Year 3 Reading Ideas

Anna Hibiscus series and No. 1 Car Spotter series, Atinuke

Both of these series are set in Africa and are a delight to read. Lots of great illustrations accompany the text.

Hubble Bubble series, Tracey Corderoy

Three short stories in these books which follow on from the picture book characters. Lively illustrations accompany the text making a very attractive production.

How to Train your Dragon series, Cressida Cowell

The first in the series and now available as 2 films. Meet the dragon-flying Vikings as their greatest leader Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III recounts his teenage years when he learnt to become a great leader.

The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt

The crayons are on strike as they are fed up being used to draw the same characters. Read the letters from the colourful crayons and see if you agree with them!

The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat, Julia Donaldson

An extension of Lear’s classic poem by one of today’s favourite authors.

The Monster from the Blue Planet, Cornelia Funke

Part of the Little Gems series published by Barrington Stoke, the dyslexia publisher. Quality authors have been selected to write these stories and the reading age is 6-8 years.

Fortunately, the Milk, Neil Gaiman

Fantasy story written by this award winning author. Dad goes out to get the milk and is gone a long time. On his return he tells this fantastic story about why he was so long. Do they believe him? Wonderful imagination.

Mortimer Keene series, Tim Healey

A great series about an 8 year old inventor. The text rhymes and the illustrations by Chris Mould are fascinating.

My Funny Family series, Chris Higgins

Meet Mattie, a natural born worrier who has lists for everything. A warm family series.

Winter’s Child, Angela McAllister

A magical tale both for the story and the illustrations. The boy plays with the child that brings winter and they don’t want to stop as they are having such fun. But the wood is running out and Spring needs to come to the earth. Will he be brave enough to say goodbye?

Wendy Quill series, Wendy Meddour

The Wendy Quill books are a real treat. She is funny, also a worrier and a character everyone will enjoy. The text is broken up with drawings and the font size changes to reflect moods etc. Very inventive.

Agatha Parrot and the Odd Street Ghost, Kjarta Poskitt

Meet Agatha in this chatty new series. Great fun as we follow her hilarious antics.

Boy in a Tutu series, Kate Scott

Under cover spies have to give up a lot as this young lad discovers. In this series he has to become a girl as well as catching the criminals. Hilarious with plenty of fun illustrations. Great to read aloud.

A Whiskery Mystery, Jo Simmons

Follow Bobby as he tries to solve the mystery of his missing cat. Lovely chatty style.

Year 4 Reading Ideas

SWARM series, Simon Cheshire

The Secret Intelligence Agency has got in on electronic gadgetry and is employing micro-robotic insects as spies. This series are marvellous page turners, full of suspense.

How to Train your Dragon series, Cressida Cowell

The first in the series and now available as 2 films. Meet the dragon-flying Vikings as their greatest leader Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III recounts his teenage years as he learnt to become a great leader.

Walking the Bear (and other titles), Nicola Davies

A zoologist by trade, this author has a range of animal stories and non fiction titles to enthral you with.

The King of Space, Jonny Duddle

This author won the Hampshire Illustrated Book Award 2013 with ‘The Pirates Next Door’. Great picture books which have lots of detail to pore over.

Atticus Claw series, Jennifer Gray

In ‘Atticus Claw Breaks the Law’ this cat burglar has to decide which side of the law he wants to be on. Follow his antics in the rest of the series.

The 26-Storey Treehouse and others, Andy Griffiths

Andy and Terry have doubled their treehouse which now includes a 78 flavours ice-cream parlour run by a robot called Edward Scooperhands. The story is told in cartoons and writing, has wide appeal and is very funny.

Harry and Hope, Sarah Lean

A gentle evocation of Hope’s need to come to terms with the departure of her Mum’s boyfriend. Frank left Hope in charge of Harry, but it is through her growing understanding and empathy with a difficult donkey that Hope learns about herself and her mother.

Wendy Quill series, Wendy Meddour

Roll with laughter as Wendy talks about school and the production of Peter Pan. Great illustrations accompany the text drawn by the author’s daughter.

Archie series, Andrew Norriss

Archie is very accident prone and it takes school a while to get used to this. Great fun as one disaster follows another. Look out for the sequel and then try some of the other titles by this Hampshire writer.

Bug Wars, Steve Parker

This is a must for fans of Top Trumps as insects are pitted against each other in deadly battles of survival. The photography is terrific and it’s a great way of considering adaptations and characteristics of the insect world.

Uncle Gobb and the Dread Shed, Michael Rosen

An ordinary 10 year old boy discovers that his ordinary school is suddenly changing and not for the better. Worse than that his Uncle is behind these changes. Beware, this story includes baked beans.

Boy in a Tutu, Kate Scott

Sam and Joe are in the end of term’s ballet show with Joe deep undercover which means he plays the prima ballerina. This spy series includes gadgets, villains and some hilarious moves.

