A student asked me to write a post about fiction books, which would be suitable for reading with children in Year 3. So I’m going to take a look at some recent publications which fall into this age category, along with some resources that we have, which could help you find high quality texts in the Curriculum Centre.

If you click on the “Booklists” menu at the tope of this blog page, there is a link entitled “Recommended books for ages 6 – 8”. Clicking on this link will bring up a list of books which are suitable for children in this age group. Another option would be to search our catalogue for “Group14”. We also have a printed leaflet available with recommendations for children in this age category. 

It would also be worth browsing our collection of book guides. Please ask us, if you are unsure where to find them. Riveting Reads 6-8 published by the Schools Library Association gives a list of high quality texts which are suitable for this age category.

You can also take a look at the following websites:

• Booktrust – books suitable for children between the ages of 6 and 8
• CoreBooks – CLPE have a category for children in KS2 aged 7 – 9. You need to register to use the site first, but it’s free to do so.

Here are some of my favourite books for this age group, which have been published recently. I’ve included the suggested age category, as listed on the Booktrust website, for each one.

 

Bad Nana by Sophy Henn

(Interest Age: 6 – 9, Reading Age: 6 – 9)

This is the first book in a funny new series, following the life of 7 (almost 8) year old Jennie and her embarrassing granny. It has been included in the Great Books Guide 2018 published by Booktrust. The second book in this series All the Fun of the Fair will be published at the end of May, 2019.

 

 

 Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton

(Interest Age: 6 – 10, Reading Age: 7 – 10)

This could be described as a graphic novel or as a picture book for older readers. It’s part of the Brownstone Mythical Collection and retells a Norse myth. The second book in this collection is Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx, which is also available in the Curriculum Centre.

 

 

 

Yours Sincerely, Giraffe by Megumi Iwasa

(Interest Age: 5+, Reading Age: 7+)

A humorous and thought-provoking story, which celebrates the art of letter writing. It was shortlisted for the UKLA Book Awards last year. There is a follow-on book called Dear Professor Whale, which was published at the end of the summer.

 

 

 

Stick & Fetch Investigate by Philip Ardagh

(Interest Age: 7 – 9, Reading Age: 7+)

The first book in this new series is called Barking up the Wrong Tree. It’s an illustrated book, consisting of 3 stories, featuring a girl called Sally and her dog called Fetch, who love to solve mysteries and crimes. The second book in this series is due to be released in May 2019.

 

 

Knighthood for Beginners by Elys Dolan

(Interest Age: 6 – 11, Reading Age: 7 – 11)

This book will make you laugh out loud. Dragons have a number of skills they need to accomplish – riddle with vigour, hoard gold, gems and riches, feast on villages and knit! This book was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award this year. And a second book Wizarding for Beginners was published during the summer.

 

 

 Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

(Interest Age: 6+, Reading Age: 7+)

This story, published in 2013, is not quite as new as the other books listed, but I felt I should include it. Mum has gone away and Dad has forgotten to buy the milk. This leads him on an outrageous time-travelling adventure featuring dinosaurs, aliens and pirates. Chris Riddell created the illustrations for this entertaining story.

 

 

Bee Boy: Clash of the Killer Queens by Tony De Saulles

(Interest Age: 7 – 9, Reading Age: 7 – 9)

Consisting of short chapters and black and yellow illustrations, this is a humorous story that includes lots of interesting facts about bees. It has recently been followed by Bee Boy: Attack of the Zombees and the final book in the trilogy Bee Boy: Curse of the Vampire Mites, will be published next year.

 

 

 

Good Dog McTavish by Meg Rosoff

(Interest Age: 7 -9, Reading Age: 7 – 9)

This is a dyslexia friendly book filled with wry humour. The Peachey family are in a crisis because Mum has resigned from her post. It’s up to a rescue dog called McTavish to come and save the day. Rosoff also wrote a follow-on to this story McTavish Goes Wild which was published in May 2018.

 

 

Ariki and the Giant Shark – Nicola Davies

(Interest Age: 7 -11, Reading Age: 7 – 11)

This book is an adventure story filled with lots of environmental knowledge. Ariki is a strong and independent heroine, who is teased by other children for being different. A second book Ariki and the Island of Wonders will be published shortly.

 

 

 

Teacup House : Meet the Twitches – Hayley Scott

(Interest Age: 5 – 8, Reading Age: 7 – 9)

This is the first book in a new series. A girl called Stevie and her mum are moving house and Nanny shows up with a very special present – a large teacup and 4 rabbits named Gabriel, Bo, Silver and Fig Twitch. However, there is a slight hiccup with the move and Gabriel Twitch doesn’t quite make it. The Twitches take over the narration of the story from Chapter 4 and take us on a journey of viewing the world from their miniature size. The second book from this series The Twitches Bake a Cake was published in May and The Twitches Meet a Puppy was published in October.