Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Niyla Farook is a British author of children’s and middle-grade fiction. She writes while working full-time in a hospital pharmacy.
Her debut book, Rida and Madiya, was published in 2023 as part of the Bloomsbury Readers series for Key Stage 2. In this title, two sisters with differing personalities must collaborate to rescue their library.
Her forthcoming work is a middle-grade mystery series titled A Tariq Twins Mystery. The first book, Murder for Two, is scheduled for release in January 2025 through Piccadilly Press. The story involves twins Ani and Riri, separated when infants, reuniting in West Yorkshire to solve a murder when their father becomes a suspect.
Farook was born and lives in West Yorkshire. She has expressed a commitment to representing diversity and underrepresented characters in her work.
Books for year 7 – our reading recommendation for 11 year olds at the start of secondary school in Year 7, including titles by A.M Dassu, Mitch Johnson, Lisa Thompson, Gillian Cross, Malorie Blackman, R.J. Palacio, Philip Pullman, Catherine Johnson & Michael Rosen.
Book series for children and teens to encourage reading for pleasure, including titles by Dominic Sandbrook, Liz Pichon, Harriet Muncaster, Kevin & Katie Tsang, Marie Lu Robert Muchamore and Jason Reynolds.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in spring 2026. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
January 2025’s set of book club recommendations features titles by Eric Huang, Charlie P. Brooks, Philip Kavvadias, David Owen, Patrice Lawrence, Niyla Farook, Alice Nuttall, Gayle Forman, Sujin Witherspoon, and Madeline Claire Franklin.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Spring 2025. These reading recommendations include picture books, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
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