Blended families
Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it's validating and comforting to see your family reflected in books. This selection, for all ages, features families where one or both parents have children from a previous relationship. This kind of family can also be called a stepfamily.
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Changing Tides
Author: Júlia Moscardó
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 3-6
Reading age: 7+Lula and her dad travel to the seaside with her new brother and step mum. A beautiful, expressive story about forming a new family.
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My Family Your Family
Author: Laura Henry-Allain Illustrator: Giovana Medeiros
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 6+An accessible, useful non-fiction guide to all types of families.
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The Great Big Book of Families
Author: Mary Hoffman Illustrator: Ros Asquith
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 7+The Great Big Book of Families is about the diversity of families. The simple message is that every family is unique and special and that there is no such thing as 'normal' or 'abnormal'. Books simply don’t get much more inclusive than this.
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Always Your Stepmum
Author: Stephanie Stansbie Illustrator: Tatiana Kamshilina
Publisher: Little Tiger
Interest age: 4-5
Written in the voice of a loving stepmum, this is a warm hug of a book. This would be a good book to read with a child whose family might be changing.
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Vi Spy: Licence to Chill
Author: Maz Evans
Publisher: Chicken House
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Thrilling, funny and inventive adventure featuring a wannabe spy, an evil supervillain and a secret weapon that could explode her Mum’s brain.
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My Mum is a Spy!
Author: Andy McNab & Jess French Illustrator: Nathan Reed
Publisher: Welbeck Flame
Interest age: 6-8
Reading age: 7+Can Idris and Lucía help find the zoo’s missing pangolins? A fun spy adventure with themes of conservation and endangered species.
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Lizzie Zipmouth
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Publisher: Young Corgi
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 7+This is a poignant and often funny book, which looks at ways of coping with a new step-family.
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The Suitcase Kid
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+Distraught at her parents' divorce, Andy cannot decide who she wants to live with. She spends one week at Mum's house, the next at Dad's, but never really feels that she belongs anywhere.
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Step Father Christmas
Author: L. D. Lapinski
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+Harper suspects Mum’s new boyfriend, Nick, is really Father Christmas. He works with reindeer and has a big white beard, for goodness sake! But can she prove it? A fun, festive read.
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Angels Next Door
Author: Karen McCombie
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+This perfectly pitched pre-teen story touches on some bigger issues, but the gentle warmth added through its angelic spin keeps the whole thing lighter than a feather from a shimmering wing.
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The List of Things That Will Not Change
Author: Rebecca Stead
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 11+Bea’s dad is gay and he’s marrying his boyfriend Jesse, who Bea loves. Bea lives half of her week with mum, half of the week with dad. When Sonia, Jesse’s daughter, comes to stay, Bea is really excited about the prospect of a new sister, but it all feels strange to Sonia. Will Bea get the sister she’s always wanted?
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The Light in Everything
Author: Katya Balen Illustrator: Sydney Smith
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Shy Tom and determined Zofia couldn't be more different. But when their parents fall for one another, they are united in a common struggle- to navigate the complex challenge of building a new family together.
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The Time of Green Magic
Author: Hilary McKay
Publisher: Macmillan
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+Moving house is the last thing Abi needs. She has enough stress with her two annoying stepbrothers. What's more, odd things start to happen in their new home. An unsettling, magical thriller that leaves you unsure where reality ends and the supernatural begins.
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To Night Owl From Dogfish
Author: Meg Wolitzer and Holly Goldberg Sloan
Publisher: Farshore
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+Told entirely in emails and letters, this sensitive, often funny book examines what it means to be a family, and what happens when families change. Strong and vivid characterisation makes us feel we really know the characters.
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Step by Wicked Step
Author: Anne Fine
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 11-14
Reading age: 10+Anne Fine does not shy away from the fact that separation and divorce are painful, but she does have an uplifting message about the power of honesty and compromise.
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Murder at Snowfall
Author: Fleur Hitchcock
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Can Ruby and Lucas solve a murder – before the culprit catches up with them? Tense and intriguing, this is ideal for readers who love puzzles and crime-solving.
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Eight Pieces of Silva
Author: Patrice Lawrence
Publisher: Hodder
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+When Becks' stepsister doesn't come home after seeing their parents off at the airport, it's down to Becks to figure out where she might have gone. A brilliant read for a teenager.
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We Are All Made of Molecules
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 12+High-functioning Stewart is happy at Genius Academy but his life is shattered when his Mum dies from cancer. Ashley is obsessed with her social standing at her own school, devastated by her dad moving out because he's gay. They become unwilling siblings when their parents start a relationship.
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Read Between the Lies
Author: Malcolm Duffy
Publisher: Zephyr Books
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 12+With chapters alternately narrated by stepbrothers Ryan and Tommy, this is a clever and absorbing book that builds slowly and works on so many levels: exploring blended families, dyslexia and family secrets. Readers will be surprised by more than one satisfying twist.
