Best Children's Books

The top 10 for every age band, from board books to young adult. Every title is independently recommended for that age by a specialist children’s book authority, then ranked by genuine Amazon UK sales — not editorial opinion alone.

Ages 0-2 Ages 3-5 Ages 6-8 Ages 9-12 Ages 13-15 Ages 16-18

Ages 0-2

All 16 books →

Board books and first picture books for babies and toddlers

#1 — Peter Rabbit My First Little Library

Peter Rabbit My First Little Library

by Beatrix Potter

4.7 · 6 reviews
#2 — Where's Spot?

Where's Spot?

by Eric Hill

4.8 · 39 reviews
#3 — Is This a Plum?

Is This a Plum?

by Dan Ojari

4.6 · 54 reviews
#4 — The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

by Eric Carle

4.8 · 83 reviews
#5 — The Dinosaur that Pooped a Zoo!

The Dinosaur that Pooped a Zoo!

by Tom Fletcher

4.8 · 1 reviews
#6 — What the Ladybird Heard

What the Ladybird Heard

by Julia Donaldson

4.8 · 6 reviews
#7 — What the Ladybird Heard Next

What the Ladybird Heard Next

by Julia Donaldson

4.8 · 8 reviews
#8 — Goodnight Bin Lorry

Goodnight Bin Lorry

by Michelle Robinson

5.0 · 3 reviews
#9 — The Bedtime Bear

The Bedtime Bear

by Ian Whybrow

5.0 · 3 reviews
#10 — Who is at the Zoo, Spot?

Who is at the Zoo, Spot?

by Eric Hill

5.0 · 8 reviews

Ages 3-5

All 292 books →

Picture books for pre-schoolers and early readers

#1 — The Dot Deluxe Gift Edition (Creatrilogy)

The Dot Deluxe Gift Edition (Creatrilogy)

by Peter H. Reynolds

#2 — Wriggle and Roar

Wriggle and Roar

by Nick Sharratt Julia Donaldson and Macmillan Digital Audio Justin Fletcher

#3 — Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

by Caroline Binch and Mary Hoffman

4.8 · 798 reviews
#4 — Guess How Much I Love You

Guess How Much I Love You

by Sam McBratney

4.8 · 07 reviews
#5 — The Very Hungry Caterpillar [Board Book]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar [Board Book]

by Eric Carle

4.8 · 97 reviews
#6 — Dear Zoo

Dear Zoo

by Rod Campbell

4.8 · 96 reviews
#7 — The Colour Monster

The Colour Monster

4.8 · 67 reviews
#8 — We're Going on a Bear Hunt

We're Going on a Bear Hunt

by Michael Rosen

4.8 · 4 reviews
#9 — The Tiger Who Came to Tea

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

by Judith Kerr

4.8 · 44 reviews
#10 — Where's Spot?

Where's Spot?

by Eric Hill

4.8 · 39 reviews
By year: 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

Ages 6-8

All 438 books →

Early chapter books and illustrated fiction

#1 — Fizzlebert Stump

Fizzlebert Stump

by A.F. Harrold and Sarah Horne

4.5 · 83 reviews
#2 — Young, Gifted and Black

Young, Gifted and Black

by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins

4.8 · 249 reviews
#3 — Where Zebras Go

Where Zebras Go

by Sue Hardy Dawson

4.8 · 26 reviews
#4 — BOOT Series 3 Books Collection Set By Shane Hegarty (BOOT …

BOOT Series 3 Books Collection Set By Shane Hegarty (BOOT …

by Shane Hegarty, BOOT small robot, BIG adventure, 978-1444949360, 1444949365, 9781444949360, The Rusty Rescue, 978-1444949391, 144494939X, 9781444949391, The Creaky Creatures, 978-1444949414, 1444949411, 9781444949414, Ben Mantle

4.7 · 17 reviews
#5 — The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig

The Unbelievable Top Secret Diary of Pig

by Emer Stamp

4.9 · 14 reviews
#6 — Secrets of a Sun King

Secrets of a Sun King

by Emma Carroll

4.6 · 7 reviews
#7 — I Am the Subway

I Am the Subway

by Kim Hyo-eun and Deborah Smith

4.8 · 64 reviews
#8 — Atlas of Adventures

Atlas of Adventures

by Lucy Letherland

4.7 · 451 reviews
#9 — King Coo

King Coo

by Adam Stower

4.7 · 84 reviews
#10 — Giant

Giant

by Kate Scott

4.7 · 54 reviews
By year: 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

Ages 9-12

All 438 books →

Middle-grade fiction for confident readers

#1 — Corey's Rock

Corey's Rock

by Jane Ray Sita Brahmachari

4.7 · 13 reviews
#2 — Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot

Aubrey and the Terrible Yoot

by Horatio Clare and Jane Matthews

4.3 · 58 reviews
#3 — Werewolf Club Rules!

