Recommended reading books for primary & secondary aged children in the UK
Zohra Nabi is a children’s and middle-grade author. She studied law at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She is the author of The Kingdom Over the Sea, published in 2023 by Simon & Schuster.
She grew up inventing stories for her two younger sisters.
Her new series, The Cassia Thorne Mystery, begins with Deep Dark, released in March 2025. In that book, set in a nineteenth-century London with Dickensian overtones, fourteen-year-old Cassia investigates the disappearance of children while living in the Fleet Prison and selling ballads at Bartholomew Fair.
Another of her works is The City Beyond the Stars, published in 2024.
This suggested reading list offers lots of book choices for children aged 9 and 10. From fantasy and animal stories to mysteries and science fiction adventures, there’s something for every upper primary child. These books for Year 5 include titles suitable for inspiring both able and reluctant readers.
Fantasy books for children and teens with titles by Katherine Rundell, B. B. Alston, A. F. Steadman, Tolá Okogwu, Frances Hardinge, Tomi Adeyemi, Tracy Deonn, R. F. Kuang, Samantha Shannon, and Katherine Arden.
Here’s our selection of top new titles coming out in Summer 2026. These reading recommendations include picture books, poetry, early and middle-grade fiction; young adult novels and non-fiction.
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.
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