Books for reluctant readers (younger children)

Did you know when you go to sleep all the fruit in the bowl comes to life and has a fun-filled, night long party?

Meet Bear: the rebel hero of the forest. This charming and anarchic picture book celebrates a mischievious and loveable character.

Kitty’s mum is a superhero with cat powers, and Kitty wants to be just like her. Kitty’s night-time adventures feature a cast of lovely cat characters and there’s a gentle theme of friendship, bravery and being yourself. 

This anarchic and amusing picture book deserves much praise for taking commonplace story elements – pixies, goblins, unicorns and magical locations – and giving them an original twist. It’s a hilarious read, with rich and vibrant illustrations. 

Far away in the icy wastes of Antarctica lives a warm and cuddly, kind-hearted penguin who only wants to do good in the world…NOT! This is no ordinary penguin! This is…EVIL EMPEROR PENGUIN! And he wants to take over the world!

A summer holiday job selling ice cream aboard the exotic space station of Starville turns into a race against time to avoid a catastrophic collision with the moon. Bring on the Space Detectives!

This hilarious gem from Pippa Curnick is her debut as both author and illustrator, and it’s completely brilliant, immersing the reader in magic and a lovely brother-sister relationship.

Fox siblings Ted and Nancy live in the big city but decide to find Grimwood, a faraway forest where they can lie low. Nadia Shireen’s first illustrated middle grade novel is a brilliantly hilarious and heartwarming tale, full of her trademark anarchic humour. 

Packed full of hilarious short stories, this bumper collection of cartoons covers an entire year of adventures for Bunny and Monkey. Off-the-wall characters, wacky storylines and hilarious comic-strip illustrations ensure there are plenty of laughs on every page.

In this lovely collection of short stories, a young Nigerian girl – tired of the nickname ​‘Too Small Tola’- proves that, despite her small stature, she has a mighty personality and a big heart.

A funny and exciting compilation of three stories following junior detectives Sindhu and Jeet from Chennai airport to Tower Bridge and the Natural History Museum, as they put their investigative skills to the test.

Max is a troubadour-in-training – but she’d much rather be a knight. When her uncle is hired as court jester for King Gastley, Max knows she has to save him! But girls aren’t allowed to be knights… A fabulous adventure quest for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

When Grandma Gertie visits Anna and Kasper from Barbados, they discover that the ghost of Grandpa Bert is in her handbag! Meanwhile, some ghost snatchers are determined to capture him. Fast-paced and funny.

Nick Ward’s utterly brilliant, highly illustrated story about a boy inventor is in an absolute class of its own. Highly recommended.

Fans of this series will be delighted to see the return of the fast-paced high jinx in this graphic novel. Readers will be outraged by the evil characters, laugh out loud at the slapstick humour and be moved as new unexpected friendships are formed. 

Claude is no ordinary dog – he leads an extraordinary life! When Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes set off for work, Claude heads for the city, where pigeons, beret shops and robberies await.

Sam Wu is scared of many things but is determined not to let anyone find out. However, after an unfortunate incident in a space simulator on a school trip, he becomes a target for class bully Ralph, who nicknames him Scaredy-Cat Sam.

Kittens Woolfrik and Perigold set up a monster-hunting stall, although business is slow, as there appear to be no monsters on the islands of Pawdor. This hilarious comic-strip tale is quirky, colourful and fun, with plenty of riotous action.

Freddy is proud to be a robot boy – but he keeps getting into trouble at school! This funny, light-hearted chapter book examines what it feels like to be different and explores issues of friendship, jealousy and bullying.