Books My Children Actually Love Reading
Reading is something we encourage a lot in our house, and so far we seem to have managed to get all three of our children to be budding bookworms. Because of this we are always on the lookout for new books for them to read that actually hold their attention. In non-covid times this was more often than not done by visiting our local library every couple of weeks, or scouring charity shops for cheap second hand books. Now it is a little bit harder to keep them stocked up, and a bit more expensive too, so I really want to ensure any books purchased are ones they will love. I know I always appreciate it when people share the books their children are reading so I thought I would do the same here, and help other people find great reads for the bookworms in their lives.
I decided to ask my three children directly, which of their many books they love and would recommend. So this blog is all their suggestions, and has not been influenced by me at all.
This post does contain affiliate links. It won’t cost you anymore to purchase via them, but it all helps keep the lights on at Our Beautiful Adventure.
My 12 year old recommends:
Pamela Butchart- This is by far her favourite author and she actually has all of her books, and has re-read them all several times. She says to start with “Baby Aliens got my Teacher” and work your way through the series. All of Pamela Butchart’s books are hilarious and my 10 year old has actually borrowed all of them to read too. Firm favourites in this house!
The Ruby Redfort series by Lauren Child - You may know Lauren Child from her the famous “Charlie and Lola” series. Well she also wrote the Ruby Redfort series for older kids, it’s about a 13 year old girl who gets recruited by a secret agency. My daughter has thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them. To be fair you can’t go wrong with any of Lauren Child’s books, she has something for every age group!
The Kid Normal series by Greg James and Chris Smith - Both my 12 year old and 10 year old have loved reading this series.
Sophie Anderson - So far Morgan has read “The house with chicken legs” and “The Girl who speaks bear” and she has loved them both. Her latest book “The Castle of Tangled Magic” is on her Christmas list. I’ll admit to being intrigued enough by the reviews to start reading these for myself and they are so well written and such beautiful stories. Something completely different too! My 10 year old has also borrowed these to read too (He just can’t resist a good book!)
David Baddiel - Last but not least, my 12 year old has loved reading David Baddiel’s books. She highly recommends “Head Kid” and “The Parent Agency”.
My 12 year old’s recommendations.
My 10 year old recommends:
Sam Copeland - Author of the “Charlie changes” series, all about a boy who keeps turning into animals. My 10 year old finds these books hilarious, and I’ve actually read them all with my 6 year old too. Very funny, and easy to read. Start with “Charlie changes into a chicken” and work your way through the series.
The Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey - Comedy is the main theme of my 10 year old’s recommendations, and the Dog Man series is no exception. Written in a comic book style, they are easy to read and very funny.
The Timmy Failure Series - A series of books about a kid detective who thinks he knows more than he does. They are very funny apparently. Start with “Mistakes were made” and work your way through the rest.
The Hobbit - This is where you know that this list is genuinely my kid’s recommendations, as there is no way I would put a book like The Hobbit on a children’s list. But my 10 year old has read it and he loved it. He has also read the first 2 Lord of the Rings books but he doesn’t want those on his list as, in his words “They are long and hard to read”.
Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed by Michael Rosen - Noah has read this book several times now, and there is nothing nicer than hearing him laughing his head off as he reads it. He loves it, and the subsequent two books too. You can never go wrong with Michael Rosen though!
My 10 year old’s recommendations.
My 6 year old recommends:
“I need a new bum” by Dawn McMillan - The title probably tells you everything you need to know about this book, and why my 6 year old loves it!
The Wigglesbottom primary series by Pamela Butchart - You may remember I mentioned this author in my 12 year old’s recommendations. Well she also has a series for younger children which my 6 year old and I have enjoyed reading together. Start with “Super Dog” and work your way through the rest.
“Captain Finn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” by Giles Andreae - Pirates and dinosaurs, what more could a 6 year old want from a book?!
“The day the Crayon’s quit” by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers - This is such a lovely book, full of letters from a little boy’s crayons about why they are unhappy. It’s very amusing and is a firm favourite in our house. “The day the crayons came home” is also excellent, and “The Crayon’s Christmas” is a particularly lovely book with actual envelopes in to be opened.
Charlie and Lola by Lauren Child - We are big Charlie and Lola fans in this house, and my 6 year old really loves reading these stories. Our favourites are “I will not ever never eat a tomato” and “I am going to save a panda”.
My 6 year old’s recommendations.
The Wigglesbottom Primary Series.
I hope these recommendations have helped you find some great new books for your children to read. I would love to know which books are big hits in your house. Do leave a comment below and let me know.
If you are looking for even more book recommendations I have compiled some of our favourites over here..
