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
- Oi Dog! Board Book by Kes Gray, Claire Gray
- Where Is Little Fish? by Lucy Cousins
- Count with Little Fish by Lucy Cousins
3+ readers
- No, Nancy, No! by Alice Tait
- The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield
- Forever or a Day by Sarah Jacoby
5+ readers
- The Great Big Book of Friends by Mary Hoffman
- King of the Sky by Nicola Davies
- Bug Hotel by Libby Walden
7+ readers
- The Book Case by Dave Shelton
- Max Champion and the Great Race Car Robbery by Alexander Mccall Smith
- The Chocolate Factory Ghost by David O'Connell
9+ readers
- The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by Christopher Edge
- To the Edge of the World by Julia Green
- Tin by Padraig Kenny
11+ readers
- The City of Secret Rivers by Jacob Sager Weinstein
- Twelve Nights by Andrew Zurcher
- The Goose Road by Rowena House
13+ readers
- Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- The Football Trials: Kick Off by John Hickman
YA readers
- I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
- Encounters by Jason Wallace
- I Stop Somewhere by T. E. Carter
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 a community united by a passion for books and promoting the best there is in children’s literature.
Sam Bateman and family
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
We love Lovereading4kids because they put books in front of us we wouldn’t otherwise have read. They make us more adventurous readers!
Emily Jacques
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
We love Lovereading as my 5 year old loves to read new books before anyone else has a chance, she says it makes reading exciting!
Tracey Chorley
I love Lovereading because I often never know what to read and this helps you find a good book. I have recommended this to many people.
Shannon-Louise Masters – age 15
LoveReading4Kids is a modern and creative way of emphasising the value and importance of books in this digital age #booksforlife
Amrit Bunet – Teen
I think Lovereading4kids is an amazing company because of the friendly staff and the fabulous chance to read great books before publication.
Adam Graham
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
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…
The Lion Book of Nursery Rhymes
Julia Stone
Illustrated by Cally Johnson-Isaacs
November 2014 Book of the Month Every child needs a collection of
nursery rhymes and this collection of favourites with their clear
and unfussy…
How the Elephant Got His Trunk
Anna Milbourne
Illustrated by John Joven
This retelling of Kipling's Just So story is thoroughly appealing
and effective. It's bright and attractive to look at –
John…
The Mumsnet Book of Bedtime Stories Ten Prize-Winning Stories from Mumsnet and Gransnet
Mumsnet and Gransnet hosted a bedtime story-writing competition
among their users. Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen
selected the ten…
Lily and Bear
Lisa Stubbs
One of our Books of the Year 2015 -April 2015 Debut of the Month
Lily and Bear – two wonderful new characters who love to
play…
I Want My Hat Back
Jon Klassen
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2013 A simply told
story with a delicious and irresistible mischievous twist in its
ending.…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
Uncle Shawn and Bill and the Pajimminy-Crimminy Unusual Adventure
A. L. Kennedy
Illustrated by Gemma Correll
In a nutshell: Dahl-esque story in defence of Unusualness Children
who like their stories filled with larger-than-life characters,
crazy comedy and…
The Goose Road
Rowena House
April 2018 Debut of the Month | In a Nutshell: Inspiring WW1
against-the-odds adventure | It's 1916 and…
Truly, Wildly, Deeply
Jenny McLachlan
The brilliant, irresistible and gorgeously romantic new novel from
Jenny McLachlan, the breakout star of young, laugh-out-loud teen
fiction. Annie…
When Grandad Was a Penguin
Morag Hood
With its strikingly simple images, this picture book will give
children lots to think and talk about and will also have them
laughing out loud.…
The Edge of Everything
Jeff Giles
In a nutshell: girl loves boy/supernatural bounty hunter | When
star-crossed lovers Zoe and the boy she nicknames X meet
the…
The Five Realms: The Gift of Dark Hollow
Kieran Larwood
Illustrated by David Wyatt
In a nutshell: brave rabbits continue their fight against a
terrifying enemy The story of rabbit hero Podkin One-Ear continues
in this…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
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…
Looking for Yesterday
Alison Jay
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | October 2017 Book of the Month
Beautiful illustrations full of interest and wonder accompany
Alison Jay's…
I am Bat
Morag Hood
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | This must be one of the
brightest and best picture books of the year. With minimalist
illustrations –…
The Dollmaker of Krakow
R. M. Romero
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | October 2017 Debut of the Month
In a Nutshell: An enchantingly heartrending conjuration that
weaves…
Here We Are
Oliver Jeffers
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the
Month November 2017 Inspired by the birth of his son, award-winning
Oliver…
A Song for Will and The Lost Gardeners of Heligan
Hilary Robinson
Illustrated by Martin Impey
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | May 2017 Book of the Month |
This deeply moving story perfectly conveys the devastating impact
of the First…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
Day of the Dinosaurs
Steve Brusatte
Illustrated by Daniel Chester
Visually alive, original and information rich, this handsome book
will fascinate budding young palaeontologists. It speaks directly
to the reader,…
Bug Hotel
Libby Walden
