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!
We love Lovereading4kids because it promotes reading choices, new authors and a sense of community for children of all ages!
Rachel Bridgeman
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
I love ‘LoveReading 4 kids’ because they let you read and learn things you’d never dreamed of learning before.
Emily Horncastle – age 11
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
Love “Lovereading4kids” as my son gets to hear about & read new books before his mates which keeps him interested in reading=a very happy Mum
Liz Evans
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 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’s so easy to find the right book for your child. Such an easy-to-use, yet in-depth website. 100% reliable.
Pippa, Jack, Liam & Matthew Wils
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
Lynley Dodd
First published in 1983 and still as good today. Written by Lynley
Dodd, who is a New Zealander, this is the first in a series of
books about the…
Goodnight Tiptoe
Polly Dunbar
A dreamy, goodnight story. Bedtime comes and every one is sleepy
– except Tiptoe! One after another, Tilly settles her friends
down for the…
I Want a Bedtime Story!
Tony Ross
After all these years the Little Princess still rules the palace
and its inhabitants – including the queen, the admiral and
the prime minister.…
Good Night Like This
Mary Murphy
As every parent knows, a good ‘night night, snuggle down'
book is invaluable, and Good Night Like This is a particularly
lovely take on…
The Crocodile Under the Bed
Judith Kerr
From the creator of The Tiger Who Came to Tea comes a glorious
picture book full of wonder and adventure. Matty is sick, so sick
that he cant go to…
Old Bear's Bedtime Stories
Jane Hissey
One of our Books of the Year 2015 - December 2015 Book of the Month
Jane Hissey's Old Bear stories make perfect bedtime reading:
warm-hearted…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
The Chocolate Factory Ghost
David O'Connell
Illustrated by Claire Powell
In a nutshell: rags to riches ghostly mystery story Roald Dahl
would surely approve of this exciting story, which rivals Charlie
and…
Out of the Blue
Sophie Cameron
April 2018 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: Falling Angels |
Rising Hope | Falling in Love Compelling magic realist debut in
which a fallen…
Happy Hatchday
Rob Biddulph
April 2018 Book of the Month Rob Biddulph's new picture book is
another typically happy reading experience. Nine dinosaur eggs
(count them)…
The Wardrobe Monster
Bryony Thomson
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month April 2018 A charming story of
bedtime fears with a neat twist to it. Dora and all her toys wake
up grouchy and…
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 Burning Maze
Rick Riordan
The third title in Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo series - set in
the action-packed (and hilarious) world of Percy Jackson.
Lovereading Comment to…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
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…
Carve the Mark
Veronica Roth
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | In a Nutshell: Deadly dilemmas
amidst Star Wars-esque intergalactic enmity | First book in an
ambitiously epic…
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 –…
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,…
The Giant Jumperee
Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | April 2017 MEGA Book of the
Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month April 2017 | Julia
Donaldson and…
The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
Lauren James
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | September 2017 Book of the
Month | In a Nutshell: Stellar story of survival in outer space A
uniquely…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
Super Skills: How to Create Animation in 10 Easy Lessons
William Bishop-Stephens
September 2016 Fascinating Facts Book of the Month Anything you can
imagine, you can animate says this stimulating book, and it
explains clearly and…
Peep Inside The Sea
Anna Milbourne
Illustrated by Simona Dimitri
There's so much for very young children to discover when they peep
inside the sea in the pages of this excellent board book. Each
page…
The Superhero Handbook
James Doyle
Illustrated by Jason Ford
There's no excuse for anyone who, having read this book from cover
to cover and followed its instructions carefully, does not emerge
a…
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…
Three Cheers for Women!
Marcia Williams
Three Cheers for Women is a hugely inspirational book for children.
It is full of facts, quotes and jokes brought together in a really
fun way…
100 Most Feared Creatures
Anna Claybourne
August 2016 Book of the Month This book is definitely not for those
of a nervous disposition! It features hundreds of different
creatures from…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
There May Be a Castle
Piers Torday
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In a nutshell: the
unbeatable power of the imagination | Piers Torday's
beautifully…
The Wolf Who Cried Boy!
