Children’s Literature News February 2026
Children’s book news for February 2026: CLiPPA opens, Carnegies longlists land, BBC screens Lord of the Flies, plus Information Book Award and ALCS Education Writers’ shortlist updates.
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Kristina Rahim is a children’s author who writes middle grade and YA fiction with a focus on friendship, identity and diverse family set-ups. Her stories introduce donor conception to young readers in a clear, age-appropriate way.
Before becoming an author, Rahim worked in the property industry. She was runner-up for the Golden Egg Award for fiction in 2022, and her debut manuscript won the PFD Queer Fiction Prize in 2023 in the children’s and YA category.
Her first novel, The Doughnut Club, follows a donor-conceived girl who sets out to meet her donor siblings and rethink what family can mean. It was published by Nosy Crow on 8 May 2025.
Children’s book news for February 2026: CLiPPA opens, Carnegies longlists land, BBC screens Lord of the Flies, plus Information Book Award and ALCS Education Writers’ shortlist updates.
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.
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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