Lovereading4kids Weekly Staff Picks
Reading is fundamental to the development of children and countless research shows the links between good reading skills from an early age and future success in life. However, finding books children want to read or authors that excite them, can be difficult; the choice is daunting and guidance rather thin on the ground.
So, Lovereading4kids was created to be the best recommendation site for Children’s Book from toddlers to teens. It has been created using the experience we have as parents and book lovers, who want our children to read great books. Secondly, it has been created from what we have learned from setting up our first book site lovereading.co.uk
Books for all ages! Top downloads
Baby and Toddler
- Goodnight Everyone by Chris Haughton
- Roald Dahl's Opposites by Roald Dahl
- Play by Jez Alborough
3+ readers
- Mr Pegg's Post by Elena Topouzoglou
- Something Fishy by Polly Dunbar
- Baby's First Bank Heist by Jim Whalley
5+ readers
- Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz
- Norman the Norman and the Very Small Duchess by Philip Ardagh
- The Day War Came by Nicola Davies
7+ readers
- Junkyard Jack and the Horse That Talked by Adrian Edmondson
- Dog Diaries by Steven Butler & James Patterson
- Tyrannosaurus Rex Prehistoric Beasts Uncovered - King of the Dinosaurs by Dougal Dixon
9+ readers
- Boy Underwater by Adam Baron
- Kat Wolfe Investigates by Lauren St.John
- Mirror Magic by Claire Fayers
11+ readers
- Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
- Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
- The Adventures of John Blake Mystery of the Ghost Ship by Philip Pullman
13+ readers
- My Messed-Up Life by Susin Nielsen
- The Tiger on His Back by Bernard Ashley
- The Family Tree by Mal Peet
YA readers
- The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan
- All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor
- Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Register now – FREE for a unique range of services specifically created to help parents and anyone who likes to buy books for children choose the best books for boys and girls of all ages.
- Download and print off the Opening Extract of every ‘featured book’ on our site, even the picture books.
- Discover new writers through our unique children’s author ‘like-for-like’ recommendation service.
- Read our exclusive online book reviews by Julia Eccleshare, author and children’s books editor at the Guardian.
- Enjoy regular emails to keep you up to date on the latest and best in your chosen age ranges. (Please be reassured that your e-mail address will remain confidential to Lovereading and not sold to any of those horrible spam people).
Register now and try it out. We know choosing books for children will become a joy!
It’s really exciting to read and review new books, thrilling to see my reviews online and I love finding the final published copies on sale.
Sam Harper – age 10
I love finding new books to read. My mummy and me look at the new ones coming out. I have written reviews of some of them!
Jessica Cobbin – age 7
I have told all my friends, family & teachers to see for themselves just how great the site is. Without fail, they are hugely impressed.
Alexander Boxall – age 11
You give me age appropriate ideas of books I can read and buy for the children and find out what other children their age think of them too.
Katie Lonsdale
Lovereading is just a convenient way to find new books and hear others opinions on them.
Sarah Murray – age 15
I love lovereading4kids because I’ve read amazing books I would never have picked up, and its opened doors to new genre’s I now love.
Harriet Cunningham
Lovereading4kids is great, we get books really early never late. We love to read and review, and think you would like it too. The excitement
Jasmine Harris-Hart, age 12
A great way to introduce kids to great books, authors & genres. Parents can find age-appropriate books to share with their children.
