Back to School Books for Kids and Essential Reads

Back to school is in full swing, from new organisers to backpacks and drawers full of uniform, and we can’t forget those little school jitters. Back to school is an exciting and crazy time that’s why we’ve put together our book recommendations that are set to be great reads and helpful guides throughout the new academic year.

Usborne Phonics Readers – 12 Books Box Set – £18.99

Beautifully illustrated stories which engage children and start their love of reading. These amazingly constructed stories use phonics-based reading as a tool to help with your children reading at an early age.

Titles in this Collection:

1. Ted’s shed
2. Toad makes a road
3. Shark in the park
4. Big pig on a dig
5. Goose on the loose
6. Mouse moves house
7. Sam sheep can’t sleep
8. Fat cat on a mat
9. Fox on a box
10. Hen’s Pens
11. Ted in a red bed
12. Frog on a log

Geronimo Stilton 20 Books Box Set Collection (2 Box Sets) – £22.99

Geronimo Stilton is not strong, he’s not bold, and he’s DEFINITELY not brave. Adventure?! What’s wrong with staying at home with a box of cheesy chews? Too bad the rest of his family don’t agree. From a spooky stay at a haunted hotel, to rescuing secret documents and curing mystery illnesses, there’s never a dull moment for this fabumouse journalist! The series is perfect for children 5+ and fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Titles in Set 1:

• The Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye
• The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid
• Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House
• I’m Too Fond of My Fur!
• Four Mice Deep in the Jungle
• Paws Off
• Cheddarface!
• Fangs and Feasts in Transratania
• Attack of the Pirate Cats
• A Fabumouse Holiday for Geronimo
• Hang On to Your Whiskers!

Titles in Set 2:

• School Trip to Niagara Falls
• The Christmas Toy Factory
• Geronimo Stilton Secret Agent
• Fantastic School Adventure
• The Cheese Experiment
• The Super Chef Contest
• Welcome to Mouldy Manor
• The Treasure of Easter Island
• Mouse Overboard
• This Hotel is Haunted

Maisy Mouse First Experience 10 Book Collection – £11.99 

Join Maisy Mouse and her friends in this fantastic 10 book collection from Lucy Cousins. This cute set of stories joins Maisy on some of her first experiences, including going to the cinema, going on a sleepover and her first time on a plane! This is the perfect collection of picture books for young kids ages 3+.

Titles in this Set:

• Maisy Goes to Nursery
• Maisy Goes to the Cinema
• Maisy Goes to Hospital
• Maisy Goes on a Sleepover
• Maisy Goes by Plane
• Maisy’s Sports Day
• Maisy Plays Football
• Maisy Goes to the Library
• Maisy, Charley and the Wobbly Tooth
• Maisy Goes to the Bookshop

Danny Dingle’s Fantastic Finds 5 Book Collection – £9.99

Take home the complete Danny Dingle 5 book collection by author Angie Lake. Danny Dingle, the schoolboy inventor, and his best friend Percy as they collect cool stuff for their box of fantastic finds. This is the ultimate collection for fans of Danny Dingle and Diary of a Wimpy Kid aged 7+.

Title in Set:

• The Metal-Mobile
• The Super-Sonic Submarine
• The Jet of Justice
• The Mighty Iron Foot
• The Farts of Gratitude

The Metal-Mobile

Follow the outrageously entertaining adventures of Danny Dingle, the schoolboy inventor, and his best friend Percy as they collect cool stuff for their box of fantastic finds and pull out all the stops to beat the evil genius Gareth Trumpshaw. Filled with comical line drawings and crazy typesetting, children will love the visual focus of this book, perfect for reluctant readers. The jam-packed illustrations and hilarious story will keep them laughing-out-loud for hours. From the back cover: ‘DO NOT READ (unless you are Danny, Percy or Superdog.) Just don’t. Seriously, DON’T. I’m not joking! BE WARNED: if you turn the page, this notebook will EXPLODE! Meet Danny Dingle, aka Experimental Face (ha ha) – super-secret spy and future assistant to the greatest superhero EVER, Metal Face! Danny and Percy know they have to pull out all the stops to beat Danny’s arch enemy, Gareth Trumpshaw, who’s an evil genius, with an evil genius dad.(They’re also big fat cheaters!)Can Dad’s special brew of super-fizzy cola save the day? Or will it be down to Superdog to come to the rescue yet again.’

