Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		Gorilla Anthony Browne Greenaway winner in 1983.Wonderfully inventive story and almost tear-jerking at times but with a happy ending.  The illustrations are both detailed and colourful and children will delight in them. I’m sure for some parents it really touches a nerve as … Download free opening extract
3		My Mum! Beth Shoshan From the same author that brought us the charmingly funny My Dad! – we now have My Mum! – who is rather silly but simply lovely. Guarenteed to put a smile on your child’s face. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		Weird Street: The Curse Of Captain Cross-eyed Margaret Ryan Weird Street is a terrific little four book series that will get 6-9 year old boys (in particular) and girls really reading and enjoying it.  Weird Street is on Johnny’s paper round, a bizarre, scary and extremely unusual paper round, where he … Download free opening extract
3		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson For parents: There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		Foul Play Tom Palmer On the Blue Peter Award Shortlist – Football mad boys and girls will devour this all-action adventure novel, virtually in a sitting. Hopefully, even the most reluctant reader, just like the author himself was at school, will devour it too. … Download free opening extract
2		Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – Illustrated Edition Lewis Carroll Abundantly illustrated with warmth and humour by Helen Oxenbury, the memorable cast of characters are to be found in all their glory here in this edition, from Alice herself to the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.  … Download free opening extract
3		An Awfully Beastly Business: Bang Goes A Troll! Beastly Boys For fans of dragons, giants and werewolves, this new series entitled An Awfully Beastly Business has proved to be a sure-fire hit with even the most reluctant reader. This is the third title in the series.      Short snappy sentences with pages … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
2		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract
3		Running On The Cracks Julia Donaldson A thrilling corkscrew of a novel that twists and turns weaving several strands of story into one compelling narrative, and the first novel from an established and bestselling picture book author for younger readers. Orphaned after the death of her … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
2		The 13 Treasures Michelle Harrison Winner of the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2009.   This is an enchanting and at times terrifying debut that’s beautifully written. 13 year old Tanya and her mother have an uneasy relationship so for part of the summer she is despatched … Download free opening extract
3		Bog Child Siobhan Dowd   New and challenging book full of mystery and shadows from recently deceased author Siobhan Dowd. Both terrifying and fascinating from the start, Bog Child is a must-read for 2009. The plot follows Fergus a boy who finds the body of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		The One And Only Sophie Mckenzie From the author of the Richard and Judy Children’s Books winner, Girl, Missing comes the final instalment in a terrific teenage love story trilogy, which captures the ups, downs and at times almost unbearable emotions of being in love. To … 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		Numbers Rachel Ward A tough, teenage novel about being different. Jem’s life has been hard from the beginning and it is not made any easier by her dangerous secret; every time she looks into a person’s eyes, she sees the date on which … Download free opening extract

Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		A Michael Recycle Adventure: Litterbug Doug Ellie Bethel A campaigning picture book that will encourage all to recycle. Litterbug Doug hates recycling; instead he creates a heap of litter all around his home. When green-hero Michael appears Litterbug Doug refuses to listen to the recycling message and does … Download free opening extract
2		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
3		Gilbert in Deep (book & CD – read by Dervla Kirwan) Jane Clarke Witty writing with lots of shark-infested humour.  Gilbert is a shark with a softer side. He has had Raymond, his pet friend Remora, since he was just a tiny pup. They have swum through the seaweed together and played finball, … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		Weird Street: The Curse Of Captain Cross-eyed Margaret Ryan Weird Street is a terrific little four book series that will get 6-9 year old boys (in particular) and girls really reading and enjoying it.  Weird Street is on Johnny’s paper round, a bizarre, scary and extremely unusual paper round, where he … Download free opening extract
3		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson For parents: There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		Foul Play Tom Palmer On the Blue Peter Award Shortlist – Football mad boys and girls will devour this all-action adventure novel, virtually in a sitting. Hopefully, even the most reluctant reader, just like the author himself was at school, will devour it too. … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin Alan Gibbons Discover the world of Darwin through the diary of a ship’s boy.  Combining non-fiction and fiction but factually absolutely accurate, this book is published to coincide with Darwin’s 200th birthday.  It begins with a diary, told from the point of view of … Download free opening extract
3		An Awfully Beastly Business: Bang Goes A Troll! Beastly Boys For fans of dragons, giants and werewolves, this new series entitled An Awfully Beastly Business has proved to be a sure-fire hit with even the most reluctant reader. This is the third title in the series.    Short snappy sentences with pages … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Running On The Cracks Julia Donaldson A thrilling corkscrew of a novel that twists and turns weaving several strands of story into one compelling narrative, and the first novel from an established and bestselling picture book author for younger readers. Orphaned after the death of her … Download free opening extract
2		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
3		Flood And Fang: Raven Mysteries Book One Marcus Sedgwick Told from the bird’s eye view of a resident raven, this is a deliciously topsy-turvy comedy full of unusual details. The Otherhand family are far from normal and life in Otherhand Castle is distinctly strange. Edgar the raven cares little … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
2		The Princess Plot Kirsten Boie A thrilling debut adventure combining the glamour of the world of movies with a sharply drawn political background. Jenna never expects to land the part of the princess when she goes for an audition. But when she does, she finds … Download free opening extract
3		Amy Green Teen Agony Queen: Boy Trouble Sarah Webb Sarah Webb is a debut children’s author but an established chick-lit novelist and her wonderful 13 year old character creation in Amy Green, teen agony aunt extraordinaire, is set to be the new best friend for every pre-teen girl.  Full of humour … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Everything Beautiful Simmone Howell This novel is so tuned in to the teenage psyche – sharp, full of humour and a touch subversive – that it’s hard to believe it’s not written by one.  In fact it comes from the pen of Simmone Howell … Download free opening extract
2		Auslander Paul Dowswell A chilling, powerful and thought-provoking thriller about a Polish orphan’s subversion of Nazi ideals.  Meticulously researched and incredibly imagined it will at times almost take your breath away. Perceived as the perfect Aryan specimen by the German family who adopt Peter … Download free opening extract
3		Stop in the Name of Pants! Louise Rennison You can’t stop laughing at and with Georgia Nicolson. Now she’s back with a new diary in which, as ever, she charts the ups and downs of her intense – sometimes imaginary – sex-kitten life as it ricochets from the … Download free opening extract

Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		Litterbug Doug: In the Missions of Michael Recycle Ellie Bethel A campaigning picture book that will encourage all to recycle. Litterbug Doug hates recycling; instead he creates a heap of litter all around his home. When green-hero Michael appears Litterbug Doug refuses to listen to the recycling message and does … Download free opening extract
3		Matty Takes Off! Miriam Moss A delightful pair of bear siblings, Matty and Milly make a delightful duo. Matty likes everything to be just-so. He is as neat and tidy as his sister Milly is not. In Matty’s house, everything has its own place but, … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson For parents: There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives … Download free opening extract
3		Weird Street: The Curse Of Captain Cross-eyed Margaret Ryan Weird Street is a terrific little four book series that will get 6-9 year old boys (in particular) and girls really reading and enjoying it.  Weird Street is on Johnny’s paper round, a bizarre, scary and extremely unusual paper round, where he … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		Brilliant Billy Does His Bit Simon Hutton An entertaining story about how one boy gets so absorbed in the effect of the Second World War on ordinary people’s lives that he begins to do things in the same way. When the teacher describes how people managed by … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin Alan Gibbons Discover the world of Darwin through the diary of a ship’s boy.  Combining non-fiction and fiction but factually absolutely accurate, this book is published to coincide with Darwin’s 200th birthday.  It begins with a diary, told from the point of view of … Download free opening extract
3		Foul Play Tom Palmer On the Blue Peter Award Shortlist – Football mad boys and girls will devour this all-action adventure novel, virtually in a sitting. Hopefully, even the most reluctant reader, just like the author himself was at school, will devour it too. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure Amanda Wood This lavish account of Darwin’s life and of the voyage of the Beagle from 1831 to 1836 provides the most detailed but accessible account for children about Darwin, his discoveries and a part of his life that was so important … Download free opening extract
3		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Amy Green Teen Agony Queen: Boy Trouble Sarah Webb Sarah Webb is a debut children’s author but an established chick-lit novelist and her wonderful 13 year old character creation in Amy Green, teen agony aunt extraordinaire, is set to be the new best friend for every pre-teen girl.  Full of humour … Download free opening extract
2		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
3		Bog Child Siobhan Dowd   New and challenging book full of mystery and shadows from recently deceased author Siobhan Dowd. Both terrifying and fascinating from the start, Bog Child is a must-read for 2009. The plot follows Fergus a boy who finds the body of … 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		Stop in the Name of Pants! Louise Rennison You can’t stop laughing at and with Georgia Nicolson. Now she’s back with a new diary in which, as ever, she charts the ups and downs of her intense – sometimes imaginary – sex-kitten life as it ricochets from the … Download free opening extract
3		The One And Only Sophie Mckenzie From the author of the Richard and Judy Children’s Books winner, Girl, Missing comes the final instalment in a terrific teenage love story trilogy, which captures the ups, downs and at times almost unbearable emotions of being in love. To … Download free opening extract

