Whether your child is a bookworm or a reluctant reader, sometimes it is hard to know which books they will like. Below are three separate reading lists for children in Years 4, 5 and 6, recommended by our 11+ English tutors. The lists are filled with fantasy stories, historical tales, sci-fi adventures, mystery novels, and exciting non-fiction. Whatever your child is interested in, there is sure to be a book here for them.
Year 4 reading list
Most eight and nine-years old are not completely fluent readers. While Roald Dahl’s stories are fantastic for older children as well, the books in this list are shorter, use simpler language, and tend to have more illustrations. Michael Morpurgo and Dick King Smith are perfect for children who love animals, while the Horrid Henry stories provide a dose of irreverent fun. For children who like magic, Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witchseries is a gem, and with eight books to get through there is plenty for children to enjoy.
-
Fantasy
The Worst Witch series – Jill Murphy
-
Animal stories
The Sheep-Pig– Dick King Smith
The Butterfly Lion– Michael Morpurgo
-
Adventure
George’s Marvellous Medicine– Roald Dahl
Flat Stanley stories – Jeff Brown
My Naughty Little Sister– Dorothy Edwards
-
Humour
Horrid Henry stories – Francesca Simon
Year 5 reading list
By the age of ten, children are reading with more confidence, but many still need a helping hand. Either from a parent, relative or teacher or from a specialist reading tutor. Below are a selection of Year 5 favourites ranging from sci-fi stories like Artemis Fowlto old-time classics like Stig of the Dump. In Year 5, children still love pictures and cartoons, so don’t be worried if they are drawn to heavily illustrated books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
-
Adventure
Billionare Boy– David Walliams
Kensuke’s Kingdom– Michael Morpurgo
-
Fantasy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– Roald Dahl
-
Science Fiction
-
Mystery
Time Stops for No Mouse– Michael Hoeye
The London Eye Mystery – Siobhan Dowd
-
Humour
Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney
Year 6 reading list
Year 6 is often the time when children fall in love with reading. 10 and 11-year-olds are typically capable of reading without the help of parents, teachers, or English tutors, and relish the independence and freedom this brings. Series of books are popular with Year 6 students, hence why Harry Potter, Alex Rider, Percy Jackson and the children of Narnia all appear on the list. For less confident readers, Danny the Champion of the Worldand Why the Whales Cameare captivating stories with lovely illustrations. Finally, for children interested in non-fiction, you can’t beat the Horrible Historiesand Horrible Scienceseries.
-
Fantasy
Harry Potter series – J.K Rowling
Percy Jackson & the Olympiansseries – Rick Riordan
The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S Lewis
-
Adventure
Alex Rider series – Anthony Horowitz
The Wolves of Willoughby Place – Joan Aiken
Goodnight Mr Tom– Michelle Magorian
The Thief Lord – Cornelia Funke
Why the Whales Came – Michael Morpurgo
Danny the Champion of the World – Roald Dahl
-
Non-fiction
Horrible Histories – Terry Deary and Peter Hepplewhite
Horrible Science– Nick Arnold and Phil Gates
-
Mystery
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time– Mark Haddon
Year 7 reading list
Year 7 students are faced with more demands on their time. Homework picks up the pace in secondary school and children often become more engrossed in their friendships and their phones. There are some fantastic books out there for 11 and 12 year-olds, however, so it is important to keep encouraging your child to read. By Year 7 some children will be ready to start classics like Black Beauty, Little Womenand The Hobbit. However, if your child is put off by small writing and thick spines, shorter, more modern stories like Holesand Cirque du Freakare also great reads.
-
Fantasy
Lord of the Rings series – J.R.R. Tolkien
His Dark Materials trilogy – Philip Pullman
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen – Alan Garner
-
Adventure
A Series of Unfortunate Events– Lemony Snicket
-
Classics
Little Women– Louisa May Alcott
-
Historical fiction
Private Peaceful– Michael Morpurgo
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4– Sue Townsend
-
Science Fiction
The Day of the Triffids– John Wyndham
5 tips to encourage your child to read
- Try one page on, one page off. If your child finds reading a challenge, don’t make them read every page themselves. Read one page to them and ask them to read the next. This way, children can enjoy the story and improve their literacy skills. Reading to children is a great way to peak their interest in books and to encourage them to start trying it for themselves.
- Don’t make them finish every book. Sometimes, children just don’t get on with certain books. It might be the plot, the characters, the difficulty of the language —any number of things. There is no point, therefore, making them finish every story they start. In most cases, it will just put them off reading, and prevent them finding a book they do.
- Try using a ruler. If your child is often losing their place on the page, try using a ruler or a bookmark underneath the line to keep them on track.
- Let them read things you think are too easy. When children are young, the most important thing is that they enjoy reading and don’t see it as a chore. If that means sometimes buying them books you consider “too young”, so be it. Ultimately, even if they are reading a comic, they will still be practising their reading skills and discovering the joy of storytelling.
- Play games that involve reading. Although many parents are keen for their child to curl up with a book, a surprisingly large number of activities involve reading. Games are an excellent place to start. Buy a few child-friendly quizzes, and ask your child to read out some of the questions. Games which involve unscrambling letters —like My First Banagrams and Scrabble Junior —are also well worth trying.
- Bonus Tip: Parents READ these two great articles for even more advice and tips from Pearson and The Guardian.