How to Train Your Dragon
Cressida Cowell (Hodder)
A laugh-out loud romp of a Viking adventure set on the windy Isle of Berk, this is the first in a hugely successful 10-book series and is now being made into a film. Having just passed his dragon initiation programme, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, a young Viking searching for a way of becoming a hero, sets about the challenge. First, he must catch a dragon; then he will have to train it. Hiccup's attempts are hilarious and charming, and the cold, soggy world of the Vikings provides an endless source of mirth. Ages 8+
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl (Puffin)
Against all the odds, poor Charlie Bucket finds a golden ticket to a trip of a lifetime to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. The tour round the factory is every child's dream, but too much of a temptation for Charlie's fellow golden ticket winners. A classic, magical, rags-to-riches moral fairytale. Ages 8+
The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering (Walker)
Despereaux the mouse loves reading and music. Maybe as a result of his poetic nature, Despereaux breaks the great mouse taboo by falling in love with a human princess. Banished to a cellar full of rats, Despereaux discovers the rats' plan to capture the princess and bring her down into the darkness and decides to foil it. Full of charm, this is a heroic story of how goodness and courage can outsmart evil. Ages 8+
The Arrival
Shaun Tan (Hodder)
Experiences familiar to migrants of all kinds are brilliantly told via the stunning illustrations of this poignant and atmospheric graphic novel set against a changing background of landscapes and peoples, through which the man at the centre of the story carries his suitcase. His feelings of confusion and isolation, the problems of communication and misunderstanding, the despair and then the easing of the experience through friendship spill beyond the individual and offer great insights. Ages 8+
Matilda
Roald Dahl (Puffin)
Clever Matilda defies her rotten parents by teaching herself to read and getting herself to school. Here, her prodigious talent propels her beyond her mum, dad and nasty headmistress, supported by her teacher, Miss Honey. Matilda blossoms, but it's not all plain sailing. Roald Dahl's larger-than-life novel is a triumph over bullying. Ages 8+
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Book 1
Jeff Kinney (Puffin)
Now a bestselling phenomenon, Greg Heffley's diary captures the minutiae of his days as he starts middle school. In words and witty illustrations, Greg plots how to improve his life, avoid previous pitfalls – and how to increase his popularity with girls. Easy to read, touching and very entertaining. Ages 8+
The Demon Headmaster
Gillian Cross (OUP)
New pupil Dinah finds that all the pupils at her new school are so obedient they mindlessly repeat the headmaster's every word. She starts to ask herself how it is done when it begins to work on her too. An entertaining story that makes good use of familiar school themes about resisting oppression and how innocence can be an advantage. Ages 8+
Charlotte's Web
EB White, illustrated by Garth Williams (Puffin)
How do words of praise such as "terrific" keep appearing mysteriously in the spider's web above the pig pen in Farmer Zuckerman's barn? These are the life-saving words that Charlotte the spider spins to save her friend Wilbur the piglet, the runt of a litter that is being reared for one purpose only. Watched over by Fern, a little girl who has adopted the pig as a pet, the interactions of Wilbur, Charlotte, Templeton the rat and the other barn animals as they campaign to save the pig's life is an exceptional story of tenderness and triumph. Ages 8+
The Sheep-Pig
Dick King-Smith (Puffin)
When Farmer Hogget wins a pig at the fete, he takes it home thinking of bacon. But Babe soon shows that he is no ordinary pig. Adopted by Hogget's sheepdog, Fly, Babe quickly picks up the necessary skills of a champion herder. It isn't long before Hogget realises that he has a very special pig on his hands and soon the two of them are on their way to fame and fortune. Turned into the film Babe, The Sheep-Pig is a funny, touching story tinged with wonder. Ages 8+
One Dog and his Boy
Eva Ibbotson (Marion Lloyd)
All Hal has ever wanted is a dog. His parents refuse to contemplate the idea; a dog would mess up their beautiful house and disturb their busy routine. When they discover Easy Pets, they hire Hal a dog for a weekend thinking that will do the trick. But Hal discovers Fleck has to be returned, so he runs away, and all the dogs from Easy Pets escape with him. Soon, there's a price on his head. How Hal makes his escape and the story of his adventures as a fugitive is both thrilling and moving. Ages 9+
