Books for Babies and Toddlers

1		I Like Bugs Lorena Siminovich A delightful touchy-feely counting book that depicts numbers and bugs through collage.  Whilst looking at some wonderfully vibrant insects as your toddler progresses through the book he/she can also begin to learn to count the number of insects on each … Download free opening extract
2		I Like Fruit Lorena Siminovich This is one of the most beautiful and touchy feely books I’ve seen for babies and toddlers for a while.  Each spread depicts a colour and a fruit; for example, a strawberry and alongside it, the words and pictures of … Download free opening extract
3		I Love You, Little Bear Claire Freedman, Gavin Scott Little Bear loves to go exploring with his mummy and as they do so they discover new places and meet new friends. This is a wonderful story about love and the importance of friendships. … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 3+ readers

1		Sylvia and Bird Catherine Rayner Shortlisted for the Pre-school Award, Early Year Awards 2009 Sylvia is the only dragon in the whole world, and she is very lonely… until one day, she meets Bird. Tiny and chirpy, so different from the huge dragon, Bird somehow changes Sylvia’s life … Download free opening extract
2		Blue Chameleon Emily Gravett Prize winning illustrator Emily Gravett triumphs again in her witty story of how a lonely chameleon does what he does best in a desperate attempt to make a new friend. Changing colour comes naturally to the blue chameleon so he … Download free opening extract
3		For Just One Day Laura Leuck, Marc Boutavant Everyone’s dreams are brought to life in this wonderful world of make believe as a child thinks of all the things she’d like to be  – just for one day. A buzzing bee, a creeping crocodile, a bunny rabbit, a … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 5+ readers

1		Spells Emily Gravett Shortlisted for the 2010 Blue Peter ‘Most Fun with Pictures’ Award. The winner will be announced to coincide with World Book Day in March. A stunning new picture book from Emily Gravett, full of witchcraft, wizardry and magic. We meet a … Download free opening extract
2		Bob and Barry’s Lunar Adventures 2: A Right Royal Disaster Simon Bartram Bob, the much loved Man on the Moon, is back in a new adventure for beginner readers. As ever, he doesn’t believe in aliens! But when it looks as if he might lose his head after he tinkers with a … Download free opening extract
3		The General Michael Foreman As relevant as when it was first published, Michael Foreman’s very first book is beautifully reissued in this 50th anniversary edition. General Jodpur loves to train his soldiers making them the best fighting force in the world. But, one day, … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 7+ readers

1		The Great Hamster Massacre Katie Davies Shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Book Award 2010 An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at family life in all its intricacies as it revolves around pet ownership and the drama that surrounds it. Nine year old Anna tells how she and her younger brother … Download free opening extract
2		Peter the Penguin Pioneer Daren King Shortlisted for the 2010 Blue Peter ‘Most Fun with Pictures’ Award. The winner will be announced to coincide with World Book Day in early March. Hugely inventive and charmingly funny with laugh out loud zany humour and wonderful illustrations throughout that … Download free opening extract
3		The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events 1) Lemony Snicket This bestselling series (in fact in the top five of bestsellers of the last decade), now at long last available in paperback, launches with the suitably named title that charts the unlucky reason why the whole woeful story of the … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 9+ readers

1		The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 Harriet Goodwin Shortlisted for the 2010 Blue Peter ‘Book I Couldn’t Put Down’ Award. The winner will be announced to coincide with World Book Day in March. Adventurous, charming and poignant by turns, The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43 is a quirky … Download free opening extract
2		Frozen In Time Ali Sparkes Shortlisted for the 2010 Blue Peter ‘Book I Couldn’t Put Down’ Award. The winner will be announced to coincide with World Book Day in March. A page-turning mystery-adventure with a pleasingly old-fashioned feel as two children, frozen by cryonic suspension by … Download free opening extract
3		Flyaway Lucy Christopher Shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Book Award 2010 Tender and touching, this is a delicate story about facing up to difficulties and finding a way through. When Isla’s father develops a serious heart condition he can no longer take her to see … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 11+ readers

1		Time Riders Alex Scarrow This is a thrilling action adventure which hurtles across time and place at breakneck speed. Three children are on the bring of death: Liam is about to drown as the Titanic sinks in 1912, Maddy is on an aeroplane fitted … Download free opening extract
2		The Returners Gemma Malley The Returners is a gripping and thought-provoking thriller from the author of the equally provocative futuristic novels, The Declaration and The Resistance. What happens when your past catches up with you and you don’t like what you see?  This powerful … Download free opening extract
3		My So-Called Afterlife Tamsyn Murray A wonderful debut novel which, as well as being laugh-out-loud funny, is full of insights, compassion, and love.  Fifteen-year-old Lucy has been stuck in the men’s loo ever since she was murdered there six months ago. No one has been … Download free opening extract

