Children's books set in Yorkshire

The Secret Garden

From the moors to the dales, this county has to be one of the most swoon-some in the UK.

If you live in or are from Yorkshire (or just going on your holidays), you may be looking for books set there to share with your child. After all, a familiar location can sometimes help them relate to the story and feel a bigger connection.

Here are just a few of our favourites for you to check out.

  • The Railway Children

    The Railway Children

    Author: E Nesbit Illustrator: C E Brock
    Publisher: Vintage Publishing
    Interest age: 9-13
    Reading age: 9+

    Now nearly 100 years old, this story centres on the lives of three children whose comfortable, middle-class existence ends when their father has to go away unexpectedly.

  • Skellig

    Skellig

    Author: David Almond
    Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
    Interest age: 10+
    Reading age: 11+

    Exploring a ramshackle garage with his new-found friend Mina, Michael discovers a strange, magical creature who needs his help. A contemporary classic. 

  • Eden Summer

    Eden Summer

    Author: Liz Flanagan
    Publisher: David Fickling Books
    Interest age: 12-16
    Reading age: 12+

    Gothy, tattoo-loving teen Jess goes to school one day to find that her best friend – perfect, popular Eden – has gone missing. As well as being a tense thriller, Flanagan writes from the heart, frankly and honestly, in a way that teens will love.

  • Withering Tights

    Withering Tights

    Author: Louise Rennison
    Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
    Interest age: 12+
    Reading age: 11+

    When Tallulah’s parents pack her off to an am-dram college, she hopes she will become a toppity-top-actress type. Infectiously mad and hilariously dramatic, Withering Tights is unputdownable.

  • Ghost Stadium

    Ghost Stadium

    Author: Tom Palmer
    Publisher: Barrington Stoke
    Interest age: 11+
    Reading age: 8+

    Three boys go camping in the abandoned Northface football stadium. But all is not as it seems. Tom Palmer's Ghost Stadium is a fast-paced and properly spooky ghost story. The book will suit reluctant readers as the exciting mystery will grab their attention. 

  • The Secret Garden

    The Secret Garden

    Author:
    Publisher: HarperPress
    Interest age: 9+
    Reading age: 9+

    When the spoilt and bad-tempered Mary is orphaned at the age of ten, she is sent from India to live with her hunchback uncle on the Yorkshire Moors. This classic novel is a satisfying and absorbing read.

  • All Fall Down

    All Fall Down

    Author: Sally Nicholls
    Publisher: Marion Lloyd Books
    Interest age: 11-14
    Reading age: 10+

    Growing up in a medieval Yorkshire village, Isabel's life is utterly predictable – until the pestilence, which has been devastating Europe, crosses the Channel and begins to spread northwards. An utterly absorbing, compelling and meticulously researched novel.

  • A Room Full of Chocolate

    A Room Full of Chocolate

    Author: Jane Elson
    Publisher: Hodder's Children's Books
    Interest age: 11-13
    Reading age: 11+

    On Grace's tenth birthday, Mum finds a lump and her Dad leaves forever. Then Grace is sent to live with Granddad on a farm in Yorkshire. Soon, a girl in rainbow clothes and a pig called Claude become Grace's friends. A sweet, sad story with a smidge of silly slapstick.