Books from around the world (older children)

No. 1 Car Spotter

Enjoy some of our recommended books for older children from around the world.

These books range from translated stories from other countries to adventues set in far flung places. Covering many genres some are great for engaging reluctant readers while others are perfect to entertain those reading above their age.

  • Toby Alone

    Author: Timothee de Fombelle Translator: Sarah Ardizzone

    Interest level: 10+

    Reading age: 8+

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  • Toby Alone

    Author: Timothee de Fombelle Translator: Sarah Ardizzone

    Interest level: 10+

    Reading age: 8+

    Winner of the 2009 Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation, this exciting adventure has a serious message about the w…

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  • Two Good Thieves

    Author: Daniel Finn

    Interest level: 10+

    Reading age: 10+

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  • Two Good Thieves

    Author: Daniel Finn

    Interest level: 10+

    Reading age: 10+

    This nail-biting thriller is also a challenging story about the lives of the world's poorest children.

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  • Hilda and the Troll

    Author: Luke Pearson

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

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  • Hilda and the Troll

    Author: Luke Pearson

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Blue-haired explorer Hilda has an uncanny ability to find weird and wonderful adventures and befriend peculiar creatures.

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  • Cross My Heart and Never Lie

    Author: Nora Dåsnes Translator: Matt Bagguley

    Interest level: 9-14

    Reading age: 10+

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  • Cross My Heart and Never Lie

    Author: Nora Dåsnes Translator: Matt Bagguley

    Interest level: 9-14

    Reading age: 10+

    Tuva is torn between two friendship groups – those who fall in love and those who don’t. But where does she fit? Charming and refl…

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  • Dragon Dancer

    Author: Joyce Chng Illustrator: Jeremy Pailler

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

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  • Dragon Dancer

    Author: Joyce Chng Illustrator: Jeremy Pailler

    Interest level: 6+

    Reading age: 7+

    Young Yao and Shen Long - a powerful sky dragon - battle with the past year's bad luck and usher in good luck from the skies of Si…

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  • A Beautiful Lie

    Author: Irfan Master

    Interest level: 11-13

    Reading age: 11+

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  • A Beautiful Lie

    Author: Irfan Master

    Interest level: 11-13

    Reading age: 11+

    Set in India during the summer of 1947, A Beautiful Lie follows the tumultuous events of the Partition of India through the eyes o…

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  • Danza!

    Author: Duncan Tonatiuh

    Interest level: 7-9

    Reading age: 8+

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  • Danza!

    Author: Duncan Tonatiuh

    Interest level: 7-9

    Reading age: 8+

    Danza! explores the life of one of the most celebrated dancers and choreographers in the 20th Century, Amalia Hernandez, and …

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  • Inkheart

    Author: Cornelia Funke

    Interest level: 8+

    Reading age: 9+

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  • Inkheart

    Author: Cornelia Funke

    Interest level: 8+

    Reading age: 9+

    12-year-old Meggie and her father, Mo, a bookbinder, both love reading, but since the disappearance of Meggie's mother, they no lo…

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  • Rubbish Town Hero

    Author: Nicola Davies

    Interest level: 8+

    Reading age: 8+

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  • Rubbish Town Hero

    Author: Nicola Davies

    Interest level: 8+

    Reading age: 8+

    This is an absorbing, powerful and ultimately uplifting story about children living on their wits in a harsh environment, searchin…

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  • The Adventures of Tintin

    Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper

    Interest level: 7-8

    Reading age: 9+

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  • The Adventures of Tintin

    Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper

    Interest level: 7-8

    Reading age: 9+

    Resourceful junior reporter Tintin embarks on a series of exciting international adventures, accompanied by his faithful dog Snowy…

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  • Tales from India

    Author: Bali Rai

    Interest level: 7-10

    Reading age: 8+

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  • Tales from India

    Author: Bali Rai

    Interest level: 7-10

    Reading age: 8+

    Discover India’s rich folk-tale heritage and ancient cultures, with this captivating collection of both popular and lesser known, …

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  • The Journey

    Author: Francesca Sanna

    Interest level: 7-9

    Reading age: 7+

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  • The Journey

    Author: Francesca Sanna

    Interest level: 7-9

    Reading age: 7+

    What is it like to leave everything behind and travel somewhere strange? This incredibly poignant story introduces the concept of …

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  • The Arrival

    Author: Shaun Tan

    Interest level: 8-9

    Reading age: 8+

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  • The Arrival

    Author: Shaun Tan

    Interest level: 8-9

    Reading age: 8+

    In this unusual book, we follow a young man as he packs his bags and leaves his family to go and start a new life in another count…

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  • Azzi in Between

    Author: Sarah Garland

    Interest level: 6-12

    Reading age: 7

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  • Azzi in Between

    Author: Sarah Garland

    Interest level: 6-12

    Reading age: 7

    This is a moving tale of a refugee family told in graphic novel style and so appealing to a wide range of younger readers.

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