Some authors have written about such extraordinary characters that they take on a life of their own. I was reminded of this when my daughter (age 18) took her old Percy Jackson books with her to university at the weekend.
Children really relish a series of books and to my ongoing amusement they often don’t read them in order! Below is a snapshot of my favourite series – some available in our Barrow Hills Library.
Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) – Percy is a demigod, this book is full of Greek mythology mixed with high adventure, Year 4 upwards, lots of action.
Alex Rider (Anthony Horowitz) – teenage spy adventure stories – suitable for Year 4 upwards – lots of explosions and action.
Wizard of Once – I love that these books have larger print and illustrations but the story is not too young. Enter Cressida Cowell’s world of wizards and make believe. Year 2 upwards.
Ronald Dahl – although not a series – these stories have a familiar tone of narration that serve as an excellent gateway to reading other books. All ages – although ‘The Witches‘ is a little scary!
Mr Gum (Andy Stanton) – a cantankerous man with a group of unlikely friends. Full of humour and accessible with larger text and illustrations. Year 3 upwards.
Harry Potter – needs no introduction. Try not to watch the movies until after reading the books. ‘The Philosopher’s Stone‘ is suitable for Year 3 but may require some joint reading or an audio book to fully enjoy it.
13 Story Treehouse – these books offer a graphic novel style and fantastic humour. This is often the book in Year 2 and 3 that will start a child on their reading journey.
GRK (Josh Lacey) Adventures of a boy called Tim and his escapades with a dog called GRK as they travel around the world, suitable for Year 3 upwards.
Noughts and Crosses – Malorie Blackman series of books is suitable for older readers Year 7 and above – this gripping series takes part in alternative 21st century Britain.
House of Secrets (Chris Colombus) – An epic adventure fantasy series for Year 6 and above. If you like fast paced adventure this is for you. The author also writes film scripts so this book is very visual and great to hook older readers back into books.
I could keep going! Remember re-reading a book can bring enormous pleasure, especially at bed time, so don’t pack away the old books too quickly. But when you have finished with your book series the Barrow Hills Library will be very happy to give your books another life. Happy Reading.
Mrs Dudley
jed@barrowhills.org