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
- Goodnight Everyone by Chris Haughton
- A Big Day for Migs by Jo Hodgkinson
- A Bear-y Tale by Anthony Browne
3+ readers
- Mr Pegg's Post by Elena Topouzoglou
- Baby's First Bank Heist by Jim Whalley
- I Want My Dad! by Tony Ross
5+ readers
- Norman the Norman and the Very Small Duchess by Philip Ardagh
- Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz
- The Day War Came by Nicola Davies
7+ readers
- Junkyard Jack and the Horse That Talked by Adrian Edmondson
- The Twitches Bake a Cake by Hayley Scott
- Dog Diaries by Steven Butler & James Patterson
9+ readers
- Boy Underwater by Adam Baron
- Kat Wolfe Investigates by Lauren St.John
- Mirror Magic by Claire Fayers
11+ readers
- Cogheart by Peter Bunzl
- Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
- Midnight by Derek Landy
13+ readers
- My Messed-Up Life by Susin Nielsen
- The Family Tree by Mal Peet
- The Tiger on His Back by Bernard Ashley
YA readers
- The Weight of a Thousand Feathers by Brian Conaghan
- After the Fire by Will Hill
- Before I Die by Jenny Downham
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!
At @HHSHaringey we love @lovereading4kids because our pupils can practice reviewing & get free upcoming books before anyone else!
Helen Swinyard – Heartlands High
I think Lovereading4kids is an amazing company because of the friendly staff and the fabulous chance to read great books before publication.
Adam Graham
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
Lovereading is just a convenient way to find new books and hear others opinions on them.
Sarah Murray – age 15
I love Lovereading4kids because I get an opportunity to put my opinion forward and to try new books
Elosie Clarkson – 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
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 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
This month's 'featured books':
Bedtime Reading
Silver
Walter de la Mare
Illustrated by Carolina Rabei
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month April 2017 | “Slowly,
silently now the moon/ Walks the night/ in her silver…
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…
Whatever Next!
Jill Murphy
A Julia Eccleshare Pick of the Month January 2018 Celebrating
thirty-five best-selling years, Whatever Next! is a classic story
of a child's…
Mr Underbed
Chris Riddell
STOP PRESS: You have probably seen the Christmas TV ad for Moz the
Monster. It looks to us as though the inspiration for it may well
have…
I'm Big Now
Anthea Simmons
Illustrated by Georgie Birkett
This lively, cheerful picture book takes a positive look at one of
the changes the arrival of a new baby can bring. ‘There's a
new baby…
Secrets of the Mountain
Libby Walden
Illustrated by Richard Jones
In a nutshell: Dahl-esque story in defence of Unusualness Children
who like their stories filled with larger-than-life characters,
crazy comedy and…
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…
Dog Diaries
Steven Butler & James Patterson
Illustrated by Richard Watson
June 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: It's a (very funny,
very readable) dog's life Narrated at breathless speed by
super-excited…
Ottoline and the Purple Fox
Chris Riddell
In a nutshell: nonstop surprises in the Big City | This is the
fourth adventure for Ottoline and her best friend Mr Munroe, and
it…
The Twitches Bake a Cake
Hayley Scott
Illustrated by Pippa Curnick
June 2018 Book of the Month | More delightful small-scale fun and
big adventure in this new story starring toy rabbit family the
Twitches…
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…
Kat Wolfe Investigates
Lauren St.John
June 2018 Book of the Month | In a nutshell: animals, adventure and
an irresistible cast of characters This new series has everything
that marks out…
This month's 'featured books':
Books of the Year
Orbiting Jupiter
Gary D. Schmidt
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | Shortlisted for the UKLA 2017
Book Award Before meeting his new foster brother, Jack understands
what he…
The Lost Words
Robert Macfarlane, Jackie Morris
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 A book to make you think and
feel, this is an important, beautiful, spellbinding treasure. Words
from…
The Hate u Give
Angie Thomas
Awarded the Amnesty CILIP Honour commendation from the Carnegie
shortlist 2018 | Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2018 |
One of Our…
Letters from the Lighthouse
Emma Carroll
One of Our Books of the Year 2017 | July 2017 Book of the Month
Lovereading4kids are big fans of Emma's books. Her stories…
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…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