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Featured Books Age 0 – 5 Years

1		Dogs Emily Gravett Prize-winning illustrator Emily Gravett delights with another wonderful new book. Apparently a celebration of dogs of all kind, this is also a book with a witty twist at the end. Gorgeous pictures of big dogs and small dogs, hairy dogs … Download free opening extract
2		Litterbug Doug: In the Missions of Michael Recycle Ellie Bethel A campaigning picture book that will encourage all to recycle. Litterbug Doug hates recycling; instead he creates a heap of litter all around his home. When green-hero Michael appears Litterbug Doug refuses to listen to the recycling message and does … Download free opening extract
3		Fine As We Are Algy Hall In his first picture book, author and artist Algy Craig Hall has crafted a gentle, charming, and witty story that shows exactly what it means to be a good big brother. Thoroughly delightful illustrations – many featuring a deluge of … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Billy Bonkers 2: More Madness Giles Andreae Madcap adventures with huge naughty boy appeal featuring Billy and his family, and wittily illustrated by Nick Sharratt. At school there’s the great sports day fiasco, then there’s the Bonkers’ unfortunate holiday on the shores of Loch Ness and finally … Download free opening extract
2		101 Ways To Get Your Child To Read Patience Thomson There are many different reasons why children find learning to read difficult. Calmly and with loads of different tips, this book helps to guide parents to understand the myriad problems which may be causing the difficulty and gives them practical … Download free opening extract
3		What Mr Darwin Saw Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom This picture reference book provides an absolutely terrific insight into one of the world’s most famous scientists and is a great introduction to youngsters of an important piece of history.  Darwin’s adventure on the Beagle and his findings on the islands … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		An Awfully Beastly Business: Bang Goes A Troll! Beastly Boys For fans of dragons, giants and werewolves, this new series entitled An Awfully Beastly Business has proved to be a sure-fire hit with even the most reluctant reader. This is the third title in the series.    Short snappy sentences with pages … Download free opening extract
2		Charles Darwin Alan Gibbons Discover the world of Darwin through the diary of a ship’s boy.  Combining non-fiction and fiction but factually absolutely accurate, this book is published to coincide with Darwin’s 200th birthday.  It begins with a diary, told from the point of view of … Download free opening extract
3		Brilliant Billy Does His Bit Simon Hutton An entertaining story about how one boy gets so absorbed in the effect of the Second World War on ordinary people’s lives that he begins to do things in the same way. When the teacher describes how people managed by … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Jeff Kinney Take a peek into Greg’s diary and find out the story of his life – and especially about his relationship with his older brother Roderick. Wittily told in words and pictures, this diary charts the trials and tribulations of a … Download free opening extract
2		The Sandfather Linda Newbery This is a gripping, fast-paced and at times heart-stopping read about a 13 year old boy’s search for identity by the winner of the 2006 Costa Children’s Book Award. Hal’s exclusion from school leads him to a period of discovery … Download free opening extract
3		Charles Darwin and the Beagle Adventure Amanda Wood This lavish account of Darwin’s life and of the voyage of the Beagle from 1831 to 1836 provides the most detailed but accessible account for children about Darwin, his discoveries and a part of his life that was so important … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Malice Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel, this is the scary story … Download free opening extract
2		Amy Green Teen Agony Queen: Boy Trouble Sarah Webb Sarah Webb is a debut children’s author but an established chick-lit novelist and her wonderful 13 year old character creation in Amy Green, teen agony aunt extraordinaire, is set to be the new best friend for every pre-teen girl.  Full of humour … Download free opening extract
3		Just Henry Michelle Magorian Winner of the 2008 Costa Children’s Book Award – What the Costa judges said: ‘This is a master storyteller at work with the sort of descriptive writing that is a joy to read. Just Henry is a soaring, uplifting warm … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Solace Of The Road Siobhan Dowd Beautifully written and achingly moving, Solace of the Road is the poignant and desperate story of one girl’s search for her mother. Running away from her foster home, Holly dons the blonde wig she finds and reinvents herself as the … Download free opening extract
2		The One And Only Sophie Mckenzie From the author of the Richard and Judy Children’s Books winner, Girl, Missing comes the final instalment in a terrific teenage love story trilogy, which captures the ups, downs and at times almost unbearable emotions of being in love. To … Download free opening extract
3		War of the Witches Maite Carranza This is the perfect read for fans of Buffy, Charmed and W.I.T.C.H.  Evocative, timeless storytelling that delves deep into the bond between mothers and daughters and the mysteries of growing up.  For all those magic and astrology obsessed teenagers this … Download free opening extract

