Lovereading 4 Kids Updates

It’s nearly time for schools to break up and for us all to start planning our Christmas festivities – but if you need a few more presents then Lovereading4kids is a brilliant place to look. We have wonderful selections of Gift Books and Stocking Fillers for all ages. 

But if you are still stuck for choice here’s a small selection of personal favourites selected by the team here where you may just find the perfect book or books you’re looking for:

Jeremy thinks, books shortlisted for prizes are always worth reading and definitely worth giving as presents. There are two big prizes with recently announced shortlists and we have them all on Lovereading4kids. The Costa Children’s Award winner will be announced on 6 Jan and the Marsh Award for books translated into English will be announced on 16 Jan. Read a Free Opening Extract to find the right one for you.

Louise recommends you take a look at our special ‘Ology’ section. Ologies have become a publishing phenomenon and we have been featuring them all year. The latest book is Spyology with its wealth of real and imaginary information - it will absorb children (and parents) for hours.

Kasey believes, it wouldn’t be Christmas without the classic story A Christmas Carol. Everyone will love this gorgeous and sumptuously illustrated new unabridged edition, from the small but perfectly formed publishing house, Templar – this edition of A Christmas Carol is an absolute dream of a gift.
Finally, Peter who like his namesake has never grown up!, suggests a gift subscription of The DFC. Created by the publisher who brought you Northern Lights and featuring stories by Philip Pullman and other award winning authors – The DFC will ignite every child’s imagination. If you or your children love reading comics but maybe not books then sign up today we have some money saving offers for Lovereading4kids members and exclusive prizes to be won!

Happy Christmas to you all - Lovereading4kids

Featured Books Age 0 - 5 Years

1		Santa’s Littlest Helper Travels The World Anu Stohner Curl up on those cold starry winter nights and enjoy a magical Christmas story with Santa’s littlest helper who saves the day when everyone around him gets ill.  It’s a Christmas story with a twist and with some stunningly colourful … Download free opening extract
2		The Pencil Allan Ahlberg This book is an hilarious and unmissable treat! One day there is just a lonely pencil…It begins to draw – a boy, a dog, a cat and then a house and streets for them to play in. But everyone wants … Download free opening extract
3		Look Out, Stripy Horse! Jim Helmore, Karen Wall Hot on the hooves of the stripy horse’s first prize-winning adventure, Who Are You Stripy Horse? comes a wonderfully humorous and delightful tale of mischief, mayhem and monkeys and not forgetting of course, stripy horse. It’s a must for lovers … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Yuck’s Supercool Snotman Matt And Dave Loved by boys and girls of 5+ but particularly boys.  Two horribly disgusting adventures will be found within the covers of this latest Yuck adventure - Yuck’s Supercool Snotman and Yuck’s Dream machine. Seriously yuckable but utterly spellbinding. … Download free opening extract
2		The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil Wiley Miller A wonderful debut from an incredibly talented wordsmith and illustrator. Fans of The Wizard of Oz and James and the Giant Peach will love Basil and his erstwhile adventures. Basil is an ordinary boy living a very ordinary life in a lighthouse, … Download free opening extract
3		Alice In Wonderland (slipcase edition) Lewis Carroll, Rodney Matthews The story is timeless and can be read at so many different levels, but this lavish slipcased edition is quite simply stunning and will bring to the reader a very different Wonderland - even more fantastical and a little darker … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		The Birthday Book Michael Morpurgo This is a sumptuous collection of stories and verse compiled by Michael Morpurgo, beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake and published in aid of The Prince’s Foundation for Children and Arts and to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday. It’s … Download free opening extract
2		A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel (Quick Text) Charles Dickens This is the full story in quick modern English for a fast-paced read. The original Christmas tale is brought to life in this colourful graphic novel adaptation. It is the second Charles Dickens title from Classical Comics and probably his … Download free opening extract
3		Whitaker’s World Of Weird Tracey Turner Attractively produced, this is a neat pocket book stuffed full of extraordinary facts about all kinds of unusual things. Set against a background of strong photographic images, the sections in this book cover many things including Weird Encounters, Weird Behaviour … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		A Christmas Carol with A Christmas Tree (illustrated by Robert Ingpen) Charles Dickens This gorgeous and sumptuously illustrated new edition of the completely unabridged A Christmas Carol is an absolute dream of a gift.  The illustrations are by the award-winning artist Robert Ingpen who has successfully captured the atmosphere of Victorian London and … Download free opening extract
2		The Magic Thief Sarah Prineas This is an absolutely captivating debut fantasy adventure. Full of magic and trickery, this is the story of a wizard and his new apprentice trying to discover why the magic in their city is fading and how they must … Download free opening extract
3		Girls Are Best Sandi Toksvig Women gladiators, women in the Bayeaux Tapestry, women inventors - Sandi Toksvig uncovers them all in her light-hearted approach to the serious message of this book – women have always done amazing things but have mostly been overlooked by history. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Power Of Five: Necropolis Anthony Horowitz Yet again Anthony Horowitz has come up trumps with an edge-of-the-seat thriller with some brilliantly spun twists that will keep you guessing right up to the very end. The female protagonist is brilliantly portrayed - the first time, we think … Download free opening extract
2		When The Snow Fell Henning Mankell Shortlisted for the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation.  The winner will be announced on 20 January 2009. A touching story of growing up and discovering what really matters. Joel makes three New Year’s resolutions: To see a naked lady, … Download free opening extract
3		A Really Short History Of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson Full of extraordinary discoveries and wonder at the world we live in, this is a thrilling scientific journey through history. It raises and answers many of the questions young readers ask about how the greatest scientific discoveries were made and … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Before I Die Jenny Downham Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is a haunting yet truly amazing read but don’t read it too young. Definitely not for someone less than 14 years old. If you knew you were going to die what would … Download free opening extract
2		Young, Loaded And Fabulous Katherine Kingsley Addictive, scandalous and glamorous fiction from a brand new author writing for sophisticated teens!  As its title implies this is not for the faint-hearted.  If you’re up for a wild read where clubbing or holidaying in St Tropez is the … Download free opening extract
3		Eclipse Stephenie Meyer The much-anticipated 3rd novel in the captivating saga of vampire romance that began with Twilight, continued with New Moon. Friendships are stretched beyond breaking point and love choices must be made that are a matter of life and death and … Download free opening extract

