School Reading List Book of the Month Archive
Each month, the School Reading List compiles a list of recommended books and on this page, we feature an archive of recommendations for picture books, fiction, and nonfiction from previous years.
Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Richard Walker, BSc, PhD, is a science writer and storyteller whose work for young readers spans human biology, natural history and traditional tales. Trained as a zoologist, he gained a doctorate in physiology and biochemistry, taught in secondary school and at university, then moved into writing and consultancy.
His science titles for children include Kingfisher Knowledge: Human Body (Kingfisher, 2006), Your Amazing Body (Carlton Books, 2008), and Eyewitness: Human Body (Dorling Kindersley, 2009). He has also authored Ouch! How Your Body Makes It Through a Very Bad Day (Dorling Kindersley, 2007), and Genes & DNA (Kingfisher, 2003), introducing concepts such as genetics, inheritance and the body’s defence systems for middle-grade readers.
Alongside non-fiction, Walker has retold classic and world stories for Barefoot Books. These include The Barefoot Book of Pirates (Barefoot Books, 1998), The Barefoot Book of Trickster Tales (Barefoot Books, 1998), and Jack and the Beanstalk, illustrated by Niamh Sharkey (Barefoot Books, 1999).
Selected publication: Eyewitness: Human Body (Dorling Kindersley, 2009).
Each month, the School Reading List compiles a list of recommended books and on this page, we feature an archive of recommendations for picture books, fiction, and nonfiction from previous years.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out this Autumn. These reading recommendations include picture books, 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