50 books via Peters.

Browse the Y4 reading list below or scroll down to find more purchasing options and printable resources.

It’s a Wonderful World

Jess French

Non-fiction

DK brings you a beautifully illustrated and engaging book to teach young readers how to protect our planet and change the world!

Introducing It’s a Wonderful World – a captivating storybook set out to encourage children to look after the world around them, one step at a time.

Celebrate your child’s curiosity as they navigate through this perfect conservation book to discover all the wonderful ways to protect and preserve the biodiversity of the natural world, whilst learning about the main challenges our planet faces today.

An empowering and practical guide o looking after our planet, your child can discover:

-An excellent introduction to nature conservation for young readers
-A unique guide to studying different ecosystems and the biodiversity within the environment
-Graphic illustrations to complement stunning photography featured throughout
-An enthralling insight into lesser-known animals that inhabit the natural world

Did you know that more than 50% of child psychologists in England are currently seeing patients distressed about the state of the environment? It’s time to change that!

Invest in this all-encompassing environment book and shape your child’s learning for the better.
Proving to be an excellent education tool for children aged 7-9, this is a must-have volume for any young reader with a passion for protecting the planet, whether it’s researching plastic pollution or studying snow leopards, this nature book for kids really does have it all.

At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So let us quench your thirst for knowledge and teach you a trick or two about balance and biodiversity along the way!

One book at a time, we believe you can change the world!

Apes to Zebras: An A-Z of Shape Poems

Liz Brownlee & Sue Hardy-Dawson & Roger Stevens

Poetry

This gorgeous collection of animal poems from Roger Stevens, Liz Brownlee and Sue Hardy-Dawson will entrance and delight in equal measure.

Featuring a full alphabet of animals, birds, and insects, with the odd extinct or imaginary creature thrown in, these beautiful shape poems are a perfect way to introduce children to poetry. Some funny, some serious, there is something here for everyone.

Brand New Boy

David Almond & Marta Altés

Chapter book

A simple but punch-packing tale from storytelling master David Almond.

When a brand new boy called George starts at school, Daniel and his best friend Maxie are looking forward to getting a chance to enjoy the company of a new classmate. Daniel agrees to keep an eye on the new boy, although he has to admit there are a few unusual things about George. A series of questions without answers begins to unravel – like why George is ushered unwillingly into a black van at the end of the play date, or why the teachers seem to have a weird response to George in class, or why there’s a sudden announcement that George will leave the school. And what exactly is inside that tall box that is wheeled into assembly the following week?

This is an innovative story that weaves themes of compassion, hope and community as well as what it means to be alive. The dignity and compassion with which Daniel and his friends treat George are beautiful. I also loved the characterisation of Daniel’s mum, who is full of love, acceptance and a happy dose of Geordie warmth. The way people have been treated in the family home often naturally affects how they treat strangers, and Daniel is a prime example of this. The dangerous impact of technology on children is touched upon, but so is its potential to enhance human experience when treated sagely, with respect for human experience kept at its heart.

True to style, David Almond weaves a thought-provoking tale with hints of darkness, plenty of hope and pause for reflection on what it means to be alive.

Amazing Animals

Paul Daviz & Sabrina Weiss

Non-fiction

Discover over 100 of the world’s most remarkable creatures in this beautifully illustrated tour of Earth’s wildlife.

Animals come in all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. From the record breaking tongue of a chameleon to the dashing dance of the peacock spider, you’ll learn about the most amazing examples from air, land and sea. Discover playful dolphins, sleepy koalas and even a fish that keeps its babies safe in its own mouth, uncovering the secrets of their survival, the incredible habitats they call home as well as the environmental threats putting them in danger.

A central gatefold offers a world map which reveals the locations of all the animals included in the book.

The Great Chocoplot

Chris Callaghan

Chapter book

We love this laugh-out-loud funny book and recommend it for Year 4.

The world faces the terrible prospect of running out of chocolate. A chocolate loving girl called Jelly and her clever gran investigate, foiling a Dahl-esque villain called Garibaldi Chocolati.

This illustrated book is a light-hearted, fun read-aloud with chocolate-related hijinks, characters you’ll love and a mystery that keeps you guessing.