Featured Books Age 0 - 5 Years

1		The Gruffalo Pop-up Theatre Book Julia Donaldson Not only can you read and reread the much loved story of the Gruffalo in this complete work of art but you can open the pop-up stage to act out the adventures of the little brown mouse, or even create … Download free opening extract
2		Dog Biscuit Helen Cooper A sumptuously illustrated and heart-warming adventure about a little girl who turns into a dog - or does she?  Find out in this wonderful new adventure from award winning author/illustrator, Helen Cooper. … Download free opening extract
3		My Grandpa’s Amazing Inventions Richard Johnson This is a wonderfully inspirational picture book for any young child.  Grandpa is an inventor and has been invited to enter a competition to win the ‘greatest invention prize’. Of course he wins it but that’s not all for something … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Yuck’s Supercool Snotman Matt And Dave Loved by boys and girls of 5+ but particularly boys.  Two horribly disgusting adventures will be found within the covers of this latest Yuck adventure - Yuck’s Supercool Snotman and Yuck’s Dream machine. Seriously yuckable but utterly spellbinding. … Download free opening extract
2		Lost Happy Endings Carol Ann Duffy Shortlisted for the prestigious 2008 Greenway. A wonderfully lyrical story about the search for the happy endings that are needed to make the perfect story. Beautiful illustrations bring the story to life. … Download free opening extract
3		The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil Wiley Miller A wonderful debut from an incredibly talented wordsmith and illustrator. Fans of The Wizard of Oz and James and the Giant Peach will love Basil and his erstwhile adventures. Basil is an ordinary boy living a very ordinary life in a lighthouse, … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		The Birthday Book Michael Morpurgo This is a sumptuous collection of stories and verse compiled by Michael Morpurgo, beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake and published in aid of The Prince’s Foundation for Children and Arts and to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday. It’s … Download free opening extract
2		Kaspar Michael Morpurgo A wonderfully emotional but heart-warming tale from the pen of one of the foremost writers for children.  Brilliantly interwoven in historical fact at the time of the sinking of the Titanic is the story of Kaspar the Savoy cat, who … Download free opening extract
3		A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel (Quick Text) Charles Dickens This is the full story in quick modern English for a fast-paced read. The original Christmas tale is brought to life in this colourful graphic novel adaptation. It is the second Charles Dickens title from Classical Comics and probably his … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Girls Are Best Sandi Toksvig Women gladiators, women in the Bayeaux Tapestry, women inventors - Sandi Toksvig uncovers them all in her light-hearted approach to the serious message of this book – women have always done amazing things but have mostly been overlooked by history. … Download free opening extract
2		The Magic Thief Sarah Prineas This is an absolutely captivating debut fantasy adventure. Full of magic and trickery, this is the story of a wizard and his new apprentice trying to discover why the magic in their city is fading and how they must … Download free opening extract
3		Frankenstein - retold by Gill Tavner Mary Shelley When Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, an epic battle of friendship and horror begins between man and monster - and as it reaches fever pitch a tragic chain of events occurs. This and the other retellings by Real Reads are a … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2008 and Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008. The electrifying and unflinching young adult debut novel about the impossible choices of growing up by award-winning fiction writer Patrick Ness. This title is part of Walker Books’ … Download free opening extract
2		A Perfect Ten Chris Higgins Chris Higgins’ writing rivals the likes of Cathy Cassidy and Jacqueline Wilson.  She’s an author truly in tune with the teen psyche.  This is her fourth novel and she gets better and better with each new storyline.  The characterisation is … Download free opening extract
3		Airhead Meg Cabot From the creator of Allie Finkle and The Princess Diaries comes a brand new novel featuring two very different girls, one a superbrain and the other a supermodel. They have absolutely nothing in common until something extraordinary happens. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Before I Die Jenny Downham Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is a haunting yet truly amazing read but don’t read it too young. Definitely not for someone less than 14 years old. If you knew you were going to die what would … Download free opening extract
2		The Meaning Of Life Joanna Nadin Laugh out loud funny from the first page, The Meaning of Life, will be devoured by teenagers and adults in equal measure just as the Diaries of Adrian Mole hit the spot for a different generation. A spot-on teenage voice … Download free opening extract
3		Twilight Stephenie Meyer Deeply seductive and irresistibly compelling, this is an extraordinary love story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. It’s the first in the Twilight series and is a captivating sage of vampire romance. The 2nd … Download free opening extract