Werewolf Club Rules!

by Joseph Coelho

4.6 · 82 reviews
#4 — Wed Wabbit

Wed Wabbit

by Lissa Evans

4.5 · 297 reviews
#5 — The Girl of Ink & Stars

The Girl of Ink & Stars

by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and Olia Muza

4.7 · 47 reviews
#6 — The Secret of Platform 13

The Secret of Platform 13

by Eva Ibbotson and Beatriz Castro

4.5 · 783 reviews
#7 — I Swapped My Brother On The Internet

I Swapped My Brother On The Internet

by Jo Simmons and Nathan Reed

4.6 · 4 reviews
#8 — The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

by Penelope Lively

4.6 · 195 reviews
#9 — The One and Only Ivan by Applegate, Katherine (2012) Hardc…

The One and Only Ivan by Applegate, Katherine (2012) Hardc…

#10 — The Wolves in the Walls

The Wolves in the Walls

by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

4.6 · 638 reviews
By year: 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

Ages 13-15

All 25 books →

Teen fiction for early and confident teenage readers

#1 — Heartstopper Volume 6

Heartstopper Volume 6

by Alice Oseman

4.8
#2 — Animal Farm

Animal Farm

by George Orwell

4.6 · 182 reviews
#3 — Othello (Wordsworth Classics)

Othello (Wordsworth Classics)

by Shakespeare, William, Watts M.A. Ph.D., Professor Cedric, Watts M.A. Ph.D., Professor Cedric, Carabine, Dr Keith

4.6
#4 — Our Strange Duet

Our Strange Duet

by Erin A. Craig

4.0 · 5 reviews
#5 — Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger …

Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger …

by Collins, Suzanne, Scholastic

4.7 · 51 reviews
#6 — The Brothers Hawthorne

The Brothers Hawthorne

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

4.4 · 14 reviews
#7 — As Good As Dead

As Good As Dead

by Holly Jackson

4.5 · 71 reviews
#8 — Little Women

Little Women

by Illustrated by Ella Bailey

4.8 · 234 reviews
#9 — Treasure Island (Wordsworth Classics)

Treasure Island (Wordsworth Classics)

by Robert Louis Stevenson

4.7 · 578 reviews
#10 — A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

by Shakespeare, William, Watts M.A. Ph.D., Professor Cedric, Watts M.A. Ph.D., Professor Cedric, Carabine, Dr Keith

4.6 · 530 reviews

Ages 16-18

All 20 books →

Young adult fiction for older teens

#1 — Thornbird

Thornbird

by E. Kennedy

4.3 · 609 reviews
#2 — A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

by Holly Jackson

4.7
#3 — Good Girl, Bad Blood

Good Girl, Bad Blood

by Holly Jackson

4.6 · 45 reviews
#4 — The Enemy’s Daughter

The Enemy’s Daughter

by Melissa Poett

4.0 · 154 reviews
#5 — Treasure Island

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

4.6 · 275 reviews
#6 — Cut Him Out in Little Stars

Cut Him Out in Little Stars

by Lucy Strange

4.4 · 3 reviews
#7 — The Heirs

The Heirs

by Àbíké-Íyímídé, Faridah

4.3 · 15 reviews
#8 — Fearful

Fearful

by Lauren Roberts

4.0 · 5 reviews
#9 — My Name Is Zayn (Kelpies)

My Name Is Zayn (Kelpies)

by Fidan Meikle

5.0 · 1 reviews
#10 — Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls

Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls

by Cynthia Murphy

4.0 · 19 reviews

Showing the top 10 of each age band — 60 books in all. Every band has a full list behind it, and most have a year-by-year archive going back to 2015. Prefer a straight sales chart? See the best-selling books overall or any year’s full Top 100.