Wilma Jean the Worry Machine
Julia Cook
Wilma Jean worries about everything — especially school. Julia Cook's practical, warmly illustrated book gives children real strategies for managing anxiety. Widely used in schools and by therapists working with anxious children.
6–10 yrsThe Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body
Joanna Cole
Ms Frizzle shrinks her class and takes them on a journey through the human body. Joanna Cole's legendary series makes science genuinely exciting — essential reading for curious children.
6–10 yrsThe Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
Roald Dahl
Billy teams up with the Giraffe, the Pelican, and the Monkey — the Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company — to clean a duke's house and fulfil their wildest dreams. One of Dahl's most cheerful and sweet books.
6–9 yrsDiary of a Killer Cat
Anne Fine
Tuffy the cat has been very, very bad. But from his perspective, everything he did made complete sense. A brilliantly funny story told entirely from the cat's point of view — perfect for reluctant readers who find the grown-up world baffling.
6–9 yrsThe One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo
Judy Blume
Freddy Dissel is the middle child — not the oldest, not the baby — and feels invisible in his own family. When he lands the lead role in the school play, he finally discovers something that is entirely his own. Judy Blume's warm, funny story for children who feel lost in the middle.
6–9 yrsPippi Longstocking
Astrid Lindgren
Pippi lives alone with her horse and her monkey, lifts a policeman in each hand, and does exactly as she pleases. Astrid Lindgren's irresistible nine-year-old anarchist is still one of the most joyfully subversive characters in children's fiction — a book that makes children want to read more books.
6–10 yrsThe Adventures of Captain Underpants
Dav Pilkey
George and Harold have hypnotised their principal into thinking he's a superhero in underpants and a cape. The most frequently challenged children's series of recent years — and one of the most effective tools ever created for turning reluctant readers into book lovers.
6–9 yrsUg
Raymond Briggs
Ug lives in the Stone Age and keeps wondering why everything has to be so hard and heavy and cold. Why can't trousers be soft? Why can't food be warm? A brilliantly funny and quietly subversive story about the first curious mind in history.
6–10 yrsDog Man A Tale of Two Kitties
Dav Pilkey
Dog Man must contend with Petey's tiny clone in the third graphic novel adventure. Dav Pilkey packs each book with wit, action, and genuine warmth.
6–10 yrsThe Bad Guys
Aaron Blabey
Mr Wolf, Mr Snake, Mr Piranha, and Mr Shark want to be heroes — but their bad-guy instincts keep getting in the way. Aaron Blabey's raucously funny graphic novel hybrid is an absolute hit with reluctant readers.
6–9 yrsThe Magic Faraway Tree
Enid Blyton
At the top of the Faraway Tree lives Moon-Face, Silky the elf, and Saucepan Man — and a different magical land arrives at the top every week. Enid Blyton's classic series is the perfect serial bedtime read: exciting enough to keep children listening, structured enough to pause at chapter's end.
6–9 yrsIvy and Bean
Annie Barrows
Ivy is quiet and reads all day. Bean is loud and always in trouble. Their parents think they'll never be friends. Annie Barrows's series about two very different girls who become inseparable is exactly what friendship looks like — unexpected, messy, and completely irreplaceable.
6–9 yrsMr. Popper's Penguins
Richard Atwater
Mr. Popper is a house painter who dreams of polar exploration. When a penguin arrives in the post, his life changes completely. Richard Atwater's gentle, funny classic follows the Popper family as twelve penguins take over their house — warmly absurd and impossible to put down.
6–10 yrsJust Kidding
Trudy Ludwig
D.J.'s friend Vince keeps saying hurtful things and laughing them off as jokes — but the jokes don't feel funny. Trudy Ludwig's picture book helps children recognise teasing that has gone too far and find the words to say so.
6–10 yrsMy Secret Bully
Trudy Ludwig
Monica's best friend Katie says mean things when they are alone — and denies everything when others are around. Trudy Ludwig's picture book tackles the most confusing kind of bullying: the relational kind, from someone you trust.
6–9 yrsPaddington at Large
Michael Bond
More chaotic, warm-hearted adventures with everyone's favourite bear from Peru — each story a perfect blend of gentle chaos and charm. The fifth book in the classic series.
Found something you like?
Create a free account to save books, track what your child has read, and build a reading list that grows with them.