Best Books for Kids

From gorgeous picture books to richly illustrated chapter books and novels for confident readers, our Children's Editor Tuva Kahrs handpicks the best new books for children.

Long associated with Japanese popular culture, manga are now found in translation across the world. In North America, this dynamic form of visual narration is overtaking comics and graphic novels in popularity. Oscar, age 13, recommends his favourite manga for children and teenagers.

What makes a picture book book stand out? Ella Beech, the artist who has just completed a beautiful new edition of The Night Before Christmas for the Folio Society, talks us through some of her favourite illustrated books for kids.

Everyone wants to get their kids reading, and a really gripping series is a great way of developing their inner bookworm. Izzy, a 10-year-old girl living in the UK, talks us through her favourite series for kids.

There needs to be a lot more sci-fi for kids, especially if it's got a good dose of horror, argues Dan Smith, author of the sci-fi mystery series Crooked Oak. He recommends five works of science fiction for 8 to 12 year olds, from books written more than half a century ago to more recent jewels.

Marine biologist Helen Scales reflects on the power of stories to bring all kinds of readers into the ocean realm. She recommends books for children and young adults, and explains why her selection focuses on novels for readers age 10-14.

Even as kids become old enough to read books without pictures, reading a graphic novel is a great way to relax or get a grasp of a complex subject (like quantum physics). 11 year old Harald, an avid reader, recommends some of the best ones he's read that other kids his age might also enjoy.

With so many good audiobooks to choose from, it's helpful to have a team dedicated to picking out the best ones. In the final instalment of our series of best audiobooks of 2024, we present the best ones for kids, as chosen by the editors of AudioFile magazine.

The Royal Society Young People's Book Prize recognises the best science books for under 14s. Professor Dorothy Bishop, psychologist and chair of the 2024 judging panel, introduces the wonderful titles on this year's shortlist and explains why she thinks they will inspire children to become scientists.

Do you love to solve a mystery? Do the twists and turns in the plot of a classic whodunit thrill you? Robin Stevens, award-winning author of the bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series, talks us through her favourite kid detectives and the murderously good books from which they come to life.