Recommendations and answers to the reading-life questions parents ask — from an English teacher who curates every book in the Little Reads library.
Books like Spirit Animals for 8 to 10 year olds. Five books with a child, an animal who belongs with them and a world that needs saving.
Chapter books for 9 year olds who read alone and want something longer. Five series starters, the one to try first, and where to go after.
The classic children's books we stock, by age from 5 to 11, and which ones a child reads alone and which work best out loud.
Five book series for 8 year olds with enough books to keep them going, which one to start with and who each suits. Hand-picked.
Books like Judy Moody for 6 to 8 year olds, from someone who read the lot as a kid. Five series with the same moods, mischief and short chapters.
Five book series for 10 year olds that they can read in order without running out, and which one to hand over first.
Books like Narnia for 8 to 11 year olds. Hidden doors, other worlds and siblings who go through together, and the age each one suits.
Five books on our age-9 shelf that children rate and nobody reviews, and what ten years in a classroom taught me about "too easy".
An honest answer from ten years in the classroom, plus five books that get going fast enough that nobody has to push through.
Chapter books an 8-year-old reads to themselves. Five hand-picked series starters, plus the step-up for when they're racing ahead.
Chapter books a 7-year-old can read alone. Five hand-picked series starters, plus what to try if they're not quite there yet.
Books like The Hunger Games that a 10 to 12 year old can actually read. Age-right survival stories, hand-picked from our library.
Books like Scarlet and Ivy for 9 to 11 year olds. Boarding-school mysteries and determined girl detectives, picked from our library.
The ghost stories I'd hand a 9 to 12 year old. Proper chills, no gore, and every one is in the Little Reads library.
All eight missions we stock ranked, the one fans keep calling the best, and the right one to hand a brand-new Alex Rider reader.
Fifteen Dahls ranked for the child in front of you, which one to hand over first, and the two to hold back until they're ready.
Gangs of kids, no adults, secrets worth keeping. The best modern matches for Famous Five fans, plus the Blyton to read next.
Six series with the same beast-a-book pull as Beast Quest, matched to the kind of fan you've got. All ready to read tonight.
Children's football books sorted by age 5 to 11, stories first, with an honest word on the bio series every child asks for.
Children's spy books sorted by age 5 to 11, from penguin secret agents to hacker hunts and heists, with an honest age call on each.
Six spy thrillers for a child who's torn through Alex Rider, from a hacker recruited by MI6 to a code-run across wartime France.
Children's horse books sorted by age, from magical sea ponies to the series binges, plus when they're ready for the sad ones.
No book is exactly like Holes. But these matches might have a similar vibe. The mystery, the deadpan humour, the outsider hero, the survival grit.
What age is Lottie Brooks for? A straight answer on the crush and puberty content, how the books grow up with Lottie, and four funny picks for the not-quite-ready.
Get the app to read the whole library. 7-day free trial. £7.99/month after — less than a paperback.