Fascinating Facts
The Barefoot Book of Children
Tessa Strickland, Kate DePalma
Illustrated by David Dean
Innovative and inclusive, The Barefoot Book of Children empowers
young readers to learn about the different lives of children around
the globe. …
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…
Destination: Space
Christoph Englert
Illustrated by Tom Clohosy Cole
Shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award 2017 - Best Books with
Facts | September 2016 Fascinating Facts Book of the Month …
Survivors
David Long
Illustrated by Kerry Hyndman
Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2017 - Best Books with Facts In
a nutshell: jaw-dropping true stories; survival against the odds
…
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 is Not Another Maths Book
Anna Weltman
Illustrated by Charlotte Milner
This book sets out to prove that maths has more in common with art
than many might think, and that it can be truly beautiful; it
achieves its aim. A…
This month's 'featured books':
UKLA 2018
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…
The Street Beneath My Feet
Charlotte Gullian
Illustrated by Yuval Zommer
Shortlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award Detailed, ingenious and
graphically beautiful this information book opens, as the best do,
with an…
Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride & Prejudice
Natasha Farrant
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award In a nutshell: Dances |
Dreams | Determination Younger sister of Lizzy and Jane, Lydia
Bennet is one…
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…
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,…
Bottle of Happiness, A
Pippa Goodhart
Illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi
Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award A new fable that goes full
circle as it explores the value of possessions against values of
friendship and…
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…
The Book of Me
Adam Frost
Illustrated by Sarah Ray
This is a scrapbook with a difference. Yes, readers are asked to
record the usual information about themselves, from their height to
what kind of…
Compton Valance Super F.A.R.T.s versus the Master of Time
Matt Brown
Illustrated by Lizzie Finlay
Compton Valance and his best friend Bryan Nylon are unlikely
heroes, but they managed to create a time machine out of a mouldy
cheese sandwich and…
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 Giant Rumble Wrestling Trolls: Match Three
Jim Eldridge
Challenged to a Giant Rumble but suffering from a shortfall of
wrestlers, Jack and his friends set out to find more participants
for their great…
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…
This month's 'featured books':
Reluctant Readers
The Fox and the Ghost King
Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated by Michael Foreman
Award-winning Michael Morpurgo weaves a charming and witty story
around sport and history as they have come together in the recent
twin triumphs of…
Black Light Express
Philip Reeve
November 2016 Book of the Month In a nutshell: dazzling journeys
into other worlds | Philip Reeve continues to turn us all
into…
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!…
A Dog Called Flow
Pippa Goodhart
Illustrated by Anthony Lewis
Shortlisted for the Smarties Prize and the Kathleen Fidler Award.
Oliver is struggling at school, and the other children laugh at
him. …
Moone Boy: the Blunder Years
Chris O'Dowd, Nick Vincent Murphy
One of our Books of the Year 2014 Martin Moone- one boy and a load
of sisters! That means Martin is always in trouble of one kind or
another.…
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,…
This month's 'featured books':
Super-readable Dyslexia-friendly
War Games
Terry Deary
Illustrated by Stefano Tambellini
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8 Best-known for his Horrible
Histories, Terry Deary has an exceptional ability to bring the past
to…
The Black Knight of Gressingham 4u2read
Philip Ardagh
Illustrated by Mike Phillips
Interest Age 7-12 Reading Age 7 Philip Ardagh is one of the
funniest - and cleverest - authors around and his stories of the
Green Men of…
Harald Hardnut
Tony Bradman
Illustrated by Martin Remphry
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ For some thrilling real life
action and adventure, you won't get much better than Tony…
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…
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…
Young Wizards
Michael Lawrence
Illustrated by Chris Mould
Interest Age 8-12 Reading Age 8+ On the day before their sister's
thirteenth birthday strangely magical things start to…
