Our Children's Editor
Our children’s editor, Tuva Kahrs, is in charge of book recommendations for kids on Five Books. As well as interviews with authors and experts, she carefully picks the best books of the year to bring you the very best books for kids of all ages as they are published. Here are her recommendations of the best kids’ books of 2024 and the best teen books of 2024.
Interviews with Our Children's Editor
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1
Rumi
by Rashin Kheiriyeh -
2
There's a Tiger on the Train
by Mariesa Dulak & Rebecca Cobb (illustrator) -
3
Nose to Nose
by Thyra Heder -
4
The Most Boring Book Ever
by Brandon Sanderson & Kazu Kibuishi (illustrator) -
5
The Band in Our Basement
Kelly J Baptist, Jenin Mohammed (illustrator) -
6
Measuring Me!
by Nicola Kent
The Best New Books for 3-5 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best New Books for 3-5 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Gorgeous new picture books to entertain and educate your preschooler, recommended by our children’s editor, Tuva Kahrs.
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1
Miss Cat: The Case of the Curious Canary
by Jean-Luc Fromental, Joëlle Jolivet (illustrator) & translated by Jill Phythian -
2
Finding Home: Amazing Places Animals Live
Mike Unwin, Jenni Desmond (illustrator) -
3
The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
by Anders Sparring, Per Gustavsson (illustrator) & translated by Julia Marshall -
4
When the Stammer Came to Stay
Maggie O'Farrell, Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini (illustrator) -
5
The Paper Bridge
by Joëlle Veyrenc, Seng Soun Ratanavanh (illustrator) & translated by Katy Lockwood-Holmes -
6
Bad Panda: Mites, Camera, Action!
by Swapna Haddow
The Best New Books for 6-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best New Books for 6-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The past year has been a particularly good year for chapter books for emerging readers. It can be hard to find good books for 5-8 year olds to read for pleasure (as opposed to learning to read), but this year has a great crop of entertaining easy reads. Our children’s editor, Tuva Kahrs, picks her favourites.
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1
Olivetti
by Allie Millington -
2
Circus Maximus: Return of the Champion
by Annelise Gray -
3
Insectarium
by Dave Goulson & Emily Carter (illustrator) -
4
Bringing Back Kay-Kay
by Dev Kothari -
5
Bang: The Wild Wonders of Earth's Phenomena
Jennifer N. R. Smith, Jon Cannell (consultant) -
6
The Magic Paintbrush
Kat Zhang and Eric Darnell, Phoebe Zhong (illustrator)
The Best New Books for 9-12 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best New Books for 9-12 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
From historical fiction to fantasy, from beautiful science books to funny novels, our children’s editor, Tuva Kahrs, picks the best new books for 9-12 year olds.
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1
When It's Your Turn for Midnight
by Blessing Musariri -
2
The Djinn's Apple
by Djamila Morani & translated by Sawad Hussain -
3
Soulmates and Other Ways to Die
by Melissa Welliver -
4
Where the Heart Should Be
by Sarah Crossan -
5
Our Beautiful Darkness
Ondjaki, António Jorge Gonçalves (illustrator), translated by Lyn Miller-Lachmann -
6
Seven Days
by Rebeka Shaid
The Best New Books for Teens, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best New Books for Teens, recommended by Our Children's Editor
From a love story set in Angola to a Hunger Games-style thriller, from the medieval Middle East and 19th century Ireland to the world of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, our children’s editor Tuva Kahrs recommends her best books for teens and young adults of 2024.
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1
The Way Things Work
by David Macaulay -
2
How Was That Built? The Stories Behind Awesome Structures
Roma Agrawal, Katie Hickey (illustrator) -
3
Under Earth, Under Water
by Aleksandra Mizielińska and Daniel Mizieliński & translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones -
4
Sky High! A Soaring History of Aviation
by Jacek Ambrożewski & translated by Zosia Krasodomska-Jones -
5
Inventors: Incredible Stories of the World's Most Ingenious Inventions
by Robert Winston & Jessamy Hawke (illustrator)
How Things Work: Great STEM Books for 8-12 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
How Things Work: Great STEM Books for 8-12 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
In addition to being fun fields to explore, engineering and technology can help children build their problem solving skills and make them think logically about design. Here, our Children’s Editor recommends engaging and attractive STEM books for 8-12 year olds on how things in the world around us work.
Books Like Percy Jackson, recommended by Our Children's Editor
It is hard for books to compete with TikTok and YouTube for children’s attention, but a few popular series do manage. If you have children in your life who loved Percy Jackson, here are some suggestions to help you pick the next book series to enthral them, based on myths from around the world.
The Best New Books for Kids of 2024, recommended by Our Children's Editor
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.
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1
Birds: Explore Their Extraordinary World
Miranda Krestovnikoff, Angela Harding (illustrator) -
2
Glow: The Wild Wonders of Bioluminescence
Jennifer N. R. Smith, Dr. Edith Widder (consultant) -
3
Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes
Julie Roberge, Aless MC (illustrator), translated by Charles Simard -
4
Ben Rothery's Deadly and Dangerous Animals
by Ben Rothery -
5
Botanicum
by Kathy Willis & Katie Scott (illustrator)
Beautiful Science Books for 9-12 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Beautiful Science Books for 9-12 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Nonfiction books for 9-12 year olds can be just as fun for adults as for kids, especially when they are beautifully illustrated. Here, our Children’s Editor picks science books for 9-12 year olds that are not only informative, but also beautiful works of art.
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1
Wild Song
by Candy Gourlay -
2
Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice
Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, Dawud Anyabwile (illustrator) -
3
The Undying of Obedience Wellrest
by Nicholas Bowling -
4
I Kick and I Fly
by Ruchira Gupta -
5
Warrior Girl Unearthed
by Angeline Boulley & Isabella Star LaBlanc (narrator)
The Best Books for Teens of 2023, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best Books for Teens of 2023, recommended by Our Children's Editor
From history to historical fiction, from Romania to the Philippines, here’s our list of the best books for teenagers of 2023. We’ve included award-winning books as well as books for young adults handpicked by Tuva Kahrs, our children’s editor.
The Best Kids’ Books of 2023, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Every year Tuva Kahrs, our children’s editor, keeps an eye out for the best kids’ books as they’re published, picking out books that are good enough to meet her rigorous standards. Here are the books, a mixture of novels and nonfiction, that have made her 2023 list.