Featured Books Age 0 - 5 Years

1		My First Nursery Stories Tony Ross   Best loved, classic nursery stories are vividly brought to life in Tony Ross’s humorous and vigorous illustrations. Follow the charmingly agile goats as they trip-trott over the bridge having dispatched the hairy troll SPLASH into the river with a well-aimed … Download free opening extract
2		The Pencil Allan Ahlberg This book is an hilarious and unmissable treat! One day there is just a lonely pencil…It begins to draw – a boy, a dog, a cat and then a house and streets for them to play in. But everyone wants … Download free opening extract
3		The Gruffalo Pop-up Theatre Book Julia Donaldson Not only can you read and reread the much loved story of the Gruffalo in this complete work of art but you can open the pop-up stage to act out the adventures of the little brown mouse, or even create … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil Wiley Miller A wonderful debut from an incredibly talented wordsmith and illustrator. Fans of The Wizard of Oz and James and the Giant Peach will love Basil and his erstwhile adventures. Basil is an ordinary boy living a very ordinary life in a lighthouse, … Download free opening extract
2		Alice In Wonderland (slipcase edition) Lewis Carroll, Rodney Matthews The story is timeless and can be read at so many different levels, but this lavish slipcased edition is quite simply stunning and will bring to the reader a very different Wonderland - even more fantastical and a little darker … Download free opening extract
3		Bob’s Best Ever Friend Simon Bartram Simon Bartram’s Man in the Moon was one of the most memorable, witty, and intriguing picture books of recent times and now at last, Bob, the man in the moon is back but looking for a best ever best friend … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		The Birthday Book Michael Morpurgo This is a sumptuous collection of stories and verse compiled by Michael Morpurgo, beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake and published in aid of The Prince’s Foundation for Children and Arts and to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 60th birthday. It’s … Download free opening extract
2		Kaspar Michael Morpurgo A wonderfully emotional but heart-warming tale from the pen of one of the foremost writers for children.  Brilliantly interwoven in historical fact at the time of the sinking of the Titanic is the story of Kaspar the Savoy cat, who … Download free opening extract
3		A Christmas Carol: The Graphic Novel (Original Text) Charles Dickens The original Christmas tale is brought to life in this colourful graphic novel adaptation. It is the second Charles Dickens title from Classical Comics and probably his best-loved story. Set in Victorian England and highlighting the social injustice of the … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Midnight for Charlie Bone Jenny Nimmo Since his father died, Charlie Bone has lived with his mother and her mother, in the house of his other grandmother, Grandma Bone. Looking at a picture of a couple with a baby and a cat, he suddenly discovers he … Download free opening extract
2		The Magic Thief Sarah Prineas This is an absolutely captivating debut fantasy adventure. Full of magic and trickery, this is the story of a wizard and his new apprentice trying to discover why the magic in their city is fading and how they must … Download free opening extract
3		The Number 7 Shirt Alan Gibbons This is an action-packed story involving a boy who dreams of being a football pro. Because fiction and non-fiction are interwoven together, it’s likely to attract less keen readers but readers who may have a passion for football. His heroes … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness Winner of the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize 2008 and Booktrust Teenage Prize 2008. The electrifying and unflinching young adult debut novel about the impossible choices of growing up by award-winning fiction writer Patrick Ness. This title is part of Walker Books’ … Download free opening extract
2		Airhead Meg Cabot From the creator of Allie Finkle and The Princess Diaries comes a brand new novel featuring two very different girls, one a superbrain and the other a supermodel. They have absolutely nothing in common until something extraordinary happens. … Download free opening extract
3		The Carbon Diaries 2015 Saci Lloyd Shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Children’s Book Award. This is a novel written in diary form as Laura, a teenager chronicles her life and that of her family as it is in 2015.  It’s edgy, it’s appealing and it’s contemporary and … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		The Meaning Of Life Joanna Nadin Laugh out loud funny from the first page, The Meaning of Life, will be devoured by teenagers and adults in equal measure just as the Diaries of Adrian Mole hit the spot for a different generation. A spot-on teenage voice … Download free opening extract
2		Before I Die Jenny Downham Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2008. This is a haunting yet truly amazing read but don’t read it too young. Definitely not for someone less than 14 years old. If you knew you were going to die what would … Download free opening extract
3		Young, Loaded And Fabulous Katherine Kingsley Addictive, scandalous and glamorous fiction from a brand new author writing for sophisticated teens!  As its title implies this is not for the faint-hearted.  If you’re up for a wild read where clubbing or holidaying in St Tropez is the … Download free opening extract