James O'Neill
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award The villagers and the
wolves are terrified of each other - and none more so than our two
unlikely heroes, a…
The Goldfish Boy
Lisa Thompson
Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 | Longlisted for the
UKLA 2018 Book Award A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month
January…
Grandad's Secret Giant
David Litchfield
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award This picture book from
David Litchfield, author of the Waterstones-Prize winning The Bear
and the Piano, is…
A Child of Books
Oliver Jeffers, Sam Winston
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Julia Eccleshare's Book of
the Month September 2016 Award-winning storyteller and artist
Oliver…
Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea
Morag Hood
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award One of our Books of the
Year 2016 | July 2016 Debut of the Month Simplicity is the charm of
this…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
Timmy Failure: The Cat Stole My Pants
Stephan Pastis
In a nutshell: Hilarious sleuthing with boy detective and his
sidekick polar bear… | A new Timmy Failure book is
always…
Scenes from the Epic Life of a Total Genius
Stacey Matson
Illustrated by Simon Kwan
In a nutshell: the agony and the ecstasy of the pre-teen The return
of Arthur Bean, self-proclaimed creative genius and star of one
already highly…
Digger Disaster
Rose Impey
Illustrated by Chris Chatterton
The combination of dinosaurs and diggers will make this completely
irresistible to many young children, but there's lots for all
readers to…
Jack's Mega Machines: Mighty Monster Truck
Alison Ritchie
Illustrated by Mike Byrne
An exciting new title in the popular series about Jack, a boy with
a gift for repairingbig machines. Jack's just fixed up a monster
truck and…
Harry and the Monster
Sue Mongredien
Illustrated by Nick East
How can Harry tame the monster who comes to scare him in the night?
Luckily first Mum and then dad come up with a clever plan.
Suddenly, the monster…
Football Forgery
Barbara Mitchelhill
Illustrated by Tony Ross
In a nutshell: comic triumphs and mishaps of a schoolboy detective
Schoolboy super-sleuth Damian Drooth is back with a new case:
someone is selling…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie Escape from Camp
Jeff Norton
Life's not easy for Adam Meltzer, or rather death isn't. You see,
he's a zombie – bad enough for anyone let alone someone
who…
Shouldn't You be in School?
Lemony Snicket
Madcap fun and mystery in this somewhat eccentric yet addictive
series from the huge bestselling author of A Series of Unfortunate
Events. This…
Aliens Love Dinopants
Claire Freedman
Illustrated by Ben Cort
Those pants-mad aliens are back for another bonkers and utterly
irresistible episode of knicker-nicking! Lightning sends the
aliens' spaceship…
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…
Walter Brown and the Magician's Hat
Karen Inglis
London-based children's author Karen Inglis is back with another
illustrated page-turner, this time for ages 7-9. Karen has made a
name for…
Green Eggs and Ham
Dr. Seuss
Hilarious and with a memorable rhyming text, this is the perfect
advocate for the adage, you don't know if you like something
until…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
Chuckle Bob's Great Escape
Jeremy Strong
Illustrated by Scoular Anderson
Interest age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ Best-selling Jeremy Strong tells a
dramatic story of a monkey on the loose. When Chuckle Bob escapes
from the…
The First Hunter
Robert Swindells
Illustrated by Si Clark
Interest Age 9+ Reading Age 8 In a nutshell: action-filled,
thought-provoking story set in the Stone Age. In urgent, staccato
prose Robert…
Mad Iris and the Bad School Report
Jeremy Strong
Illustrated by Scoular Anderson
One of our Dyslexia Friendly Books of the Year 2015 - Interest Age
8-12 Reading Age 8Firm favourite Mad Iris returns for a third
madcap…
Annie's Choice
Catherine MacPhail
Illustrated by Vladimir Stankovic
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ Catherine McPhail gives a spine
tingling and ghostly edge to a hard-hitting story about a school
bully.…
Spitfire
Tom Palmer
Illustrated by David Shephard
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ Tom Palmer combines football with
a dramatic story of the Second World War, plus a touch of
the…
Free Lance and the Lake of Skulls
Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell
Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8 | In a nutshell: magic, knights and
double-dealing Free Lance is a knight for hire, and sometimes has
to take…