We have a veritable treasure trove of books to introduce to you this month, so much so we’ve been burning the midnight oil even more than usual to make our selection for you.

From the latest Prize Winners to some sensational Books of the Month, the most avid to the most reluctant reader will find something tantalisingly good. 

Author of the Month Siobhan Dowd

Author of the Month is the extraordinarily talented Siobhan Dowd, whose life was sadly cut short in 2007. We’re featuring all four of her incredibly moving novels, including her last one, Solace of the Road that she finished writing just before her death and is published this month. Also, do take a peek at the Trust that has been set up in her memory www.siobhandowd.co.uk, to help disadvantaged children enjoy reading.

Photo credit Siobhan at Killarney, 2006: G. Morgan

Darwin Day 12 February 2009

To tie-in with all the excitement of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, we have a wide range of inspirational books to celebrate one of the greatest scientists ever to live, and the founding father of the theory of evolution.

Discover a Debut Author today!

Why not ‘discover someone new’ by reading our Debuts of the Month? Damian Kelleher’s Life Interrupted is a warm novel about a teenager facing the worst and surviving. Secondly, meet teenage agony aunt extraordinaire in Amy Green by Sarah Webb.

Prize Winning Books

The overall winner of the prestigious Costa Award was announced a day or two ago. It rarely goes to the children’s book category winner and sadly this year it didn’t again. But just to remind you the children’s category winner was Just Henry by Michelle Magorian, so if you’ve yet to take get a taster why not click here and read an extract of this soaring and uplifting book. Also in the world of forthcoming awards, you can discover all the books on the shortlist of the Blue Peter Book Awards right here.

February Books of the Month

Our choice for Books of the Month was an incredibly difficult decision this month with such a strong range of titles to choose from but we believe we’ve selected something to suit everyone’s taste.

11+: Henderson’s Boys – Robert Muchamore An incredibly powerful and pacy adventure thriller about kids working for the British Secret Service during World War II by Robert Muchamore, the mega-bestselling author of the Cherub series.		9+: The Sandfather – Linda Newbery This is a gripping read about a 13-year-old boy who is excluded from school and goes to spend a period of reflection on the coast with his aunt.
0-5: Dogs – Emily Gravett A delightful picture book celebrating all kinds of dogs, big and small, stroppy and soppy, with a twist in its tail!		9+: Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney A New York Times bestselling series – part brilliant story, part blank journal for you to fill in, and part interactive game and there’s a film starring the Wimpy Kid scheduled for release in 2010.
14+: Malice – Chris Wooding Enter this terrifying parallel world if you dare! From the dramatic 3-D cover onwards, everything about Malice is original and just a little bit different. Cleverly told as both a novel and a graphic novel.		0-5: Matty Takes Off – Miriam Moss A gloriously charming and funny picture book about a bear and his tidy house. Perfect for bedtime reading.

101 ways to get your child to read

Finally World Book Day is coming round again on 5 March, and publisher Barrington Stoke has teamed up with the Quick Reads initiative to bring out a wonderful new short book for parents entitled, 101 ways to get your child to read. It’s full of great tips and we rate it highly.

I’m sure you’ll agree there’s plenty for your children to get their teeth into in terms of some wonderful reading so why not visit Lovereading4kids and select the books with them before doing anything else.