Kensuke's Kingdom
Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman (Egmont)
Swept overboard from his parents' boat by a giant wave, Michael and his dog Stella Artois are washed on to a desert island. There is no sign of food or water, so he prepares for the inevitable. Having given up all hope, Michael wakes one morning to find food and drink have been put out for him. Who is the mysterious old man who brings it and can Michael trust him? Michael Morpurgo draws on the best traditions of Robinson Crusoe in this dramatic and touching adventure. Ages 9+
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
JK Rowling (Bloomsbury)
The most read book for a generation, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first in JK Rowling's phenomenally successful series, in which the boy wizard first takes up his place at Hogwart's school for witches and wizards. Accompanied by his two best school friends, Ron and Hermione, Potter encounters a rich and colourful cast of characters. Ages 9+
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist (Egmont)
A phenomenal and curious success, The Bad Beginning is a gothic tale of three orphan siblings who thwart their wicked uncle's ideas to steal their inheritance with a clever plan. Ironic, gloomy and heroic, this brief but detailed story launched a series that has spawned many imitators. Ages 9+
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell (Bloomsbury)
A gripping and deliciously chilling story that unfolds at a stately pace one intriguing episode after another. Bod is a perfectly normal boy in many ways, except that he is brought up in a graveyard and nurtured by ghosts following the death of his parents. The graveyard itself is full of danger, but greater peril lies outside in the land of the living and Bod's experience of both and ability to survive either is compelling. Chris Riddell's illustrations are terrifying and also irresistible. Ages 9+
Artemis Fowl
Eoin Colfer (Puffin)
Eoin Colfer's riotous imagination gives life to farting fairies and hi-tech gizmos in this fantastic and original fantasy. Cunning Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind; his ambition is to get his hands on fairy gold. The plan is simple – Artemis will kidnap a fairy and demand the gold as a ransom. The kidnap goes to plan, but Artemis hadn't bargained on the particular ways of fairies and especially not on the fairy in question, Holly Short. Somehow the fairies weave a magic over Artemis Fowl, who discovers that he may not be as cold-hearted as he had always thought. Ages 9+
Friendly Matches
Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Fritz Wegner (Puffin)
The draw of Friendly Matches is not so much that the poems are about football but that they use such a variety of poetic forms. There's The Goals of Bingo Boot – a ballad of an old footballing legend; The Lullaby for a Referee's Baby, Soccer Sonnet and The Song of the Sub with its poignant refrain: "I'm a sub, I'm a sub and I sing this song/ And I'm only ever wanted when things go wrong." Ages 9+
The Unforgotten Coat
Frank Cottrell Boyce (Walker)
Looking back on something that happened when she was in year six, Julie tells the story of the unexpected arrival at the school of Chingis and Nergui, two brothers from Mongolia. When they ask her to become their "Good Guide", Julie gets completely caught up in their stories, and it is hard to tell the imaginary from the horribly real dangers they face. A gem of a story by award-winning author Frank Cottrell Boyce. Ages 9+
Sparks
Ally Kennen (Scholastic)
When Carla's recently deceased grandfather leaves a note wishing for a Viking funeral at sea, burning pyre and all, she decides to fulfil his wishes. Subverting the plans of the adults, and risking flouting the law in the process, Carla leads her siblings on a thrilling and original adventure. A highly entertaining and spirited adventure (pictured below). Ages 9+
A Greyhound of a Girl
Roddy Doyle (Marion Lloyd)
Roddy Doyle's wonderful, funny and warm-hearted family story is about four generations of women and coping with death. Mary's great grandma appears as a ghost with a message for Mary's gran, who is about to pass on. Mary's relationship with her gran and the feelings she has about her death will touch the heart of readers of all ages. Ages 9+
Eating Things on Sticks