Oliver Fibbs , Steve Hartley

For fans of ‘Tom Gates’ and the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’, try ‘Oliver Fibbs’. He is in Year 6 and is excellent at making up stories. All the class are riveted every Monday waiting for the next instalment.

Alexander T Smith - Claude series

Quirky fun series from this great author. Lovely illustrations accompany the text. Start with ‘Claude in the City’ and discover that Claude is no ordinary dog. So join him on his adventures.

Year 5 Reading Ideas

Crowns and Codebreakers, Elen Caldecott

“My favourite kinds of stories are ones where very ordinary people do very extraordinary things. So, these are the kind of stories I set out to write: real life, but with the promise of adventure.” Strong characterisation, gentle humour and realistic settings pervade all of Elen's titles and should have universal appeal.

The Day the Crayons Quit, Drew Daywalt

This is persuasive writing at its funniest with each crayon assuming the character of a lobbyist, trying to persuade Duncan to use them more (pink) or less (blue). Shortlisted for a number of awards.

Jaguar Trials, Ruth Eastham

Set in the jungle fringing the Amazon river, this story is a terrific page turner. Join Ben and his two friends as they search for El Dorado following the clues that will help Ben rescue his missing Dad. Full of suspense and tension, this will have you on the edge of your seats.

Blackberry Blue and other fairy tales, Jamila Gavin

Six magical tales. Full of intrigue and charm these tales transport you to different lands and although you might recognise part of the tale other aspects are brand new.

Harry and Hope, Sarah Lean

A gentle evocation of Hope’s need to come to terms with the departure of her Mum’s boyfriend. Frank left Hope in charge of Harry, but it is through her growing understanding and empathy with a difficult donkey that Hope learns about herself and her mother.

Sky Hawk, Gill Lewis

Set in Scotland this is for all animal lovers. Callum and Iona form an unlikely friendship united in their discovery of the Osprey’s nest. This story is told partly as letters and emails as the Osprey goes on its long journey to Africa.

Young Houdini series, Simon Nicholson

A historical series set in 1880s America, Harry and his two friends face a number of mysteries and some fearsome villains. They have a strong sense of place and the friendship between the three characters will appeal to boys and girls alike if looking for an action packed story.

Football Academy series, Tom Palmer

Love football stories? Then try this series from sports mad Tom Palmer. This follows the players for United’s U12 team.

Laura Marlin Mysteries / Last Leopard, Lauren St John

For animal and detective fans alike. A chance to travel and explore other countries with these wonderful stories. Laura is adopted by an unknown Uncle and so starts a series of adventures. The animal series looks at conservation themes.

I Hero series, Steve Barlow

The 2 Steve’s exciting ‘Decide your own Destiny’ series where the reader directs the plot. These are quick pacy reads with enough menace and excitement to grip the reader.

Oliver Fibb’s and the Abominable Snow Penguin, Steve Hartley

Oliver’s super talent is telling stories (or fibs) - you choose. He is fuelled by pizza and comic reading, but are his stories as good as yours? Try the first in this funny new series.

Year 6 Reading Ideas

Diamonds and Daggers, Elen Caldecott

In this contemporary well-written alternative to Enid Blyton, the mystery must be solved by 5 friends if they are to help prevent Piotr from being deported back to Poland. Piotr’s Dad is the number one suspect for the jewellery theft. Can you solve the mystery before the friends in this engaging story?

Whale Boy, Nicola Davies

Set on an imaginary Caribbean island, Michael is the first to rediscover the whales that used to frequent the seas off the island. This is an exciting story celebrating animals and the environment.

The Luck Uglies, Paul Durham

Jack has recently moved to Norway and is coping with making friends in a new school. He accidentally uncovers a body and an arrowhead which unleashes a Norse legend and curse that threatens to overwhelm his own time. An exciting, edgy thriller with some good descriptions of mob mentality.

The Sleeper and the Spindle, Neil Gaiman

A book characteristic of the author with a dark alternative retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It is beautifully produced with a poetic sound to the writing and stunning pictures to complement the text. The unexpected twist to the plot makes this a Year 6 title.

The Children of the King, Sonya Hartnett

An atmospheric ghost story is woven around the experience of three children evacuated during WW2. This has two historic settings, a strong sense of place, some interesting characters to get involved with, and the writing is very good.

The Boy in the Tower, Polly Ho-Yen

A boy and his mother are trapped inside a high rise tower as mysterious alien plants devastate their community. A gripping story of survival in the tradition of HG Wells and John Wyndham.

Scarlet Ibis, Gill Lewis

Scarlet and her brother, Red, are separated when they are
taken into care. A moving story about family love and loyalty from a talented author.

Rooftoppers, Katherine Rundell

Award winning title, this quirky story starts with a shipwreck and an orphan and ends in Paris among the roof tops. A marvellous host of characters and an exciting setting above the streets of Paris.