Featured Books for 14+ readers

1		Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl A teen romance with a twist of danger and the supernatural told with a sure touch that makes it a headlong read from start to finish. Typical teenager Ethan is bored by his life growing up in a small town … Download free opening extract
2		Magic Under Glass Jaclyn Dolamore A hair-raising story full of suspense and intrigue. Nimira is picked out of her poor life as a music hall performer by the wealthy and mysterious Hollin Parry who asks her to sing for his automaton piano player. Parry is … Download free opening extract
3		Savannah Grey: A Horror Story Cliff Mcnish If you’re looking for a real page-turner that will have you gasping for breath then this is it. It’s a horror story and a love story intertwined and 15 year old Savannah Grey is possibly the only person who can … Download free opening extract

We hope you and the children are having a great start to the new decade, and that books are playing a big part! According to our literary calendar, Judy Blume, Kenneth Grahame, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Charles Dickens were all born in the month of February, and every time we recall such brilliant children’s writers it inspires us to go out and find new talent to tell you about – to help kids of today fall in love with reading.

Our Bookshelf of fantabulous Books of the Month

MEGA BOOK OF THE MONTH! – Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

As well as our normal bookshelf of Books of the Month we want to shout a bit louder about one of the most anticipated new books for young readers. Written by an established adult author Alex Scarrow Time Riders is his first children’s book. Three teenagers have cheated death. Now they have to fix broken history, and stop time travel from destroying the world… Readers of 10+ will be transfixed by it. Find out more and read a free Opening Extract!

Help your kids’ imaginations with the books behind the films

Films are a wonderful way of piquing children’s interest in stories, but sometimes it’s good for them to read the book before they see the movie because when you read you can imagine how landscapes, characters and adventures look – it’s brilliant brain training. So we’re launching a new category with information about upcoming films and the books they’re based on – to help make books a part of the whole experience. Find out more about the brilliant new films due for release and created from even better books.

Win yourselves something fantastic – new competitions

After a brief break for January, our popular Free Prize Draws and Competitions section is back! This month we have prizes linked to cats, dragons and teenage spies!

Asking the big questions – Author of the Month Gemma Malley

Gemma’s powerful and gripping novels for young adults are often based on big ideas about science and moral duty.

Her new book, The Returners, is no exception. It’s an endlessly thought-provoking story set in an alternate future that questions the role of every individual in society.

Why not take a look at all the books from February’s Author of the Month and download some free Opening Extracts – we’re sure your teenagers will get hooked…

February – Debuts of the Month

The Badness of Ballydog Garrett Carr 7+ Three teenagers in a grim coastal town have to try to save it from a vast ancient creature on the seabed…but is it worth saving?. Download Extract More info	Princess for Hire Lindsey Leavitt 9+ An hilarious story about a girl who gets the chance to be a substitute princess, and makes one royal fiasco after another.. Download Extract More info
Superhumans: Meteorite Strike A.G. Taylor 9 – 12 An action-packed SciFi adventure about two kids who survive an alien virus, only to be enrolled by a rogue international agency with ruthless goals… Download Extract More info	My So-Called Afterlife Tamsyn Murray 11+ A terrifically funny story about a deceased girl with a pretty lame afterlife who gets a chance to put grisly matters to rest and meet the ghost of her dreams! Download Extract More info
Out of Shadows Jason Wallace 14+ A memorable, moving and disturbing coming of age story set against the tumult of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe. It’s incredibly powerful and definitely one for teenage readers. Download Extract More info	Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl 14+ An exquisitely crafted dark Gothic fantasy story with unforgettable characters – this book is a future classic. Download Extract More info
Magic Under Glass Jaclyn Dolamore 14+ A stunning blend of paranormal intrigue and doomed love that captures a perfect Gothic romance on every page. Download Extract More info

Guest Editor of the Month – Robert Muchamore

Best known for his Cherub Series, Robert Muchamore is also the author behind the more recently penned and wildly popular Henderson’s Boys series, the latest of which – Secret Army – is out now. This month Robert has chosen a selection of books, exclusively for Lovereading4kids, by authors who have influenced and inspired him in his impressive career to date.

Have you or your children read the cult Classic Catcher in the Rye?

The recent death of the author J D Salinger has reignited interest in his book, which is considered by many to be one of the most important books of all time.

Long a staple of GCSEs perhaps it’s time to take this out of the classroom and either revisit or say hello to the teen anti hero Holden Caulfield. Read an Opening extract and find out more..

We hope there’s plenty here to help your children keep on enjoying books, and to challenge them to progress their reading skills. Have a great February!