Anne Fine, illustrated by Kate Aldous (Corgi)
Anne Fine is more entertaining and acerbic than any author about the complex interactions of families. Having burnt down the kitchen by mistake, Harry saves himself from the fate of a week spent with aunt Susan by blackmailing his uncle Tristram into taking him on holiday. Setting off for a remote Scottish island, Harry and Tristram ignore the strange warning the ferryman gives them, but soon wish they hadn't. Harry endures rain, floods, Tristram's mystic girlfriend Morning Glory and a host of wonderful misunderstandings. Harry and Tristram's holiday adventure is pure joy. Ages 9+
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan (Puffin)
Percy Jackson was once an ordinary schoolboy, but his life changes for ever when he discovers he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. Skateboarding and basketball are soon swapped for sword fights and monster hunts and the daily struggle to stay alive. And when Zeus accuses Percy of stealing his lightning bolt, life gets very dangerous indeed. Terrific adventure that seamlessly joins two worlds. Ages 10+
Skellig
David Almond (Hodder)
Deservedly popular, Skellig is a beautifully told modern fairytale. Newly moved into a new home, and with his baby sister critically ill at home, Michael takes comfort from the strange creature he finds in the dilapidated garage. Part human and part bird, Skellig is frail and wasted, croaking out orders for Chinese takeaways. But for Michael, reviving Skellig is an essential task on which his sister's survival is somehow dependent. The ambiguity of the story allows readers to make of the tale what they need, and is central to its lasting appeal. Ages 10+
Millions
Frank Cottrell Boyce (Macmillan)
Boyce's bittersweet novel is a delicious funny story with some serious things to say about what brings happiness. Damian and his brother Anthony find a bag full of money, but have only a few days before the currency becomes worthless. Initially excited at being able to have anything they want, the brothers quickly discover that they no longer know the value of anything. And anyway, money cannot bring back the one thing they want most – their mother. An entertaining, provocative and life-affirming adventure. Ages 10+
Stormbreaker
Anthony Horowitz (Walker)
Alex Rider, full of modern attitude and old-fashioned courage, becomes an instant hero as an underage MI6 agent. Forcibly recruited into the service, Alex is soon armed with the most up-to-date gadgets and sent out on his first mission. Heading straight into the most terrible danger, it takes all his courage and cunning to survive. Crackling with suspense and daring, this is a fabulous story, showing that a bit of guts will take you a very long way. Ages 10+
Mortal Engines
Philip Reeve (Scholastic)
An imaginative blend of past and future technologies sets the scene for this feast of fantasy in which wheeled cities chase each other along the dried-out sea bed, in search of smaller settlements in a world ruled by "municipal Darwinism" . Orphan Tom Natsworthy, a third-class apprentice in the Guild of Historians, has the adventure of his life after he sets out to learn what has happened to his parents. With a cast of inventive characters including Stalker, a robot killer with a human brain, and cities whose multi-layered architecture dazzles, this is creation on a vast scale. Ages 10+
The Saga of Darren Shan Cirque du Freak
Darren Shan (HarperCollins)
Schoolboy Darren Shan's life changes dramatically after his best friend gets him a ticket for a banned freak show. Not only does he see some life-changing horrors such as Madam Octa, a goat-eating tarantula, but he gets caught up in a world where nasty things rule! The first in a gripping horror series for those with a strong stomach. Ages 10+
Inkheart
Cornelia Funke (Chicken House)
A headlong roller coaster of an adventure in which the imagined becomes dangerously real. Meggie's father has the ability to bring characters alive from books – and two murderous characters are still abroad from the last time he read aloud, nine years before. Meggie is thrown into an adventure that she will need all her courage to survive. A delightful and daring fantasy. Ages 10+
Keeper
Mal Peet (Walker)
Recalling his life story to a journalist (tellingly named Faustino), El Gato, South America's most famous goalkeeper, charts his rags-to-riches story from endless practice on makeshift pitches in the heart of the rainforest to global star. It is when the shadowy Keeper steps out of the dark woods to help him that El Gato's real journey towards becoming a footballing legend begins. Tense and atmospheric, this is a refreshing take on a familiar-theme, in which football almost becomes secondary to the satisfying magical realism throughout. Ages 10+
