First years

Read Me!

Books for First Year readers

Birthday Boy David Baddiel Humour

FIC BAD

Sam is so excited about his 11th birthday that he wishes it was his birthday every day. So it's quite exciting when his birthday happens again the next morning, and again, and again! It’s not long before things start to go wrong…

Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth, Frank Cottrell Boyce

FIC BOY

Prez has had to leave his criminal grandfather and go into foster care. Then, an alien tells him he must come up with a list of ten great things about the Earth in order to stop it from being destroyed! Can Prez prove the world is worth saving?

Letters From the Lighthouse Emma Carroll

Mystery

FIC CAR T

Olive and her brother have been evacuated to Devon, but her older sister Sukie is still missing from the night of the bombs. A note found in the coat of Sukie’s coat suggests she was involved in something dangerous. Will Olive solve the mystery?

Lionboy Zizou Corder Series Animals

FIC COR

Charlie Ashanti speaks Cat. His unusual talent helps him on his quest to find his kidnapped parents. But Charlie is in danger, for close behind him on his trail, is a crony of the mysterious group who have kidnapped his parents… now they’re after him!

The London Eye Mystery Siobhan Dowd

Mystery

FIC DOW

Ted’s life is thrown into disarray when his Aunt Gloria and cousin Salim come to stay in London.

Ted and his older sister Kat arrange to take Salim on the London Eye but although they watch him go up in a pod, he never comes down again…

Harriet the Spy Louise Fitzhugh Friendship

FIC FIT

Harriet is a spy. She writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her friends.

Then, one day, her friends read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written. Will Harriet find a way to put her friendships back together?

The Falcon’s Malteser Antony Horowitz Series Mystery

FIC HOR

When a dwarf delivers a package to the office, Tim Diamond, the world's worst detective, faces his toughest case yet. The office is ransacked but the package was only a box of Maltesers. Who was the dwarf and why was he murdered after his visit?

Lupo and the Secret of Windsor Castle, Aby King

Mystery

FIC KIN

Lupo is out for a walk with Nanny and Prince George in Kensington Gardens when he is lured into a wicked trap. Cyrus the swan has been attacked, and some precious royal treasure stolen. Lupo is innocent but can he prove it?

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis Series Adventure

FIC LEW

The Pevensie children step through a wardrobe door and find themselves in the land of Narnia. It’s a land of ice and snow, and its creatures are enslaved by the terrible White Witch. But when Aslan arrives, the snow begins to melt…

A Sea of Stars Kate Maryon Friendship

FIC MAR

Maya can’t wait to welcome Cat into the family when her parents adopt her. But Cat is angry and resentful and resists Maya’s attempts at friendship and soon Maya’s idea of a perfect family is blown out of the water.

A Medal for Leroy Michael Morpurgo Back in Time

FIC MOR

Michael doesn’t remember his father, an RAF pilot lost in the war. And his French mother, heartbroken, doesn’t like to talk about her husband. But then Michael’s Auntie gives him a medal and a photograph, which begin to reveal a hidden history.

Tom’s Midnight Garden Philippa Pearce

Mystery

FIC PEA

When the grandfather clock strikes thirteen Tom has a surprise. Outside the back door is a garden, which everyone tells him doesn't exist. But the magical place in which Tom finds himself is certainly a garden - his midnight garden.

Foul Play Tom Palmer Series Sport

FIC PAL

Danny is obsessed with two things: football, and investigating crimes. So when footballing hero Sam Roberts is reported missing, he's determined to get to the bottom of it. But is Danny getting into something he can't handle?

The Boy at the Back of the Class Onjali Q. Rauf Friendship

FIC RAU

There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a strange boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. Then I learned the truth: Ahmet isn't strange at all.

He's a refugee who's run away from a War. I want to help, and my friends and I have come up with a plan‌.

Finding the Fox Ali Sparkes Series Adventure

FIC SPA

Dax is excited to start boarding school. When he gets there, he’s happy to find himself amongst kids with all sorts of powers. But then he wonders if the school is safe… Suddenly his fox senses are on high alert.

Liar & Spy Rebecca Stead

Mystery

FIC STE

When Georges meets Safer, a 12-year-old spy, he’s quickly given the task of tracking the mysterious Mr X, who lives upstairs. But Georges starts to wonder: what is a game and what is a lie? How far is too far to go for your only friend?

Would the Real Stanley Carrot Please Stand Up? Rob Stevens Humour

FIC STE

Stanley has a secret: he's adopted. One day he receives a card from his birth mother, asking to meet up. But what if she doesn’t like him? He’s going to need a stand-in Stanley: handsome, sporty and God's gift to mothers…

Bad Dad David Walliams Humour

FIC WAL

Dads come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Of course, there are good dads, and bad dads . . . A high-speed cops and robbers adventure with heart and soul about a father and son taking on the villainous Mr Big - and winning!

Rent a Bridesmaid Jaqueline Wilson Friendship

FIC WIL

In Tilly's favourite daydream, she's wearing a beautiful bridesmaid’s dress, walking behind a bride. She’d really like to attend her parents’ wedding, but that’s impossible. It's time for Tilly to make her dream come true and put her bridesmaid services up for hire...

Beyond the Bright Sea Lauren Wolk Adventure

FIC WOL

Crow has lived her whole life on a tiny, beautiful, island. But when a mysterious fire appears across the water, a question of her own history forms in Crow's heart. She sets out to find her lost identity and to learn what it means to be a family.

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Book descriptions taken from Love Reading 4 Kids, Common Sense Media, Book Trust and Amazon websites. .