Getting kids to put down their screens and pick up a book isn’t always easy—but the right story can change everything. Whether your child is just learning to read or already racing through chapter books, finding a book they genuinely enjoy can spark a lifelong love of reading. In this blog, we’ve handpicked thirteen captivating, funny, magical, and moving books that have helped countless students fall in love with reading. From talking animals to brave young heroes, there’s something here for every kind of reader.
And if your child needs a little extra support or confidence with reading, our expert English tutors at KIS Academics are here to help—with personalised guidance to turn reluctant readers into book lovers. Book a free consultation today and help your child fall in love with learning.
13 Books to make kids fall in love with reading
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
'The ultimate children's story, ever' - David Walliams.
The famous story of Charlie Bucket and his Golden Ticket, and Willy Wonka and his amazing chocolate factory.
Mr Willy Wonka, the most wondrous inventor in the world, opens the gates of his amazing chocolate factory to five lucky children. Gobstoppers, wriggle sweets and a river of melted chocolate delight await - Charlie needs just one Golden Ticket and these delicious treats could all be his!
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Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The timeless classic story of friendship and acceptance.
This is the story of a little girl named Fern who loved a little pig named Wilbur and of Wilbur's dear friend, Charlotte A. Cavatica, a beautiful large grey spider. With the unlikely help of Templeton the rat, and a wonderfully clever plan of her own, Charlotte saves the life of Wilbur, who by this time has grown up to be quite a pig. A time-honoured classic favourite.
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Oscar’s Lion Adam Baron
Oscar is a little terrified to find that a lion is going to be looking after him for the weekend. But when the lion lets him eat as many biscuits as he wants, and reads him his favourite story ten times, Oscar realises he might be on to something good.
Soon, Oscar discovers that the lion can change into different animals and the pair find themselves having all kinds of adventures! But before the lion has to go, might he have one more amazing transformation up his sleeve?
Adam Baron
Wonder by R J Palacio
Internationally bestselling novel starring August Pullman - a boy who's desperate to blend in, but is destined to stand out.
'My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.'
Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go.
Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?
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The BFG by Roald Dahl
"Human beans is not really believing in giants, is they? Human beans is not thinking we exist."
One dark, silvery moonlit night, Sophie is snatched from her bed by a giant! Luckily it is the Big Friendly Giant (the BFG), who is no ordinary bone-crunching giant, but instead prefers snozzcumbers and frobscottle to children. But there are other giants in Giant Country. And those giants have a plan to gallop far and wide to find some tasty human beans to eat. Can Sophie and the BFG stop them?
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
J.K. Rowling
The Brilliant World of Tom Gates by Liz Pichon
Liz Pichon’s award-winning Tom Gates book series has sold more than 16.5 million copies around the world in 47 languages. Each of the 22 (really funny!) books is a rich mix of stories, music, mischief and a whole lot of doodles. Tom’s everyday trials and tribulations at home and school immerse readers in a relatable world, wherever they live. You can read these books in any order.
Matilda by Roald Dahl
These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: you are not alone.
Matilda is a brilliant child with a magical mind. Her parents have decided she is a waste of space. And her headmistress Miss Trunchball is a terrible bully, who thinks children are rotten and awful and should be locked up. But it's time for Matilda to find the power to change her story, and show them just how extraordinary children can be . . .
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The Last Bear by Hannah Gold
There are no polar bears left on Bear Island. At least, that’s what April’s father tells her when his scientific research takes them to this remote Arctic outpost for six months. But one endless summer night, April meets one. He is starving, lonely and a long way from home. Determined to save him, April begins the most important journey of her life . . .
This moving story will win the hearts of children the world over and show them that no one is too young or insignificant to make a difference. The Last Bear is a celebration of the love between a child and an animal, a battle cry for our world and an irresistible adventure with a heart as big as a bear’s.
Alice-Miranda At School by Jacqueline Harvey
Can one tiny girl change a very big school? Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is waving goodbye to her weeping parents and starting her first day at boarding school. But something is wrong at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies.
The headmistress, Miss Grimm, hasn't been seen for ten years. The prize-winning flowers are gone. And a mysterious stranger is camping in the greenhouse. Alice-Miranda must complete a series of impossible tests. Can she really beat the meanest, most spoilt girl at school in a solo sailing mission?
Could she camp in the forest all on her own for five whole days and nights? Well, of course. This is Alice-Miranda, after all.
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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Look, I never asked to be the song of a Greek god, I was just a normal kid. . . until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher.
Percy Jackson is having a bad week. His life has gone from totally normal to monsters-from-Greek-mythology-randomly-appearing kind of strange. Worse still, the king of the gods thinks Percy has stolen his all-powerful lightning bolt - and it seems making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to catch the true lightning thief and stop all-out war from erupting on Mount Olympus. . .
What could possibly go wrong?
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A Case of Grave Danger by Sophie Cleverly
Violet Veil wants nothing more than to prove her worth and become her father’s apprentice at Veil & Sons Undertakers. And one rain-soaked night she gets her chance when she meets a boy, Oliver, who is wandering around the graveyard. Only, the last time Violet saw Oliver, he was indoors and very much dead, waiting to be buried. Violet has just found her first case, and it doesn’t get bigger than this: can she, with the help of her dog, Bones, help Oliver solve his own ‘murder’?
Sophie Cleverly
The Boy Who Made Monsters Jenny Pearson
Benji McLaughlin is a visionary. He believes in things other people think are impossible, like that he and his brother Stanley will be happy living with their uncle, that the Loch Lochy monster is real, and that his parents will come home safely one day. So when he finds out that Uncle Hamish's holiday business is struggling, Benji's not worried. He has a visionary plan. Together with his new friends, Murdy and Mr Dog, he sets off to prove that the Loch Lochy monster exists and brings tourists flooding in. But Benji might have to confront different monsters from the one he expects.
Jenny Pearson
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