Kids What to Read

Do you love a good book? Our Children’s Librarians do! And we’re excited to share some great recommendations with you. Each week on our website you’ll find a new review of the latest books we’ve been reading, and we'll add to this list with our faves.

Updated June 6, 2023
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Judy Moody in a Monday mood
McDonald, Megan
For anyone who has ever had the Sunday night blues, Judy declares that every day can be a holiday if you just find something to celebrate. Happy National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, anyone? Crumbs! Why can't every day be Saturday? Judy Moody is...
Our world in numbers : an encyclopedia of fantastic facts
Gifford, Clive
Zillions of fun figures at your fingertips! Do you want to impress your friends with the most incredible facts and stats? Would you like to number-crunch your way around the wonders of our world? Arm yourself with nuggets of number knowledge and fantastic...
Wilder
Chrimes, Penny
'This book gripped me like a great hawk in its talons and didn't let me go ... utterly phenomenal' - Zillah Bethell, author of The Shark Caller A desperate village. A child who emerges from the marshes. A falcon that helps her save them all. The child -...
Rabbit, soldier, angel, thief
Nannestad, Katrina
Award-winning writer Katrina Nannestad transports us to Russia and the Great Patriotic War and into the life of Sasha, a soldier at only six years old ... Wood splinters and Mama screams and the nearest soldier seizes her roughly by the arms. My sister pokes her bruised face...
Nic Blake and the Remarkables : the manifestor prophecy
Thomas, Angie
The beast and the Bethany
Meggitt-Phillips, Jack
Reads like a modern classic. Sharp, funny, original - I thought this was brilliant' - Sam Copeland, author of the bestselling Charlie Changes into a Chicken 'What a FEAST! A funny and (bone) cracking good read' - Michelle Harrison, bestselling author of A Pinch of Magic
What about Thao?
Phommavanh, Oliver
In his signature style, Oliver creates a fabulously diverse and heartfelt duo in Thao and Kadir and their sometimes hilarious and sometimes heart-wrenching dilemmas of culture and belonging in a remote rural community. Throw in some slam poetry and it might just end in a lifelong friendship and a...
The sleeper and the spindle
Gaiman, Neil
WINNER of the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2016A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell - weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers...
The little match girl strikes back
Carroll, Emma
It only takes one strike: A powerful feminist reworking of the Hans Christian Andersen classic, from bestselling and award-winning creators Emma Carroll and Lauren Child. 'Superb.  About community and voices and standing up for yourself' Phil Earle, British Book...
Friday Barnes, girl detective
Spratt, R. A.
Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was an eleven-year-old girl! When girl detective Friday Barnes solves a bank robbery she uses the reward money to send herself to the most exclusive boarding school in the country, Highcrest Academy. On arrival, Friday is shocked to...
Miss Penny Dreadful & the midnight kittens
Rushby, Allison
An enquiring mind - and mystical mysteries to solve - adds up to adventure in the first book of the new junior fiction series from acclaimed author Allison Rushby. "Now, Miss Pickering." Miss Strickland turned to her pupil. "If you would be so kind as to close the door...
Festergrimm
Taylor, Thomas
Mister Cassowary
Wheeler, Samantha
'Cassowaries are not just birds,' Dad growled. 'They're the most dangerous birds in the world.' When Flynn and Dad arrive at Grandad Barney's banana farm, it's clear that Flynn has a lot of investigating to do. Everything in the place is a mystery, especially his grandad who died almost...
Seven Wherewithal Way
Bound, Samantha-Ellen
A girl called Corpse
Carter, Reece
A dazzling debut about a lonely kid ghost who goes searching for answers about her past in a forgotten coastal town that fizzes with secret magic. 'I loved it!' said Jessica Townsend, New York Times bestselling author of Nevermoor.
The elemental detectives
Lawrence, Patrice
The mystery of Banshee Towers
Blyton, Enid.
Ballet shoes
Streatfeild, Noel
Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil are sisters - with a difference. All three were adopted as babies by Great Uncle Matthew, an eccentric and rich explorer who then disappeared, leaving them in the care of his niece Sylvia. The girls grow up in comfort until their money begins to run out and nobody...
Arsenic for tea
Stevens, Robin
Schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home, Fallingford, for the holidays. Daisy's glamorous mother is throwing a tea party for Daisy's birthday, and the whole family is invited, from eccentric Aunt Saskia to dashing Uncle Felix. But it soon becomes clear that this party...
