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
- My First Elmer by David McKee
- Meltdown! by Jill Murphy
- The Tickle Test by Kathryn White
3+ readers
- The Wildest Cowboy by Garth Jennings
- Square by Mac Barnett
- Wonder Goal! by Michael Foreman
5+ readers
- The Great Telephone Mix-Up (Little Gem) by Sally Nicholls
- The Bad Mood and the Stick by Lemony Snicket
- Plantopedia by Adrienne Barman
7+ readers
- Hoakes Island by Ian Friel
- The Uncracked Code by Tamara Macfarlane
- A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold
9+ readers
- How to Bee by Bren MacDibble
- You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed
- Spirit by Sally Christie
11+ readers
- The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
- A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
- The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood-Hargrave
13+ readers
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge
- Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
YA readers
- White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock
- Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
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!
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
I love all the books they recommend & put up for me to review. I also love the fact that they give new authors the chance to share their boo
Daisy Pennock – age 15
It is fantastic, you get to read lots of books and you always find something new and amazing in them.
Erica Motoc, age 7
This company is amazing; not only is it is a great opportunity to get books and review them but everyone is so friendly and supportive!
Jemma Rubens, age 10
At @HHSHaringey we love @lovereading4kids because our pupils can practice reviewing & get free upcoming books before anyone else!
Helen Swinyard – Heartlands High
We love Lovereading4kids because it promotes reading choices, new authors and a sense of community for children of all ages!
Rachel Bridgeman
I am so pleased to have signed my kids up as they are reading a much wider range of books and even choosing books out of their comfort zone.
Angela East
LoveReading4Kids is a modern and creative way of emphasising the value and importance of books in this digital age #booksforlife
Amrit Bunet – Teen
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
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…
Under the Love Umbrella
Davina Bell
Illustrated by Allison Colpoys
This brightly illustrated picture book is a celebration of the
enduring love that surrounds your children, wherever they are in
the world. The…
Let's Join in
Shirley Hughes
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month July 2017 Four simple bedtime
stories capture the precious yet everyday moments in pre-school
and…
Richard Scarry's Best Treasury Ever
Richard Scarry
A stunning hardback treasury of five of Richard Scarry's best-loved
stories - the perfect gift for Scarry fans, young and old!
Richard…
A Perfect Day
Lane Smith
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month May 2018 | Longlisted for the
UKLA 2018 Book Award Award winning Lane Smith celebrates the simple
delights of…
Mrs Mole, I'm Home!
Jarvis
April 2017 Picture Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of
the Month April 2017 | Morris Mole can't find his glasses anywhere
at…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
My Box-Shaped Heart
Rachael Lucas
In a Nutshell: Fractured families | First love | Fresh starts |
16-year-old Holly feels like an outsider, except when she's…
Iguana Boy Saves the World With a Triple Cheese Pizza
James Bishop
In a nutshell: can one boy and four iguanas save the world? You
betcha There might be a lot of superhero books around at the
moment,…
The Company of Eight
Harriet Whitehorn
All her life Cass has dreamt of joining the circus to become an
acrobat and travel the islands on the Circus Boat. Once a year the
boat visits…
Fish Boy
Chloe Daykin
Illustrated by Richard Jones
Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 | Longlisted for the
UKLA 2018 Book Award March 2017 Debut of the Month In…
William Wenton and the Secret Portal
Bobbie Peers
In a nutshell: code-breaking child genius versus villainous robots
| William Wenton is something of a bionic boy; half of his body is
a…
After the Fire
Will Hill
Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2018 | Shortlisted for the CILIP
Carnegie Medal 2018 | In a nutshell: tense, super-suspenseful novel
based on…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
The Journey
Francesca Sanna
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Winner for the 2017 Klaus
Flugge Prize | Winner of the UKLA 2017 Book Award | Shortlisted for
the CILIP Kate…
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…
A Berlin Love Song
Sarah Matthias
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | In a nutshell: an unusual and
unforgettable wartime love story | Lili Petalo is a…
Moonrise
Sarah Crossan
Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2018 | Shortlisted for the Centre
for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award 2018 | One of Our Books
of…
Alex, Approximately
Jenn Bennett
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | In a Nutshell: Rolling waves of
romance in the Californian sun Feel-good fiction at its best:
moving,…
Old Hat!
