Recommendations and answers to the reading-life questions parents ask — from an English teacher who curates every book in the Little Reads library.
The best Michael Morpurgo books, ranked, and where to start. War Horse, Kensuke's Kingdom and more, with an honest word on the right age for every single one.
What age are the Alex Rider books for? The honest answer, from the right age to start to how the series darkens, plus four spy reads for kids not quite there yet.
The best Jacqueline Wilson books, ranked by a lifelong fan. From Tracy Beaker to The Illustrated Mum, with an honest word on which of her books suits which age.
Books like Skandar and the Unicorn Thief for 9 to 12 year olds. Creature bonds, secret academies and epic stakes, hand-picked from the library.
Books like Malory Towers for 8 to 11 year olds. Boarding school stories, midnight feasts and the best next reads when the Blyton runs out.
Funny, honest books like Lottie Brooks for 9 to 12 year olds. Diary-style laughs, friendship dramas and growing-up worries, all hand-picked.
If your child has just torn through Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon (and watched the films), you’ll know how great these books are. A scrawny Viking boy called Hiccup, a small naughty dragon, big laughs, and a friendship that turns the runt of the village into the hero of it. So when your […]
A Series of Unfortunate Events does something not many books pull off. It’s gloomy and grim and a bit doom-laden, and it’s also very funny. Three clever orphans, one ridiculous villain in a string of bad disguises, and a narrator who keeps telling you to put the book down before it ruins your life. If […]
Goosebumps gets a lot right. And it’s because of this that they’ve stood the test of time. I remember reading these as a child and watching the TV show (if I was feeling brave and my mum was home). The delicious shiver down the back of your neck. The chapter that ends right when you […]
Half fairy, half vampire, and never quite sure which half she is. That’s Isadora Moon, and newly-independent readers adore her. So if you’re hunting for books like Isadora Moon, it helps to know what makes hers work. Short chapters. A picture on nearly every page. A girl who’s a bit different, working out where she […]
A walking, talking, wisecracking skeleton who solves crimes with magic and a very good line in sarcasm. There aren’t many heroes like Skulduggery Pleasant. Half the fun is that he’s funny and genuinely creepy at the same time. One minute he’s bickering with his teenage sidekick Valkyrie Cain, the next they’re up against something that […]
Your child has read every Magic Tree House. Here are the books like Magic Tree House I would hand them next, from quick adventures to one step up.
Finished the Warrior Cats clans? Here are the books like Warrior Cats to read next: animal worlds, survival and loyalty, for readers of 8 to 11.
Have you found yourself being hit over the head with a banana? No? Well your child probably hasn’t made their way through The 13-Storey Treehouse. Then the 26-Storey, and so on. Because banana hitting is completely normal in books like The 13-Storey Treehouse. As is, solving mysteries with the help of a hot jam doughnut. […]
So your child has become best friends with Nikki Maxwell. She’s telling you to “chillax” when you ask them to do something. And when they see a cute puppy they say it’s “ADORKABLE”! These are all classic signs that your child has read everything Dork Diaries has to offer. Every diary entry, every doodle, every […]
Your child has cracked every case with Daisy and Hazel. They’ve torn through the whole Murder Most Unladylike shelf and now you’ve got an amateur (but very keen) detective on your hands. If you’re after books like Murder Most Unladylike, you’re in the right place. If you want the short version, the five I’d hand […]
Your child has read every David Walliams book in the house. Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy, Mr Stink, the lot. Probably twice. Now they’re hovering around and not sure where to turn next. If you’re after books like David Walliams, you’re in the right spot. (Not quite through his own shelf yet? Our ranked guide to […]
If Peter, Margaret and Henry all feel like additional members of your family at this point and your child is desperately looking for another mischievous trickster like Henry to get stuck into, you’re definitely in the right place. And finding books like Horrid Henry is exactly what this list is for. During my latter years […]
Your child has done it. They’ve torn through every Tom Gates book Liz Pichon has written (and there are a lot of them), doodles and all, and now they’re hovering by the bookshelf going “what next.” If this is your situation and you’re hunting for books like Tom Gates, you’re in the right place. I’ve […]
One of the great things about teaching is that no two classes (or kids) are the same. But (and this might be a controversial one) almost every class has a Mildred Hubble. If you’ve landed here looking for books like The Worst Witch, stick with me. The list is below. Now these kids wouldn’t necessarily […]
Some kids love a hero who saves the day. I was a Matilda-OBSESSED as a kid. The one who loved watching a clever child run rings round the grown-ups while they didn’t even know what was happening. That’s the same itch Artemis Fowl scratches. Matilda runs rings round her parents and the Trunchbull. Artemis does […]
Figuring out what books are right for your child’s age can feel like negotiating completion dates on a building project. Like when your eight-year-old comes home clutching Artemis Fowl because their best friend’s big brother says it’s the best book ever written, and you’re squinting at the back cover looking for an age, any age, […]
Some children find Jacqueline Wilson at eight and basically move in. I was one of those kids. I devoured the entire catalogue and loved sharing the books with my students when I was teaching. Tracy Beaker. Hetty Feather. Sleepovers. They’ve stood the test of time and kids still tear through them today. She’s written over […]
Camp Half-Blood. Riptide (the pen that turns into a sword). The lift up to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. Annabeth, Grover (the satyr with serious anger issues). If you’re here looking for what to read after Percy Jackson, your child has probably torn through the five originals, maybe Heroes of Olympus too, […]
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