Early Readers Picks
Looking for somewhere to start with a child who is ready to move on to chapter books? We've got you covered with these recommendations from our staff!
Isadora Moon Goes to School
Author: Harriet Muncaster
Half vampire, half fairy, totally unique! Isadora Moon is special because she is different. Her mum is a fairy and her dad is a vampire and Isadora is a bit of both. She loves the night, bats, and the colour black, but she also loves the outdoors, using her magic wand, and the colour pink. When it's time for Isadora to start school she's not sure where she belongs - vampire school or fairy school?
With irresistible pink and black artwork throughout by author/illustrator Harriet Muncaster and a totally unique heroine with an out-of-this-world family, this is a beautiful, charming, and funny series of first chapter books. Isadora is a very busy girl and gets up to all sorts of adventures, so if you're not looking for a school story, she's also been camping, gone on holiday, had a sleepover, been to a wedding, and much more!
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Wigglesbottom Primary: The Toilet Ghost
Author: Pamela Butchart
Illustrator: Becka Moor
Life at Wigglesbottom Primary is often lived on the edge. A class talent show becomes a thing of great mystery and intrigue, when it turns out that Jacob Barry's stinky shoe can PREDICT THE FUTURE! Or filled with peril when the boys' toilets become HAUNTED! And then there's the CURSE that lives in the story-time carpet and gives everyone ANTS IN THEIR PANTS...
Laugh-out-loud school-based fun in two-colour stories, perfect for encouraging independent reading! Three short stories in each book keep just confident readers engaged while lively two-colour illustrations bring these hilarious early readers to life and perfectly bridge the gap between picture books and chapter books. There's a whole load of great titles in this series, so you'll pretty much never run out of fun stories to read!
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Press Start! Game On, Super Rabbit Boy!
Author: Thomas Flintham
Sunny's favourite game is Super Rabbit Boy and he loves to pit his skills against King Viking who hates fun and happiness and wants to steal Singing Dog and bring sadness to Animal Town FOR EVER! Can Sunny help Super Rabbit Boy get to Level 6 and rescue Singing Dog and restore joy to Animal Town? Only if he defeats the Robot Army, dodges the Robo-Crabs and Lakes of Lava before battling King Viking himself! Has Sunny got the skills? Has Super Rabbit Boy eaten enough super magical carrots (SPOILER: origin story)? You'll have to read and find out...
The first in a full-colour series of graphic novels about - and for - kids who love gaming! Join Sunny as he and Super Rabbit Boy take on the world, one move at a time! There's also plenty more books in the series, so you can follow along with the further adventures of Sunny and Super Rabbit Boy!
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Astrid and the Space Cadets: Attack of the Snailiens!
Author: Alex T. Smith
Blast off on an adventure with the Space Cadets!
Astrid Atomic, a six year old human person, goes to bed every night like every other six year old human person. But unlike many other six year olds she doesn’t stay there. The minute the lights are off and the coast is clear the Space Cadet siren goes off, her uniform goes on, and 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - WHOOSH! - she blasts off on board the spaceship Stardust!Along with her best pals Beryl, Professor Quackers and Zoink, Astrid is given her mission from The Chief - to clean up the Milky Way! But when a nearby alien is in trouble and with giant snaliens around, things aren't likely to go to plan!
From beloved children's author-illustrator Alex T. Smith, the bestselling creator of the Claude series and How Winston Delivered Christmas, comes a funny and fast-paced adventure through space! With out-of-this-world illustrations on every page, Astrid and the Space Cadets: Attack of the Snailiens is perfect for fans of Grimwood and Bad Guys, and for kids who are ready to read by themselves.
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Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
The perfect book for readers who love books, we absolutely love Matilda and you will too!
Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world...
For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centred parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Miss ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will, and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.
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Princess Minna: The Enchanted Forest
Author: Kirsty Applebaum
Illustrator: Sahar Haghgoo
Princess Minna lives in Castle Tall-Towers with the King and Queen, Raymond the Wizard and her best dragon friend, Lorenzo. There are often mix-ups and mishaps in the kingdom and Princess Minna loves to sort them out! She can tame unicorns, kiss frogs and fight dragons (apart from Lorenzo) and she is very good at fixing things before it's time for bed.
In The Enchanted Forest, Princess Minna has to wake a sleeping prince before nightfall. But along the way, she finds a swan, an old lady and a very fluffy sheep - all of them in a fix! Can she help them and still reach the prince before sundown?
Full of colourful illustrations, these short, funny stories are perfect for readers just moving on from picture books and visual readers.
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Mermaid Academy: Isla and Bubble
Authors: Julie Sykes & Linda Chapman
Illustrator: Lucy Truman
Mermazing action-packed underwater adventures for young readers!
Hidden deep beneath the waves is Mermaid Academy, a magical school where mermaids are paired with their very own dolphin and must discover their unique mermaid magic, with plenty of adventure along the way! Impulsive Isla isn't afraid of breaking a few rules to win the school treasure hunt and her dolphin, Bubble, is always up for a dare. But the seas surrounding the academy are swirling with magic, and soon Isla and Bubble find themselves in very deep water...
Mermaid Academy is the perfect series for readers who love magic and adventure, and there are plenty of them to collect!
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Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea! : Book 1
Author: Ben Clanton
Narwhal is a happy-go-lucky narwhal. Jelly is a no-nonsense jellyfish. The two might not have a lot in common, but they do they love waffles, parties and adventures. Join Narwhal and Jelly as they discover the whole wide ocean together.
The perfect first book for young readers looking for funny, high interest books that are an accessible read, where they'll discover the joys of friendship, working together and the power of imagination. Featuring three short stories and a super fun ocean fact page - and joke page too!
Narwhal and Jelly is a lovely little series of books! They're a fantastic duo, and each book contains multiple stories with a focus on friendship and imagination - two important values for every child!
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