Our recommended reading

British Tutors firmly believes in the importance of reading. Not only does wide reading increase a child’s vocabulary and language skills, it also encourages a breadth of understanding and a depth of imagination.

The books on our reading lists have been organised according to age but these categories are meant to be taken as a guideline only. Children read at different levels and the important thing is not that they are necessarily reading “age appropriate” books but that they are reading in the first place. If you are reading to your child, you may want to go up to the next age bracket for your book choice, whereas if the child is just beginning to read alone you may want to look to the age group below.

We update this list regularly, combining classic literature with modern choices.

First Books

  • 100 Dogs Michael Whaite

  • Barnyard Dance Sandra Boynton

  • Beautiful Oops Barney Saltzberg

  • Big Box Little Box Caryl Hart

  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Bill Martin Jr.

  • Dear Zoo Rod Cambell

  • Each Peach Pear Plum Janet and Allen Ahlberg

  • Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown

  • Guess How Much I Love You Sam McBratney

  • Hairy Maclairy from Donaldson's Dairy Lynley Dodd

  • Harry The Dirty Dog Gene Zion

  • How Are You Feeling? Mudpuppy

  • I Love You to the Moon and Back Little Tiger Press

  • Lost and Found Oliver Jeffers

  • Maisy Series Lucy Cousins

  • My Magical Forest Campbell Books

  • Not a Box Antoinette Portis

  • Nursery Rhyme Time Beatrix Potter

  • Peepo Janet and Allan Ahlberg

  • Press Here Harve Tullet

  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? Bill Martin Jr

  • Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes Mem Fox

  • The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse Eric Carle

  • The Elephant and the Bad Baby Elfrida Vipont

  • The Night is Deep and Wide Gillian Sze

  • The Runaway Bunny Margaret Wise Brown

  • The Snail and The Whale Julia Donaldson

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle

  • The Wonky Donkey Craig Smith

  • There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly Pam Adams

  • We're Going on a Bear Hunt Michael Rosen

  • What the Ladybird Heard Julia Donaldson

  • Where's Mr Lion Ingela P. Arrhenius

  • Where's Spot Eric Hill

Age 3-5

  • 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli David LaRochelle

  • Ada Twist, Scientist Andrea Beaty

  • A Mermaid Girl Sana Rafi

  • Angelina Ballerina Katherine Holabird

  • Dogger Shirley Hughes

  • Dogs Emily Gravett

  • Ernest, the Moose Who Doesn’t Fit Catherine Rayner

  • Farah Loves Mangos Sarthak Sinha

  • Giraffes Can't Dance Giles Andreae

  • Green Eggs and Ham Dr Seuss

  • Grumpy Frog Ed Verre

  • Grumpy Monkey Suzanne Lang

  • Harold and the Purple Crayon Crockett Johnson

  • Hattie Harmony Worry Detective Elizabeth Olsen & Robbie Arnett

  • Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth Oliver Jeffers

  • I Really Want the Cake Simon Phillips

  • I Want My Hat Back Jon Klassen

  • Knuffle Bunny Mo Williems

  • Leaf Sandra Dieckmann

  • Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel Virginia Lee Burton

  • Milo Imagines the World Matt de la Pena

  • Mirror Jeanie Baker

  • Oi Duck-billed Platypus! Kes Gray

  • Otto the Book Bear Katie Cleminson

  • Paddington: The Original Story of the Bear from Darkest Peru Michael Bond

  • Room on the Broom Julia Donaldson

  • Summer Vacation, Here I Come! D.J. Steinberg

  • Sylvester and the Magic Pebble William Steig

  • Sylvia and Bird Catherine Rayner

  • That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown Cressida Cowell & Neal Layton

