Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Josh Silver is a British author known for his debut young adult novel, HappyHead, published by Rock the Boat, an imprint of Oneworld Publications, in 2023. HappyHead explores themes of mental health and individuality within a dystopian setting. The novel was longlisted for the 2023 Branford Boase Award, which recognises outstanding debut novels for children. Silver’s work has been noted for its engagement with contemporary issues relevant to young readers. HappyHead is his first published book.
Children’s books of the year 2025 – our team has picked a shortlist of great children’s and teen titles published in the last 12 months, with fiction, non-fiction and picture books for 3-18 years and a diverse range of prose, poetry and graphic novels. Vote now!
A selection of reading books to challenge and interest Year 11 pupils – aged 15-16 – in KS4 secondary schools. Authors include Ray Bradbury and John Steinbeck.
Summer reading challenge – A good reading challenge will not only promote reading and encourage reading for pleasure, but it will encourage a reading culture to spread like a virus throughout your school.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Summer 2025. These reading recommendations include picture books, poetry, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
Traumaland is a dark psychological thriller that blends horror culture references with a coming-of-age story, set in a modern, dystopian future. It will appeal to fans of The Housemaid and Netflix’s Black Mirror.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Summer 2024. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Spring 2023. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops, or Waterstones.com, or Blackwells.co.uk.
Keep up to date with our email newsletter and our latest social media posts about reading, children's books and literacy.
Our latest reading national curriculum year group recommended reading lists:
Picture books for the under 5s | Books for Reception | Books for Year 1 | Books for Year 2 | Books for Year 3 | Books for Year 4 | Books for Year 5 | Books for Year 6 | Books for Year 7 | Books for Year 8 | Books for Year 9 | Books for Year 10 | Books for Year 11
© 2025 School Reading List. All Rights Reserved | As an Amazon Associate schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases | Policies and Terms of Use