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
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 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
When It's Your Turn for Midnight
by Blessing Musariri -
2
Our Beautiful Darkness
Ondjaki, António Jorge Gonçalves (illustrator), translated by Lyn Miller-Lachmann -
3
Where the Heart Should Be
by Sarah Crossan -
4
The Djinn's Apple
by Djamila Morani & translated by Sawad Hussain -
5
Seven Days
by Rebeka Shaid
The Best Books for Teens of 2024, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best Books for Teens of 2024, 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, we’ve picked our favourite books for teens and young adults of 2024.
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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.
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1
A Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Aston & Sylvia Long (illustrator) -
2
How Colour Works
by Catherine Barr & Yuliya Gwilym (illustrator) -
3
Bright in the Night
by Lena Sjöberg -
4
The Big Book of Bugs
by Yuval Zommer -
5
Creatures of the Deep: The Pop-Up Book
by Ernst Haeckel & Maike Biederstädt (paper engineer)
Beautiful Science Books for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Beautiful Science Books for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Scientific picture books provide an enjoyable way for kids to explore different fields of science without realising how much they are learning. Our Children’s Editor picks science books for kids age 4-8 that are informative but also a pleasure to look at, both for children and for the adults that are reading with them.
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1
Rebellion Against Heaven
Adapted by Chu Yi, illustrated by Wang Weizhi, translated by Liu Guangdi -
2
The Moose of Ewenki
by Gerelchimeg Blackcrane, Jiu Er (illustrator) & translated by Helen Mixter -
3
An's Seed
Zaozao Wang, Li Huang (illustrator), translated by Helen Wang -
4
Express Delivery from Dinosaur World
Yanan Dong, translated by Helen Wang -
5
Grandma Lives in a Perfume Village
by Fang Suzhen, Sonja Danowski (illustrator) & translated by Huang Xiumin
The Best Chinese Picture Books, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best Chinese Picture Books, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Of the many children’s books published in Chinese, few make their way into translation. Here, our Children’s Editor picks five outstanding Chinese picture books that are available for readers around the world to enjoy in English.
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1
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
J.K. Rowling & MinaLima (illustrators) -
2
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling & Levi Pinfold (illustrator) -
3
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
J.K. Rowling & Chris Riddell (illustrator) -
4
Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature
by Natural History Museum -
5
Harry Potter: A History of Magic
by British Library
The Best Illustrated Harry Potter Books, recommended by Our Children's Editor
The Best Illustrated Harry Potter Books, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Entering the magical world of Harry Potter is a wonderful gift for any child, and finding a beautiful edition can be an important part of the journey. Here, our Children’s Editor selects personal favourites among the most beautiful Harry Potter books and recommends the best gift editions.