Great Books Guide
Here are 100 books from 2026–27 that we think are great – and so will children
Illustration © Diane Ewen
We are delighted to present BookTrust’s Great Books Guide for 2026–27,
a collection of 100 recently published children’s books for reading for
pleasure.
We hope this collection saves you and your staff time in choosing
diverse and inclusive books for your school or to recommend to pupils
and their families. It includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels
and dyslexia-friendly stories across a variety of genres.
We’ve also included a poster to display to inspire children to try different
genres of books to find what they like to read, as well as a worksheet. Different genres offer children different types of reading experiences. This in turn allows them to have a variety of emotional experiences and wellbeing benefits.
Order books online
Browns are donating to us with every sale from the Great Books Guide page of their website and also offer a discount for schools.
Alternatively, order books from Bookshop.org. They are also donating to BookTrust with every sale from customers who enter via this page.
For books from Welsh publishers please go to
Search great children’s books by age
We’ve grouped together the books by interest age. Click on the list to see the books and read our reviews.
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Great Books Guide 2026–27: for 4 to 5‑year-olds
Here’s a round-up of new children’s books from the last year, which we think any child aged 4 to 5 will love
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Great Books Guide 2026–27: 6 to 7‑year-olds
Here’s a round-up of new children’s books from the last year, which we think any child aged 6 to 7 will love
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Great Books Guide 2026–27: for 8 to 9‑year-olds
Here’s a round-up of new children’s books from the last year, which we think any child aged 8 to 9 will love
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Great Books Guide 2026–27: for 10 to 11-year-olds
Here’s a round-up of new children’s books from the last year, which we think any child aged 10 to 11 will love
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Great Books Guide 2026–27: for 11+
Here’s a round-up of new children’s books from the last year, which we think any child aged 11+ will love
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Great Books Guide 2026–27: Books from Wales
Some of our favourite books from Wales published this year.
Why book choice matters
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Research evidence highlights the importance of children’s choice around books. Find out more, including some top tips for promoting more choice and agency in the classroom.
Win all 100 books
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Don’t miss your chance to win the entirety of this year’s BookTrust Great Books Guide.
Decorate the staff room with our poster!
This year, our Great Books Guide is being sent to primary schools along with a fun poster highlighting how important it is for children to choose books they feel drawn to.
You can download an additional copy of the poster below, as well as a useful worksheet.
Our genre worksheet has been created to help your pupils explore different types of books. Download the worksheet below and encourage your pupils to challenge themselves with different genres and book formats.
Supporting schools
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Watch BookTrust in conversation with authors Sharna Jackson, Simon Mole, J.P. Rose, Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Ken Wilson-Max in this free webinar exploring the role of genre in children’s reading for pleasure. Suitable for primary teachers, TAs, Literacy Leads and Headteachers.
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Education consultant Rachel Clarke describes how to use BookTrust’s Great Books Guide to audit the book corners in your school.
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Developed with pupils, teachers and librarians, our programmes and support help children to read regularly and by choice and encourage the most reluctant readers.
Find even more books
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Looking for a great book on a theme? Our booklists can help you discover some brilliant books that children will love
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Every month, we review dozens of books for children and teenagers. Here are the ones we like best in October: guaranteed to get your child reading…
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Search thousands of hand-picked book recommendations to find a child’s next favourite read – from astonishing adventures to fantastic facts, our Bookfinder tool will help you discover the very best kids’ books