Judi Davies – Aberdare Girls Sch
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Tufty
Michael Foreman
Tufty the little duck grows up in the grounds of Buckingham Palace
(his parents are very fond of the Royal Duck and Duckess (sic) who
give the ducks…
King of the Sky
Nicola Davies
Illustrated by Laura Carlin
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2018 | In a story
full of hope against adversity, King of the Sky tells how flying a
homing…
Each Peach Pear Plum
Allan Ahlberg, Janet Ahlberg
Illustrated by Janet Ahlberg, Janet Ahlberg
A delightful board book with simple rhyming text and engaging
interactive pictures. Children will be able to find characters that
are mentioned in…
I'm Big Now
Anthea Simmons
Illustrated by Georgie Birkett
This lively, cheerful picture book takes a positive look at one of
the changes the arrival of a new baby can bring. ‘There's a
new baby…
Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Clement Hurd
This classic children's book looks wonderful in its new edition and
has lost none of its effectiveness as a book to lull children to
sleep. As…
Bedtime with Ted
Sophy Henn
It's bedtime for Ted, but he's just too busy yet – flip the
flaps and you can see why: Ted is in the bath with some penguins,
busy…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
The Adventures of John Blake Mystery of the Ghost Ship
Philip Pullman
Illustrated by Fred Fordham
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2018 | Master
story-teller Philip Pullman is as brilliantly creative in this
gripping,…
5 Wild Numbers
Bella Gomez
Wow! Bright pages depicting animals in gorgeous jungle
illustrations house die-cut numbers from one to five. Each number
has a sliding disc…
Kat Wolfe Investigates
Lauren St.John
June 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: animals, adventure and
an irresistible cast of characters This new series has everything
that marks out…
Goodnight Everyone
Chris Haughton
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Perfect for the end of
every day, award-winning Chris Haughton captures the soothing time
as the sun goes…
Ash Princess
Laura Sebastian
June 2018 Debut of the Month | In a Nutshell: Rebellion, romance
and an imprisoned princess set on revenge This ambitiously
epic…
My Messed-Up Life
Susin Nielsen
June 2018 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: Problem parents |
Dealing with change | Loads of LOLs | Hilarious and
heartfelt…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
Things a Bright Girl Can Do
Sally Nicholls
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | October 2017 Book of the Month
This inspirational novel about three young Suffragettes from very
different…
Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep
Eleanor Farjeon
Illustrated by Charlotte Voake
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Elsie Piddock Skips in Her
Sleep is one of the great Eleanor Farjeon's loveliest stories,
and…
Nanette's Baguette
Mo Willems
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | There's a surprise twist at the
end of this tale of little Nanette, entrusted by her mother to get
the…
Lucky Button
Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated by Michael Foreman
A moving historical story inspired by the Foundling Museum, written
by acclaimed children's author Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by
Michael…
The Land of Neverendings
Kate Saunders
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | November 2017 Book of the Month
| A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month October 2017
Award-winning…
The Night Spinner
Abi Elphinstone
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | With this action packed third
and final instalment to the series, Abi Elphinstone has secured her
place in the…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
100 Most Awesome Things on the Planet
Anna Claybourne
The world we live in is truly amazing, and across its continents,
oceans and skies are all kinds of fabulous places and astounding
sights. Almost 100…
50 Ways to Feel Happy
Vanessa King, Val Payne & Peter Harper
Illustrated by Celeste Aires
We all want our children to be happy and resilient, but may not
realise that they can be taught skills to make them happier people.
Written by a…
Books! Books! Books!
Mick Manning
Illustrated by Brita Granstrom
April 2017 Book of the Month Who better to take young readers on a
guided tour of the British Library than Mick Manning and
Brita…
Women in Science
Rachel Ignotofsky
March 2017 Non Fiction Book of the Month | In a nutshell: an
inspiring introduction to 50 pioneering women scientists | …
Big Picture Book of General Knowledge
James Maclaine
Illustrated by Annie Carbo
Packed with interesting and useful information on a range of
important subjects areas, from geography (a section called Around
the World), to music,…
Migration
Mike Unwin
Illustrated by Jenni Desmond
Imagine: you're flying high over the Himalayan mountains, on a
journey filled with danger. The temperature is far below freezing,
the air is thin,…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
My Name is Not Refugee
Kate Milner
Shortlisted for the 2018 Klaus Flugge Prize | Longlisted for the
UKLA 2018 Book Award June 2017 Book of the Month Simple enough for
the youngest…
Alpha Abidjan to Gare du Nord
Bessora
Illustrated by Barroux
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award One of our Books of the
Year 2016 | Alpha hopes that his wife and little son are in Paris
and…
Good Dog McTavish
Meg Rosoff
Illustrated by Grace Easton
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Interest Age 8-12 Reading
Age 8 | In a nutshell: dog to the rescue in witty domestic…
Kid Got Shot
Simon Mason
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Meet Garvie Smith.