  • The Carrot Seed Ruth Krauss

  • The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss

  • The Day the Crayons Quit Oliver Jeffers

  • The Giving Tea Shel Silverstein

  • The Gruffalo Julia Donaldson

  • The Grumpy Fairies Bethan Stevens

  • The Invisible Tom Percival

  • The Octopus Escapes Maile Meloy

  • The Suitcase Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

  • The Tiger Who Came to Tea Judith Kerr

  • The Wolf Who Cried Boy Bob Hartman

  • Under the Same Sky Britta Teckentrup

  • Where The Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak

  • Words of Wonder from Z to A Zaila Avant-garde

Age 5-7

  • A Treasury of Curious George HA Rey and Margret Rey

  • After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again Dan Santat

  • Because I Had a Teacher Kobi Yamada & Natalie Russell

  • George's Marvellous Medicine Roald Dahl

  • Henry Huggins Beverly Clearly

  • Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera Candace Fleming

  • How the Stars Came To Be Poonam Mistry

  • I Don’t Want to Read This Book Max Greenfield

  • Madeline Ludwig Bemelman

  • Manolo and the Unicorn Jackie Azua & Jonah Kramer

  • Museum Mystery Squad Mike Nicholson

  • My Naughty Little Sister Dorothy Hughes

  • Ottoline and the Yellow Cat Chris Riddell

  • Small in the City Sydney Smith

  • Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals Nicola Davies

  • Starbird Sharon King-Chai

  • Storm Whale Sarah Brennan

  • Then-Word Tiny Tales Joseph Coelho

  • Town is by the Sea Joanne Schwartz

  • The Berenstain Bears series Stan & Jan Berenstain

  • The Big Red Rock Jess Stockham

  • The Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables

  • The Enormous Crocodile Roald Dahl

  • The Invitation Stacey May Fowles & Marie Lafrance

  • The Little Girl and the Tiny Doll Edward and Aingelda Ardizzone

  • The Magic Paintbrush Julia Donaldson

  • The Owl who was Afraid of the Dark Jill Tomlinson

  • The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg

  • The Secret of Black Rock Joe Todd-Stanton

Age 7-9

Adventure

  • Kensuke’s Kingdom Michael Morpurgo

  • Kick Mitch Johnson

  • Lei and the Fire Goddess Malia Maunakea

  • Sky Chasers Emma Carroll

  • The Book of Legends Sir Lenny Henry

  • The Girl Who Speaks Bear Sophie Anderson

  • The Penderwicks Jeanna Birdsall

  • The Wild Robot Peter Brown

Animal stories

  • Charlotte’s Web EB White

  • The Hodgeheg Dick King-Smith

  • The Sheep Pig Dick King Smith

Classics

  • Five Children and It E Nesbit

  • Mary Poppins PL Travers

  • Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren

  • The Iron Man Ted Hughes

  • The Little Prince Antoine De Saint–Exupery

  • The Silver Sword Ian Serraillier

  • The Wind in the Willows Kenneth Grahame

  • Tom’s Midnight Garden Philippa Pearce

  • Stig of the Dump Clive King

Fantasy and magical realism

  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl

  • How to Train Your Dragon Cressida Cowell

  • The Worst Witch Jill Murphy

  • My Father’s Dragon Ruth Stiles Gannett

  • The BFG Roald Dahl

  • The Girl Who Drank the Moon Kelly Barnhill

  • The Magic Faraway Tree Enid Blyton

  • When You Trap a Tiger Tae Keller

Graphic novels

  • Mr William Shakespeare’s Plays Marcia Williams