Wolf Brother
Michelle Paver (Orion)
A richly imagined world in which humans, animals and spirits from the past coexist. Forest-born Torak knows his childhood is over the day his father dies in his arms, killed by a bear possessed by an evil spirit. Now he must fulfil his destiny to kill the bear with the help of the world spirit. Trusting no one and finding himself tricked, trapped and betrayed at almost every turn, Torak finds comfort in the support of a wolf cub. Together, they journey until they reach the mountain of the world spirit and Torak's final sacrifice. The launch title of an exceptional series. Ages 10+
Journey to the River Sea
Eva Ibbotson (Macmillan)
Orphaned Maia is packed off to the Amazon to live with her only relations. Full of optimism about having a family at last, her hopes are quickly dashed when it becomes clear that her new-found relatives are cold, calculating and far more interested in Maia's allowance than anything else. Luckily, the nanny they have employed for their own girls is intelligent and resourceful. Soon, she and Maia team up, escape the house and enjoy some wonderful adventures deep in the Amazon rainforest. A lyrical story that richly re-creates the lush Amazon and a fading colonial world. Ages 10+
Young Bond: Silverfin
Charlie Higson (Puffin)
Ever wondered what James Bond was like before he became 007? Orphaned Eton schoolboy James Bond trains for his later death-defying escapes by climbing school roofs and shinning down drainpipes as well as seeing off school bullies, whose character traits resemble his later opponents. Outside school, on holiday in Scotland, he also gets involved in his first adventure – uncovering the evil experiments taking place behind the walls of the neighbouring Laird's castle. Youthful but charming, the young Bond is already a hero in the making. Ages 10+
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece
Annabel Pitcher (Orion)
Heartbreaking and funny in near equal measure, the story of 10-year-old Jamie's direct and wide-eyed telling of the emotional chaos he and his family live through following the death of his sister in a terrorist attack is poignant and warm-hearted. Beginning a new life in the Lake District with his older sister and father, who drinks to assuage his grief and rage, Jamie knows he should feel sadder than he does. The truth is, he can hardly remember his sister, and the challenges at school and new friendships are more urgent – as is his yearning for his mother to return. Emotionally charged, this is a wonderfully touching story that never slips into worthiness. Ages 10+
The Illustrated Mum
Jacqueline Wilson, illustrated by Nick Sharratt (Doubleday)
Jacqueline Wilson's skill is being able to tell the story of complex ties children may have to deal with in an upbeat style that neither fudges the issues nor gives rise to despair. How Dolphin and Star cope with the unpredictability of Marigold, their alcoholic, manic-depressive mother, is told entirely from the girls' perspective. Seen through the rose-tinted view of their own childhood, it emphasises the warmth of Marigold at her best rather than the terror she creates when she is at her most unpredictable, and leaves the impression of the two children as survivors. Ages 10+
The Island of Thieves
Josh Lacey (Andersen)
A cracking thriller packed full of intrigue, danger and daring. When Tom finds himself jetting to Peru with his uncle he has no idea what lies in store. Nothing is quite straightforward with uncle Harvey; a trip to Lima turns out to be a quest for buried treasure – gold from the days of Sir Francis Drake – which could be hidden anywhere along miles of coastline. Tom is an excellent narrator and the slippery character of his uncle is wittily exposed. Ages 10+
Ribblestrop
Andy Mulligan (Simon & Schuster)
"Life is dangerous" isn't a school motto that would bring today's risk-averse parents flocking to enrol their children. Ribblestrop's roofless dormitory – the result of an arson attack the previous term – wouldn't impress them much either. Nor would the headmaster's solution to the problem – handing out a tot of rum to each pupil to help see off the cold. But the pupils at Ribblestrop are more than happy to live up to the school motto, and through it they learn friendship and trust as they career through their adventures, each more outrageous than the one before. Ages 10+