Reprobate, genius, waster, and sometime detective. Right in the
middle of revision hell -…
The Darkest Dark
Chris Hadfield
Illustrated by The Fan Brothers
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Astronaut Chris Hadfield
describes the special moment in his childhood that sparked his
fascination with…
Aubrey and the Terrible Ladybirds
Horatio Clare
Illustrated by Jane Matthews
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award June 2017 Book of the Month
| A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month June 2017 A sequel
to…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
The Boy and the Globe
Tony Bradman
Illustrated by Tom Morgan-Jones
Young readers wondering what's so special about Shakespeare as
celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of his death get
underway would do…
Me and Mister P
Maria Farrer
Illustrated by Dave Gray, Daniel Rieley
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In a nutshell: an unusual
friend makes things better | Arthur is understandably surprised
when…
Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake
Rob Lloyd Jones
Illustrated by Petur Antonsson
In a nutshell: two kids on a death-defying treasure hunt through
Egypt's ancient monuments. Adventure stories don't come
more…
Chaos Descends
Shane Hegarty
Illustrated by James De La Rue
In a nutshell: monster monster-hunting fun Book three in Shane
Hegarty's Darkmouth series serves up another helping of
monster…
The Goozillas!: Attack on Fungus Fort
Barry Hutchison
In a nutshell: action-packed, slime-filled fun early reader Set
inside the world of a computer game, the Goozillas series offers
non-stop action,…
Meeting Cezanne
Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated by Francois Place
This is a gentle, evocative story of a young Parisian boy's summer
in 1960s rural Provence. This book is beautifully illustrated
inside and out by…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
Treasure Hunters: Peril at the Top of the World
James Patterson
In 3 words : in it together The Kidd family, stars of some of James
Patterson's liveliest and most boisterous…
Dream Team
Alan Gibbons
Illustrated by Chris Chalik
With the World Cup coming up, football stories are even more
appealing than usual, and Alan Gibbons knows just how to win and
hold young…
Llama United
Scott Allen
Illustrated by Sarah Horne
May 2017 Debut of the Month | In a nutshell: daft and thoroughly
entertaining football adventure with llamas | There aren't enough
good…
National Trust: The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, a Medieval Knight in Training
Philip Ardagh
Illustrated by Jamie Littler
In a nutshell: historical adventures full of facts and fun Not
since Horrible Histories has the past been brought to life for
young readers so…
Jinks and O'Hare Funfair Repair
Philip Reeve
Illustrated by Sarah McIntyre
Bestselling Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre have created a fabulous
feisty new heroine in Emily who is determined to be as helpful as
she possibly…
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
Louis Sachar
In Holes, best-selling author Louis Sachar showed his understanding
and compassion for a group of boys who have got outside the system.
In…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
The Haunting of Uncle Ron
Anne Fine
Illustrated by Vicki Gausden
Interest Age 7-12 Reading Age 7+ Award-winning Anne Fine always
writes brilliantly about annoying family members. Ian's Uncle Ron
has a…
The Mystery of the Man with the Black Beard
Gillian Cross
Illustrated by Peter Cottrill
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ The best-selling author of The
Demon Headmaster tackles mystery and sleuthing in this
exciting…
The Wickford Doom
Chris Priestley
Illustrated by Vladimir Stankovic
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8 Chris Priestley has a gift for
writing frightening stories, and this short wartime-set novel
for…
Noah Scape Can't Stop Repeating Himself
Guy Bass
Illustrated by Steve May
Interest Age 8-11 Reading Age 8 Guy Bass's hilarious story is a
lesson to be careful what you wish for and why making everything
all…
Mad in the Back
Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Richard Watson
A Dyslexia Friendly Picture Book for Parent and Child It's hard to
know who will laugh more at this new picture book, children or
their…
Itch Scritch Scratch
Eleanor Updale
Illustrated by Sarah Horne
One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2014 - A Dyslexia
Friendly Picture Book for Parent and Child With wit and brio
this…
