Looking for books for 6 year olds? There are over 300 on this page, so I’ve picked out nine that I’d go to next.
Six is often the year reading independently really starts to settle in. Some 6 year olds are still happiest being read to, and some have just found out they can get through a chapter book on their own (and won’t stop telling you about it).
So there’s a good mix here. Short chapters, big characters, and plenty they’ll want to read again tomorrow.
Funny books for 6 year olds
Everybody in Henry’s class has lost a tooth except Henry. He pulls, he pushes, he tweaks and he tugs, and nothing budges. So he empties the sweet jar, because sweets are supposed to make your teeth fall out. Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy is three stories, and they read out loud beautifully.
Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy
If you’re wondering whether your little reader is ready for him yet, I’ve written about what age Horrid Henry is for.
Stink is the shortest person he knows (apart from the cat). Every morning he makes his big sister Judy measure him, and every morning the answer is the same. Stink and the Incredible Shrinking Kid is the one for any house with an older sibling in it.
Roscoe Riley tells you the whole of Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs from the time-out corner, starting with the junk drawer and the don’t-you-dare glue. The chapters are tiny, and some are only two or three lines long (which is great for a reader who’s just getting going).
Magical books for 6 year olds
This one needs no introduction (in my opinion) but in case you’ve been living under a rock…
Matilda taught herself to read at three and walked to the library on her own at four. And her parents just see Matilda as odd and wish she’d go away. It’s a very typical Dahl story where the grown-ups are rotten and the Wormwoods are up there with some of the worst.
From the very start, you’re on Matilda’s side. Also, Matilda is one of our free books.
Matilda
If they’ve already met Matilda, there’s a whole list of the best Roald Dahl books too.
Class Three’s new teacher flies in through the classroom window on a magic carpet and lands with a bump. Then he turns Hamish Bigmore (the class nuisance) into a frog and can’t remember the spell to turn him back. That’s Mr Majeika, and there are more of his books on the shelf below.
Mr Majeika
Azmina, Willa and Naomi find out they’re Glitter Dragon Girls. They can soar above the treetops and breathe glittery bursts of fire, and they have to keep the Magic Forest safe from the Shadow Sprites. Dragon Girls is free too (and it’s a series).
Dragon Girls 1 – Azmina the Gold Glitter Dragon
Animal and mystery books for 6 year olds
Iggy Peck thinks about architecture all the time (he once built a tower out of nappies). Chasing his cat into the woods in a thunderstorm, he ends up on the porch of the empty house everyone in town calls the Mysterious Mansion. The porch boards buck, doors open on their own, and somewhere inside something plays music. Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion is another free one.
Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion
Fern is eight. One of the pigs born in the night is a runt, and her father has gone out with the axe. She takes hold of it and won’t let go. Charlotte’s Web is a lovely read-together one at this age. Not just because there’s some wonderful characters to meet but there’s also some sad bits that you might want to unpack together.
Charlotte’s Web
Harry is desperate for a pet of his own, and working at the local animal rescue centre is the next best thing. Then he’s asked to take a birthday present to Chartwell, home of Winston Churchill and his much-loved pets. Winston and the Marmalade Cat is free as well.
Winston and the Marmalade Cat
More books for 6 year olds
These nine are a starting point. The full shelf is just below, over 300 books, and every one has been hand-picked.
For bedtime, there’s a list of bedtime stories for 6, 7 and 8 year olds with chapters that end on time. If Isadora Moon is the current fave, I’ve got books like Isadora Moon. And if the same book is on repeat every night, I’ve written about when your child re-reads the same book over and over.
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