A great escape
Arena, Felice
It's a great escape, but will Peter survive it? When Peter's family leaves for a trip across the border, he stays behind. So when the government builds a wall through the city, guarded by soldiers, tanks and ferocious dogs, he's trapped. Everyone says he might never see his family again...
Yahoo Creek : an Australian mystery
Riddle, Tohby
Luminous images accompanied by newspaper extracts dating back to the early 1800s and words by Ngiyampaa Elder Peter Williams explore the ongoing mystery of yahoo encounters.
Pippi Longstocking
Lindgren, Astrid
 The beloved story of a spunky young girl and her hilarious escapades. "A rollicking story."--The Horn Book Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what...
Dirty Beasts
Dahl, Roald.
A collection of (mainly) grisly beasts out for human blood, ranging from Crocky-Wock the crocodile to Sting-A-Ling the scorpion. Described in verse with all Dahl's usual gusto and illustrated in a suitably wicked style by Quentin Blake. Was that CROCKY-WOCK galumphing up the stairs?
Huda and me
Hayek, H.
A cheeky, fun and fast-moving tale of two Lebanese-Australian kids who decide to escape their horrible babysitter by running away...to the other side of the world.
Ming & Flo fight for the future
French, Jackie
An empowering and exhilarating look at the girls who went before us, and the way they shaped the world. Twelve-year-old Ming Qong is convinced that girls must have changed the world, even if they are rarely mentioned in history books. So when Ming gets the chance to go...
A bear called Paddington
Bond, Michael.
The original story of everyone's favourite bear, Paddington, now a major movie star! "A bear on Paddington Station?" said Mrs Brown in amazement. "Don't be silly - there can't be." Paddington Bear had travelled all the way from Darkest Peru when the Brown...
Amari and the night brothers
Alston, B. B.
New York Times bestseller! Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor. Amari Peters has...
The king of the Copper Mountains
Biegel, Paul
A timeless children's classic for ages 7+. At the end of his thousand-year reign of the Copper Mountains, old King Mansolain is tired and his heart is slowing down. When his attendant, the Hare, consults The Wonder Doctor, he is told he must keep the King engaged in life by telling him a story every...
Inkling
Oppel, Kenneth
Mishaps and madness ensue when magical drawing ink comes to life in the Rylance home and 11-year-old Ethan tries to prove he's just as talented as his famous father.A moving but light-hearted story about grief, family and a sixth-grade rivalry. When Ethan's class is given the task of creating a...
Undone!
Jennings, Paul
Swimming on the lawn
Hamid, Yasmin
Told through the eyes of Farida, as well as her inquisitive sister and brothers, this is a beautiful story about growing up in Sudan. Sudanese culture and customs are brought to life, from the ubiquitous tea service and hearty breakfasts to the commemoration of Muslim holidays and the rites of birth...
Murder at the museum
Jones, Lena
A second mystery for thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddly - a bold, determined heroine, and the star of this stylish new detective series. Agatha Oddlow's set to become the youngest member of the Gatekeepers' Guild, but before that, she's got a mystery to solve! ...
The graveyard riddle
Thompson, Lisa
Welcome back to Chestnut Close, whose residents may not always be exactly who they seem... Clever, curious Melody Bird has discovered an old abandoned house in the corner of the graveyard, and a mysterious boy hiding there. Hal tells her that hes a spy-in-training using the house as a base for his...
The wishing spell
Colfer, Chris
The first book in Chris Colfer's #1 New York Times bestselling series The Land of Stories about two siblings who fall into a fairy-tale world! Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with...
Nevermoor : the trials of Morrigan Crow
Townsend, Jessica Mary
A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination. Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any...
The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane
DiCamillo, Kate
A timeless tale by the incomparable Kate DiCamillo, complete with stunning full-color plates by Bagram Ibatoulline, honors the enduring power of love. Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and...
Charlotte's web
White, E. B.
Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read. This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paperback edition includes...
The bad beginning
Snicket, Lemony
NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite...

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