Illustrated by Clover Robin
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2018 Take a new look at
some of the most common insects and mini-beasts around us
in…
How Machines Work
David Macaulay
Winner of the £10,000 Royal Society's Young People's Book
Prize 2016, which champions the best science books for
under-14s.…
Cool Coding
Rob Hansen, Damien Weighill
A fun, accessible guide to computers and coding for older children
and curious adults. This fun and quirky book provides a fascinating
introduction…
Stuff You Should Know About the Human Body
John Farndon
Illustrated by Tim Hutchinson
Take a tour round the inside of the human body in this unusual and
quite excellent information book. It examines our component parts,
from cells to…
100 Steps for Science Why it Works and How it Happened
Lisa Jane Gillespie
Illustrated by Yukai Du
Covering ten important general areas of scientific study including
space, wheels, light, medicine, energy and life, this handsome
information book…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
The Island at the End of Everything
Kiran Millwood-Hargrave
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Shortlisted for the 2018 Blue
Peter Awards - Best Story | Shortlisted for the Costa Children's
Book…
Podkin One-Ear
Kieran Larwood
Illustrated by David Wyatt
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Winner of the Blue Peter
Book Award 2017 - Best Story In a nutshell: rabbit heroes |…
Odd Dog Out
Rob Biddulph
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Odd Dog Out has all the
qualities that made Blown Away and Grrrrr! so popular with critics
and readers!…
Mind the Gap
Phil Earle
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018
Book Award A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month | February 2017
Book…
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…
Under the Same Sky
Britta Teckentrup
Shortlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2018 | Longlisted
for the UKLA 2018 Book Award With its dedication, ‘For a
united world…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
George Pearce and His Huge Massive Ears
Felix Massie
George Pearce has unusually large ears – in fact they're
massive! It's not the size of his ears that causes him problems
though,…
Spirit of the Jungle
Bear Grylls
Illustrated by Javier Joaquin
In a nutshell: jungle survival in the footsteps of Mowgli | More
than 120 years after publication of The Jungle Book, and following
the…
Would You Rather: Dine with a Dung Beetle or Lunch with a Maggot?
Camilla de le Bedoyere
Illustrated by Mel Howells
Would you rather dine with a dung beetle, drink with a mosquito,
have supper with a spider or lunch with a maggot? Pick your answer
and learn about…
Middle School: Escape to Australia
James Patterson
February 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: Rafe Khatchadorian
heads down under In this special episode of the hugely popular
Middle…
Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den
Aimee Carter
February 2016 Debut of the Month Like Harry Potter, Aimée
Carter's twisty, original thriller stars a gang of kids with
special…
Spies in Disguise: Boy in a Tutu
Kate Scott
A funny, wise-cracking spy story with World Cup memorabilia at its
centre - James Bond never had to dress up as a girl!! - packed full
of gadgets and…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
The Mega Quiz
Barbara Mitchelhill
Illustrated by Tony Ross
In a nutshell: comic mishaps and triumphs of a schoolboy detective
A sign in his local library catches the eye of schoolboy detective
Damian Drooth:…
Isadora Moon Goes to the Fair
Harriet Muncaster
In a nutshell: half vampire, half fairy, all fun Harriet
Muncaster's stories of little Isadora Moon have deservedly won a
huge and…
House of Robots: Robot Revolution
James Patterson
In a nutshell: super-readable story | robot rumpus at high school |
Uh-oh, things are not running smoothly in the…
The Forever Man
Eoin Colfer
The heroes of Eoin Colfer's wonderful time-travelling W.A.R.P.
series, Victorian orphan Riley and Shawnee FBI juvenile consultant
Chevie are…
Top of the Class (Nearly)
Liz Pichon
From the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Best Book for
Younger Readers - Red House Children's Book Award, the Waterstones
Children's Book…
St Grizzles School for Girls, Ghosts and Runaway Grannies
Karen Mccombie
Illustrated by Becka Moor
In a nutshell: fun and friendship at 21st century boarding school
Eleven-year-old Dani is a few weeks into life at her new boarding
school, St…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
The Sticky Witch 4u2read
Hilary Mckay
Illustrated by Mike Phillips
Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 7 In a nutshell: two children and their
cat escape a sticky situation Hilary McKay's name on…
Fame Thing
Jonathan Meres
Illustrated by Jake McDonald
One of our Super Readable Books of the Year 2016 | Interest Age
8-12 Reading Age 8 | In a nutshell: funny story of football,
fandom…
Robot Girl
Malorie Blackman
Illustrated by Matthew Griffin
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ When it comes to writing
involving, thought-provoking page-turners, Malorie Blackman is
unbeatable. In this…
Stars Shall be Bright
Catherine MacPhail
Illustrated by Ollie Cuthbertson
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ There are all sorts of stories
being told about World War One, this one, based on the true story
of the…
Nadine Dreams of Home
Bernard Ashley
Illustrated by Ollie Cuthbertson
Shortlisted for the Little Rebels Book Award 2015 Interest Age 7-12
Reading Age 7+ A beautiful story which captures the…
Contact
Malorie Blackman
Illustrated by Paul Fisher
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 7+ Malorie Blackman is adept at
writing thought-provoking books as full of ideas as they are of
action and…
