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 they put books in front of us we wouldn’t otherwise have read. They make us more adventurous readers!
Emily Jacques
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
At @HHSHaringey we love @lovereading4kids because our pupils can practice reviewing & get free upcoming books before anyone else!
Helen Swinyard – Heartlands High
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
It is fantastic, you get to read lots of books and you always find something new and amazing in them.
Erica Motoc, age 7
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
It is THE website to use for narrowing down your search for any book. Definitely knocks the socks off any other book review website.
Nickey and Tomasz Hawryszczuk
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
Zzzzz A Book of Sleep
Il Sung Na
Wonderful illustrations coupled with a gorgeous storyline of an owl
who at night watches while others go to sleep but as dawn breaks
can you guess…
Goodnight World
Debi Gliori
It's hard to think of a more perfect bedtime book than Goodnight
World. The sun is going down and the world is getting ready to go
to sleep.…
This is Not A Bedtime Story
Will Mabbitt
Illustrated by Fred Blunt
Clever, funny and heart-racingly exciting, this is a book to
inspire and delight every little girl and boy. And one thing's for
sure. Perfect for…
Spot Loves Bedtime
Eric Hill
A favourite with children now for generations, Spot never loses his
charm. It's bedtime, but Spot can't settle down until he finds
Teddy,…
Blown Away
Rob Biddulph
Winner of the 2015 Waterstones Children's Book Prize A brilliant
adventure for a bold Penguin who gets swept up, up and away on a
brand new…
Peepo! 30th Anniversary Edition
Allan Ahlberg
Fabulous illustrations, wonderful rhyming text with not a word out
of place; this is a book that no nursery bookshelf can be without.
This book…
This month's 'featured books':
Reviewed by Children
Planet Stan
Elaine Wickson
Illustrated by Chris Judge
April 2018 Debut of the Month | In a nutshell: brotherly love under
the microscope Space, family relationships, friendships
–…
I Stop Somewhere
T. E. Carter
In a Nutshell: Intense exposé of extreme misogyny and male
privilege An unflinching novel about brutally toxic masculinity,
male…
Welcome to Nowhere
Elizabeth Laird
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In a nutshell: the lives
of a Syrian family brought vividly and sympathetically to life for
young readers…
Judy Moody: Around the World in 8 1/2 Days
Megan McDonald
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Another day. Another mood. Meet Judy Moody at her moodiest best, in
this laugh-a-minute seventh adventure in the international
bestselling series.
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…
What the Ladybird Heard Next
Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Lydia Monks
Best-selling duo Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks have gone back to
the farmyard for a second adventure featuring the clever and
resourceful ladybird!…
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…
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…
I Funny: School of Laughs
James Patterson
Illustrated by Jomike Tejido
One of our Books of the Year 2018 | June 2017 Book of the Month |
In a nutshell: more fast, funny, heavily illustrated adventures
with…
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…
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…
A Girl Called Owl
Amy Wilson
Longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2018 | One of Our Books of
the Year 2017 | February 2017 Book of the Month | In a
nutshell:…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
Vicious Vikings
Terry Deary, Martin Brown
All the foul facts about the Vicious Vikings are ready to uncover,
including including Viking Gods in wedding dresses, corpses on
trial and Death by…
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…
Chronologica The Incredible Years That Defined History
Whitaker's Almanack
Written and compiled by the team behind Whitaker's Almanack,
Chronologica provides a eye-opening tour through over 2500 years of
world history,…
Fantastically Great Women Who Made History
Kate Pankhurst
It's impossible not to be inspired by this picture book and the
great women featured in it: their stories are told across bright
spreads, which…
Cool Mythology
Malcolm Croft
Illustrated by Damien Weighill
Stories, gods, heroes and villains from the world's great
mythologies are all featured in this compact and appealing
information book. It is…
The Story of Space
Catherine Barr, Steve Williams
Illustrated by Amy Husband
The story of space is told with all the drama and excitement it
merits but clearly and simply for the youngest readers. Over forty
colourful pages…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
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We Come Apart
Sarah Crossan, Brian Conaghan
January 2018 Book of the Month | Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book
Award In a nutshell: unputdownable story, beautifully told |
…
Football School Season 1: Where Football Explains the World
Alex Bellos, Ben Lyttleton
Illustrated by Spike Gerrell
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Shortlisted for the Blue
Peter Book Award 2017 - Best Books with Facts The authors of this
very…
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…
Orangeboy
Patrice Lawrence
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award | Winner of the YA Book
Prize 2017 | Winner of Waterstones Children's Book Prize
2017,…
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…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
Books for Boys
Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - The Stegosaurus
E. T. Harper
Illustrated by Dan Taylor
Dylan and his dinosaur friend fly off on amazing dinosaur discovery
missions to the Land of Living Dinosaurs. This time he has to
discover what…
The Building Boy
Ross Montgomery
Illustrated by David Litchfield
September 2016 Debut of the Month There's an air of fairy tale in
this beautiful and touching picture book, but its foundations
are…
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…
Collection of Curiosities: Bugs
Vicky Egan
This handsome information/activity book is packed with bug facts,
figures and features. There are lots of beautiful close up images
of insects, some…
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…
Freddie Mole, Lion Tamer
Alexander Mccall Smith
Illustrated by Kate Hindley
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month March 2017 Freddie Mole is
just an ordinary boy who never imagines that he will do anything
brave. He…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
The Worst Witch and The Wishing Star
Jill Murphy
Mildred, notoriously the worst witch at Miss Cackle's Academy for
Witches, makes a wish on a shooting star - and to her great
surprise it comes true!…
Space Ace 4u2read
Eric Brown
Illustrated by Tony Ross
Interest Age 7+ Reading Age 7 | Fact and fiction are cleverly
combined in this space travel adventure story. It's 2075 and
young…
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…
Laugh Out Loud
James Patterson
In a nutshell: lively, comic story celebrating kids' reading and
determination James Patterson creates books kids love, and his
latest book is…
Puppy Academy: Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue
Gill Lewis
Illustrated by Sarah Horne
In a nutshell : daring puppy heroes Gill Lewis's little stories of
the doggy students of the Puppy Academy have much to…
King Flashypants and the Evil Emperor
Andy Riley
In a nutshell : noble kings – evil laughs – chocolate
Good versus evil is given a very funny workout in this the first
book in what…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
A Twist of Tales
Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Peter Bailey
Interest Age 5-8 No-one knows better than Julia Donaldson how to
tell a story for young readers. There are three fairy tales in this
appealing…
Honey and Me
Karen Mccombie
Illustrated by Cathy Brett
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ Karen McCombie writes straight to
the heart of pre-teens, and Honey and Me is a perfect McCombie
novel. Kirsten has…
The 13th Fairy
Kaye Umansky
Illustrated by Stefano Tambellini
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ Poor Sleeping Beauty! Everyone
knows she was cursed by the wicked fairy out of spite because
she…
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…
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.…
Meet the Weirds
Kaye Umansky
Illustrated by Chris Mould
Interest Age 9-12 Reading Age 8+ The Weirds are a most unusual
family in every way; mum is a stunt woman, dad is a scientist with
a habit of blowing…