Solve Your Own Mystery: The Monster Maker

Gareth P. Jones & Louise Forshaw

Chapter book

How many of us remember the choose-your-own-adventure stories popular a few decades ago and find ourselves wondering why we rarely see new ones published today? Popular author Gareth P. Jones reintroduces the genre with ‘The Monster Maker’ – an imaginative detective story for readers looking for an interactive adventure, with hundreds of paths to choose from.

Haventry is a town where ghosts, zombie clowns, werewolves and vampires (amongst others) reside happily. That is, until Dr Franklefink’s Monster Maker machine is stolen and everyone becomes a suspect. It is then up to you to investigate and solve the mystery. Your detective partner and boss is none other than private investigator Klaus Solstaag, a yeti who is on a mission. Will you find the truth? What motive does your prime suspect have? Can you find the missing Monster Maker?

In this solve your own mystery story, readers will enjoy choosing which aspect of the crime to investigate next and sussing out who the real suspects are. For fans of the extraordinary and of detective mysteries, this is a must-read.

Grimwood

Nadia Shireen

Chapter book

Grimwood is a wacky, anarchic animal story, full of nonsensical mayhem.

The story will certainly appeal to children in KS2 who love funny books (although possibly not the most sensitive in this age group – as there are incidents of biting off heads, tails or feet!). There’s a dark and wacky humour to the story that will delight fans of Roald Dahl or Mr Gum and plenty of discussion points such as the relationship between the fox cubs, the changes in their personalities and the desire to find refuge.

The book could work as a class reader and a fun and quirky independent read for ages 7-11.

The Highland Falcon Thief

Elisa Paganelli & M. G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman

Chapter book

A full-steam-ahead adventure that had me hooked from the get-go. The Highland Falcon Thief is a middle-grade mystery story set on a steam train. With a high spirit of adventuring and a good and proper mystery that unfolds with clues and red herrings along the course, this is a brilliantly fun story that is sure to be on track to find itself set among the very best in the children’s mystery genre.

Harrison Beck (Hal) ends up aboard the last-ever journey of a famous royal steam train, ‘The Highland Falcon’, unwillingly accompanying his travel-writer uncle. Hal doesn’t think much of steam trains, and he is even less impressed when he finds there are no other child passengers on board and no electricity to charge his devices. Before long, Hal finds himself caught up in entertainment of a more old-fashioned kind. A mystery begins to unravel among the passengers and what’s more, Hal befriends a secret stowaway girl called Lenny and the pair set to work to solve the mystery before The Highland Falcon reaches the end of its last-ever journey.

It’s a full-throttle mystery with likeable characters and a well-paced plot that is especially full of treasures for anyone who loves trains. Even those who are not particularly into trains – like myself – will enjoy the feeling of being immersed in the world of locomotions, and the joy of being on board one comes across with great passion. Highly recommended!

Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City

Rob Biddulph

Chapter book

National treasure Rob Biddulph, whose record-breaking illustration events during lockdown gained an army of fans young and old, publishes his first illustrated chapter book this month. Peanut Jones is a wonderfully imaginative story with likeable characters and plenty of action and adventure.

Pernilla Jones (Peanut to her friends) isn’t having the best time. Her dad suddenly disappeared over a year ago, her mum is moving on and dating someone Peanut can’t stand and she has been made to move schools, leaving her beloved Melody High behind in favour of St Hubert’s School for the Seriously Scientific and Terminally Mathematic. Peanut is paired with Rockwell Riley as part of a study buddy scheme to help new students settle and she couldn’t be more disinterested.

One day, when she finds a magic pencil which has the power to make drawings a reality, Peanut sets out to find out what really happened to her dad. She takes Rockwell and her little sister, Little Bit, along for the ride in this alternate dimension where there is always danger and surprise around the corner. The story follows her journey into a hidden world where she must think quickly and use her drawing powers to save herself, her friends and the people she meets from those who wish to destroy all creativity – all the while, searching for the truth about her dad.

Throughout the book, there are superb, detailed drawings which are in black, white and orange, giving the book a unique style. This is the first in a trilogy about friendship and creativity. The short chapters make it easy to read and I look forward to the next instalment.

A triumphant entry into the chapter book world from Rob Biddulph.

Best Books by Age

Popular Children's Authors

Topic: Y4 50 Recommended Reads

Best Books for Y4 (Children Aged 8-9)

News: BooksForTopics Commended at the Education Business Awards 2026

Opportunity: Little People, BIG DREAMS – Help Us Interview Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara!

NEWS: Carnegies 2026 Shortlists Announced!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review