Emily Gravett
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018
Book Award June 2017 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of
the…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
Bird House
Libby Walden
Illustrated by Clover Robin
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2018 This chunky book
imitates a bird house in shape and makes a great format for an
attractive…
The Spot the Mistake: Lands of Long Ago
Mike Jolley, A. J. Wood
Illustrated by Frances Castle
For an information book, Lands of Long Ago takes a highly unusual
approach, filling its pages with errors. Young readers are
challenged to find…
Life on Earth: Farm
Heather Alexander
Illustrated by Andres M. Lozano
March 2017 Book of the Month Unless they are regular visitors to
the countryside it can be hard for children to connect the milk in
the…
What are Stars?
Katie Daynes
Illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens
What are Stars? is an excellent book for children who love to ask
questions. Over a series of six attractive and inviting double
pages, featuring…
Lift-the-flap Questions and Answers about Long Ago
Katie Daynes
Illustrated by Peter Donnelly
Facts and flaps are an irresistible combination in this
illuminating information book. Divided into sections Where, Who,
Why, What, How, When…
Above and Below
Patricia Hegarty
Illustrated by Hanako Clulow
Children are invited to explore eight different habitats in this
appealing and very attractive information book, clever split page
design allows them…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
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…
Optimists Die First
Susin Nielsen
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award March 2017 Book of the
Month | In a Nutshell: how to hope for the best even when you've
been through…
The Pest in the Nest Book 2
Julian Gough
Illustrated by Jim Field
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Gorgeously illustrated and
with a classic feel, this is a brilliantly funny story of a rabbit
and a bear who…
You Must Bring a Hat
Simon Philip
Illustrated by Kate Hindley
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award A party invitation is at
the centre of this highly entertaining and amusing story. It states
that guests…
Oi Dog! Board Book
Kes Gray, Claire Gray
Illustrated by Jim Field
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award | Winner of the Children's
Book Award 2017 - Books for Younger Children Category All fans of
rhymes will…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
Jake Atlas and the Hunt for the Feathered God
Rob Lloyd Jones
In a nutshell: page-turning, explosive treasure-hunting adventures
Indiana Jones meets Alex Rider in this excellent series.
The…
Pirate Pete and His Smelly Feet
Lucy Rowland
Illustrated by Mark Chambers
Pirates are always popular subjects for picture books and by
ingeniously combining a pirate story with a pair of yucky smelly
feet, Mark Chambers and…
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…
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…
The Secret Dog
Joe Friedman
Good dog stories are irresistible and this one has everything that
young readers want. Josh is living on a Scottish island with his
crofter uncle…
They Didn't Teach This in Worm School!
Simone Lia
August 2016 Debut of the Month This story of an unusual friendship
is exactly the sort of barmy, surreal comedy adventure that…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
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…
Jacky Ha-Ha: My Life is a Joke
James Patterson
Spending time with the eponymous Jacky (Ha-Ha because she's both
funny and a stammerer) is always great fun and, as ever, there's
lots to…
Aztec Attack
Chris Blake
Join Tom on an incredible treasure hunt through time and battle
history's mightiest warriors. The twelfth book in an action-packed,
time-travelling…
There's a Dragon in My Backpack!
Tom Nicoll
Illustrated by Sarah Horne
From the Psammead to the Cat in the Hat, there's a long tradition
in children's books of young protagonists befriending a
magical…
The World's Worst Children
David Walliams
Illustrated by Tony Ross
Julia Eccleshare's Book of the Month June 2016 Ten wickedly funny
and wonderfully surreal stories of truly terrible children show
best-selling…
A Different Dog
Paul Jennings
Illustrated by Geoff Kelly
In a nutshell: exciting, unusual rescue story set in Australia's
dense forest A Different Dog is the story of the special
relationship that…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
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…
Tales from Weird Street
Anne Fine
Illustrated by Vicki Gausden
Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 Three young friends pass a sunny day
telling each other stories of some of the strange things that
have…
The Great Telephone Mix-Up (Little Gem)
Sally Nicholls
Illustrated by Sheena Dempsey
May 2018 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell; Communication chaos
bringing a community closer | Interest Age 5-8 | The…
How Brave is That?
Anne Fine
Illustrated by Vicki Gausden
One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2013 - Interest Age
8-12 Reading Age 7 Award-winning Anne Fine takes a…
Henry Pond the Poet
Dick King-Smith
Illustrated by Victor Ambrus
Interest Age 5-8 Dick King-Smith had a wonderful gift for creating
seemingly simple children's stories filled with humour and drama.
Henry Pond…
The Beast
Michaela Morgan
Illustrated by Chris Mould
Interest Age 7-12 Reading Age 7 Clever telling keeps this story
spooky and surprising. Chapter one and Robbie and Gareth are
local…