  • The Iliad and The Odyssey Marcia Williams

  • The Arrival Shaun Tan

Historical fiction

  • Escape from Aleppo N.H. Senzai

  • Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder

  • The Butterfly Lion Michael Morpurgo

  • The Kingdom By the Sea Robert Westall

Humour

  • Horrid Henry Francesca Simon

  • The Accidental Diary of BUG Jen Carney

Non-fiction

  • Curious Comparisons: A Life-Size Look at the World Around You Jorge Doneiger

  • The 1916 Project: Born on the Water Nikole Hannah Jones & Renee Watson

  • Stay Curious!: A Brief History of Stephen Hawking Kathleen Krull & Paul Brewer

  • Wild Child Dara McAnulty

Age 9-12

Adventure

  • Astrid the Unstoppable Maria Parr

  • Call of the Wild Jack London

  • Holes Louis Sachar

  • Journey to the River Sea Eva Ibbotson

  • The Explorer Katherine Rundell

  • A Series of Unfortunate Events Lemony Snicket

  • Show Us Who Are Elle McNicoll

  • The Story of the Blue Planet Andri Snear Magnason

  • The Star of Kazan Eva Ibbotson

  • Young Bond: SilverFin Charlie Higson

Animal stories

  • The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips Michael Morpurgo

  • The Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling

  • Watership Down Richard Adams

Classics

  • Anne of Green Gables LM Montgomery

  • Ballet Shoes Noel Streatfeild

  • The Borrowers Mary Norton

  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis

  • The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Joan Aiken

  • The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett

  • Treasure Island Robert Louis Stevenson

Fantasy and magical realism

  • A Monster Calls Patrick Ness

  • A Wish in the Dark Christina Soontornvat

  • Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll

  • Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer

  • Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs

  • The Firework Maker’s Daughter Phillip Pullman

  • The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman

  • The Indian in the Cupboard Lynne Reid Banks

  • The Spiderwick Chronicles Tony DiTerlizzi

Historical fiction

  • Chinese Cinderella Adeline Yen Mah

  • Goodnight Mr. Tom Michelle Magorian

  • Here Lies Arthur Philip Reeve

  • I, Coriander Sally Gardner

  • The War that Saved my Life Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

  • The Boy in Striped Pyjamas John Boyne

  • War Horse Michael Morpurgo

  • When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit Judith Kerr

Mystery

  • Revolver Marcus Sedgwick

  • The Mysterious Benedict Society Trenton Lee Stewart

  • Why The Whales Came Michael Morpurgo

Non-fiction

  • Curiosity the Story of a Mars Rover Marcus Motum

  • Hidden Figures Margot Lee Shetterly

  • Holes: Discover a Hidden World Jonathan Litton

Realistic fiction

  • Charlie and Me Mark Lowery

  • El Deafo Cece Bell

  • I Go Quiet David Ouimet

  • The Fox Girl and the White Gazel Victoria Williamson

  • The Song from Somewhere Else Levi Pinfold

  • Troofriend Kirsty Applebaum

  • Wonder R.J. Palacio

Science fiction

  • A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle

  • Cosmic Frank Cottrell Boyce

  • Fortunately, the Milk Neil Gaiman

  • Green Rising Lauren James

  • Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: A Retelling Tanya Landman

