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
- Meltdown! by Jill Murphy
- Over the Hills and Far Away A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes from Around the World by Elizabeth Hammill
- 5 Wild Numbers by Bella Gomez
3+ readers
- Square by Mac Barnett
- Wonder Goal! by Michael Foreman
- The Match by Russell Ayto
5+ readers
- The Great Telephone Mix-Up (Little Gem) by Sally Nicholls
- The Bad Mood and the Stick by Lemony Snicket
- Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz
7+ readers
- Hoakes Island by Ian Friel
- The Uncracked Code by Tamara Macfarlane
- A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold
9+ readers
- You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed
- How to Bee by Bren MacDibble
- Spirit by Sally Christie
11+ readers
- The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson
- A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
- Girls for the Vote by Linda Newbery
13+ readers
- Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge
- Holes by Louis Sachar
- The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
YA readers
- Release by Patrick Ness
- Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
- The Girl in the Broken Mirror by Savita Kalhan
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!
Lovereading is just a convenient way to find new books and hear others opinions on them.
Sarah Murray – age 15
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
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
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
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
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 a community united by a passion for books and promoting the best there is in children’s literature.
Sam Bateman and family
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 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…
We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
This is the 25th anniversary board book edition of this bestselling
title which well-deserves its classic status. It has become the
staple of…
The Bedtime Bear
Ian Whybrow
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Bear is making his way to bed, but he seems to be taking a
circuitous route. He goes through the jungle, on a bike, with a
tiger; past the North…
Before I Wake Up...
Britta Teckentrup
April 2016 Book of the Month A little girl's dreams take her and a
friendly lion on a magical journey. Together they fly over meadows,
swim…
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…
The Star Tree
Catherine Hyde
When a little girl's nightlight goes out, she takes a magical
midnight journey to the Star Tree in this beautiful bedtime read
from fine artist…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
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…
The Magical Mix-Up
Zach King
Illustrated by Beverly Arce
May 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: fast-moving mix of
magic, first crushes and knockabout humour | Zach King's family
have…
Release
Patrick Ness
***Recommended for 16+ due to content. Book of the Month for May
2018 | Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2018 |In a
Nutshell: love, truth…
I Stop Somewhere
T. E. Carter
May 2018 Debut of the Month | In a Nutshell: Intense exposé
of extreme misogyny and male privilege An unflinching novel
about…
You Are Awesome
Matthew Syed
May 2018 Book of the Month | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month
April & May 2018 Table tennis champion Matthew Syed offers his
very best…
How to Bee
Bren MacDibble
May 2018 Book of the Month How To Bee is unlike any story I have
ever read. The narrative voice is heartfelt and the author uses a
mild form…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
The Wizards of Once
Cressida Cowell
Winner of the 2018 Blue Peter Awards - Best Story | One of Our
Books of the Year 2017 | A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month
October…
A Story Like the Wind
Gill Lewis
Illustrated by Jo Weaver
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Longlisted for the UKLA 2018
Book Award A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month May 2017
Gill…
Black Moon
L. A. Weatherly
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | March 2017 Book of the Month A
fitting and truly fabulous end to the breathtaking Broken Trilogy.
It's…
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…
Triangle
Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | April 2017 Book of the Month |
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2017 Brilliant
and…
Where the World Ends
Geraldine McCaughrean
One of our Books of the Year 2017 | Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018
Book Award May 2017 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: beautifully
written,…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
Young, Gifted and Black
Jamia Wilson
Illustrated by Andrea Pippins
In a Nutshell: Inspiring celebration of black trailblazers This
inspiring, illuminating, stylishly accessible anthology invites
young readers…
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…
The Colours of History
Clive Gifford
Illustrated by Marc-Etienne Peintre
A fascinating information book, The Colours of History takes
readers to different places at different times to show how humans
have used colour in…
Cool Physics
Sarah Hutton
Illustrated by Damien Weighill
An amazing guide to the wonders of physics, handily broken down
into accessible bite-sized chunks and particularly helpful for
anyone new to or…
A Walk on the Wild Side
Louis Thomas
This animal guide book takes an unusual approach: it is presented
in the form of a scrapbook completed by the author Louis Thomas as
he travelled the…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
The Night Gardener
Terry Fan, Eric Fan
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award February 2017 Debut of the
Month This beautiful book demands and repays careful
reading.…
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…
Goodbye Days
Jeff Zentner
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In a Nutshell: Loss,
friendship and the light of re-finding your way | An…
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…
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…
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 -…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
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…
The Amazing Dinosaur Detectives
Maggie Li
One of our Books of the Year 2016 | May 2016 Book of the Month
Attractive, friendly illustrations and an interactive approach make
this a fun…
The Truth According to Arthur
Tim Hopgood
Illustrated by David Tazzyman
Arthur has a problem with The Truth, though normally they're good
friends. You see Arthur has done something he shouldn't have,
and…
The Adventures of Alfie Onion
Vivian French
Illustrated by Marta Kissi
If you love fairytales – and who couldn't? – you'll
love this brand new adventure written by one of our most inventive
and…
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,…
Song of the Dolphin Boy
Elizabeth Laird
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2018 Award-winning
Elizabeth Laird's touching story about Finn, a misfit boy who
is…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
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…
Mind Writer
Steve Cole
Illustrated by Nelson Evergreen
One of our Super Readable Books of the Year 2016 | Interest Age
8-12 Reading Age 8 | In a Nutshell : accessible | edgy |…
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…
The Leaky Battery Sets Sail
Gareth P. Jones
The crew of the Leaky Battery are a rum bunch alright:
steam-powered metal robots of different shapes and sizes.
Originally designed to be servants,…
The Jewelled Jaguar
Sharon Tregenza
In a nutshell: myth, mystery and adventure Sharon Tregenza's
exciting mystery story opens in very dramatic fashion when a huge
sinkhole…
Holes
Louis Sachar
Wholly original and brilliantly plotted, Holes is a funny and
poignant story about surviving. When Stanley Yelnats is falsely
accused of stealing a…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
Gawain Greytail and the Terrible Tab
Cornelia Funke
Illustrated by Monica Armino
A Dyslexia Friendly Picture Book for Parent and Child There's a
definite air of chivalry to this new picture book from 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…
Young Werewolf
Cornelia Funke
Illustrated by David Roberts
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8 Matt was your average boy until a
dangerous encounter awakens a wolf inside of him! This is a fun
supernatural…
Gunpoint
Jim Eldridge
Illustrated by Dan Chernett
Interest Age 9+ Reading Age 6+ “Put your hands up! If anyone
moves we shoot!” The action starts on page one of this
heart-stopping…
The Queen's Tale
Kaye Umansky
Illustrated by Alexandre Honore
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ Snow White's wickedest stepmother
is one of the darkest characters in fiction and here she is shown
in the…
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…