  • Mortal Engines Philip Reeve

  • Our Sister, Again Sophie Cameron

  • Phoenix SF Said

  • Skullduggery Pleasant Derek Landy

  • Time Travelling with a Hamster Ross Welford

Age 12-16

Adventure

  • Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Louis de Bernières

  • Life of Pi Yann Martel

  • Moby Dick Herman Melville

  • My Family and Other Animals Gerald Durrell

  • The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern

Classics

  • Animal Farm George Orwell

  • Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy

  • Frankenstein Mary Shelley

  • Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

  • Little Women Louisa May Alcott

  • Lord of the Flies William Golding

  • Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

  • Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen

Fantasy and magical realism

  • Across the Nightingale Floor Lian Hearn

  • Beowulf Seamus Heaney translation

  • Coraline Neil Gaiman

  • Inkheart Cornelia Funke

  • Jekyll’s Mirror William Hussey

  • Northern Lights Philip Pullman

  • The Neverending Story Michael Ende

  • The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon

  • The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkein

Historical fiction

  • A Month in the Country JL Carr

  • Coram Boy Jamila Gavin

  • Empire of the Sun JG Ballard

  • Esperanza Rising Pam Munoz Ryan

  • Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden

  • Now is the Time for Running Michael Williams

  • On the Jellicoe Road Melina Marchetta

  • The Book Thief Marcus Zusak

  • The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini

  • The Lies we Tell Ourselves Robin Talley

Mystery

  • Brighton Rock Graham Green

  • The Secret History Donna Tartt

  • Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle

  • The Owl Service Alan Garner

  • The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith

  • The Spy Who Came in From the Cold John Le Carre

Non-fiction

  • Flowers in the Gutter K.R. Gaddy

  • Night Shift Debi Gliori

  • The Diary of Anne Frank Anne Frank

  • The Future of Geography Tim Marshall

  • Yes She Can Molly Dillon

Realistic fiction

  • Atonement Ian McEwan

  • Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Dai Sijie

  • Clap When You Land Elizabeth Acevido

  • Fighting Words Kimberly Bradley

  • Noughts & Crosses Malorie Blackman

  • Paper Towns, John Green

  • The Art of Being Normal Lisa Williamson

  • Sophie’s World Jostein Gaarder

Science fiction

  • Elsewhere Gabrielle Zevin

  • I, Robot Isaac Asimov

  • Jurassic Park Michael Crichton

  • Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro

  • Scythe Neal Shusterman

  • Station Eleven Emily St John Mandel

  • The Colour of Magic Terry Pratchett

  • The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness

  • The Maze Runner James Dashner

  • The War of the Worlds HG Wells

Age 16+

Classics

  • Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy

  • Frankenstein Mary Shelley

  • Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

  • Little Women Louisa May Alcott

  • Lord of the Flies William Golding

  • Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen

Fantasy and magical realism

  • Beowulf Seamus Heaney translation

  • Circe Madeline Miller

  • Eragon Christopher Paolini

  • Good Omens Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

  • Northern Lights Philip Pullman

  • The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood

  • The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkein

  • The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka

  • The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Historical fiction

  • A Gentleman in Moscow Amor Towles

  • A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf

  • Conclave Robert Harris

  • The Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett

  • The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller

  • The Sorrow of War Bao Ninh

Mystery

  • Brighton Rock Graham Green

  • The Secret History Donna Tartt

  • Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle

  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christie

  • Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Matthew Walker

Non-fiction

  • Mother Tongue Bill Bryson

  • Mythos Stephen Fry

  • The Song of the Cell Siddharta Mukkherjee

  • Unruly David Mitchell

Realistic fiction

  • Nightcrawling Leila Mottley

  • Purple Hibiscus Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  • Rebecca Daphne du Maurier

  • The Giver of Stars Jojo Moyes

  • The Secret History Donna Tartt

Science fiction

  • 1984 George Orwell

  • I Who Have Never Known Men Jacqueline Harpman

  • Tell Me an Ending Jo Harkin

  • The Midnight Library Matt Haig

  • The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness

Poetry anthologies

Classics

  • 100 Best Poems for Children Sheila Moxley

  • 101 Poems for Children Carol Ann Duffy

  • Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection

  • Kings and Queens Eleanor Farjeon

  • Now We are Six AA Milne

  • One Hundred Years of Poetry for Children Michael Harrison & Christopher Stuart-Clark

  • Poetry for Kids by Emily Dickinson Susan Snively

  • The Kingfisher Book of Children's Poetry

  • The Oxford Treasury of Classic Poems

  • The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry

  • When We Were Very Young AA Milne

Creativity

  • Everything Comes Next: Collected and New Poems Naomi Shihab Nye

  • I'm Just No Good at Rhyming Chris Harris

  • This Poem is a Nest Irene Latham

  • Wet Cement: a Mix of Concrete Poems Bob Raczka

Humour

  • Big Book of Bad Things Michael Rosen

  • Dirty Beasts Roald Dahl

  • Michael Rosen's Book of Very Silly Poems Michael Rosen

  • Mustard, Custard, Grumble Belly and Gravy Michael Rosen

  • Poems for the Very Young Michael Rosen

  • Revolting Rhymes Roald Dahl

  • The Rattle Bag Seamus Heaney & Ted Hughes

Mindfulness

  • My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems on Mindfulness Georgia Heard

  • Poetry by Heart: A Treasury of Poems to Read Aloud

  • Sweet Dreamers Isabelle Simler

Poems about books

  • Book Speak! Poems About Books Laura Purdie Salas

  • Read! Read! Read! Amy Ludwig VanDerwater