The Super-Sonic Submarine

Join Danny Dingle in his second adventure, the Super-Sonic Submarine. Filled with comical line drawings and crazy typesetting, children will love the visual focus of this book, perfect for reluctant readers. The jam-packed illustrations and hilarious story will keep them laughing-out-loud for hours.

The Jet of Justice

Its the summer holidays AT LAST. Now Danny Dingle can be a full-time super-inventor without boring, pointless school getting in the way. HURRAH!!! With a sci-fi convention and a flying machine competition on the horizon, Danny and Percy are desperate to finally get noticed by Metal Face. But Mum is plotting against them at every turn. (Trust her to want a summer of peace and quiet!) Suddenly only one question is important: is summer camp as HORRIBLE as it sounds? Great for fans of Tom Gates and Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

The Mighty Iron Foot

Danny Dingle: menace to his neighbours and threat to their pets is back! When a routine freeze ray demo leads to the death of Mr Nesbit’s prize-winning chameleon, Danny and Percy are sent to jiu-jitsu lessons to ‘learn some discipline’ – YAWN! Instead their friendship is tested as never before. Can building the world’s greatest killer robot bring them – and the whole class (EVEN twit-faced Gareth Trumpshaw) –together? Part of a four book series full of expressive fonts and comic-style illustrations, Danny Dingle’s Fantastic Finds is perfect for reluctant readers and fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Aimed at kids aged 7+. Nominated for The People’s Book Prize Winter 2018 Children’s Book Award –

The Farts of Gratitude

How do you hide a super-secret spy operation? Use your boring family holiday as a cover! (OBVIOUSLY.) G.A.G is Metal Face’s super-cool new band, and Danny and Percy are determined to copy their idol and make some noise. They’re not alone: the whole school is obsessed! With Battle of the Bands on its way, the disaster duo faces their greatest challenge yet. Can they put on the show of a lifetime? Or will it all go up in smoke? Danny Dingle’s Fantastic Finds is a hilariously fun series filled with comic style illustration and witty invention. Perfect for reluctant readers aged 7+ and popular with both girls and boys alike.

Percy Jackson 5 Book Ultimate Collection – £15.99

Take home the Percy Jackson Ultimate Collection 5 book set from bestselling author Rick Riordan. Half Boy, Half God, All Hero! Once a troubled child, but now Percy discovers he is the son of Poseidon and discovers he has amazing abilities. He finds himself on a quest to defeat the evil Kronos. The inspiration for two major Hollywood films, this fantastic set is ideal for children aged 9+ with an interest in fantasy adventure stories.

Titles in This Set:

1. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek god. I was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. That’s when things started really going wrong. Now I spend my time fighting with swords, battling monsters with my friends and generally trying to stay alive. This is the one where Zeus, God of the Sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea . . .

2. Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

Most people get presents on their sixteenth birthday. I get a prophecy that could save or destroy the world. That’s how it is when you’re the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. According to an ancient prophecy, bad things will happen when I turn sixteen – because I’m the one who gets to decide the fate of the entire world. But no pressure. This is the one where Kronos, Lord of the Titans, is beginning his attack on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Oh, and the dreaded (and not to mention enormous) monster Typhon is also heading our way. So it’s me and forty of my demigod friends versus untold evil . . .

3. Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse

It’s the last Friday before the winter holidays but Percy Jackson isn’t at school: he’s battling the fearsome Manticore (half human, half lion), which in itself isn’t ideal . . . but with Annabeth missing and the goddess of the hunt held captive, things get a whole lot more serious . . . Greek mythology relocated to modern-day America. Action-packed, funny, accessible writing for both boys and girls aged 10+. Perfect for fans of Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl.

4. Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

You can’t tell by looking at me that my dad is Poseidon, God of the Sea. It’s not easy being a half-blood these days. You mortals can’t even see the monsters we have to fight all the time. So when a game of dodgeball turned into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, I couldn’t exactly ask my gym teacher for help. And that was just for starters. This is the one where Camp Half Blood is under attack, and unless I get my hands on the Golden Fleece, the whole camp will be invaded by monsters. Big ones. Can Percy survive the treacherous Sea of Monsters and restore order to Half-Blood Hill?

5. Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth

Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do. As the son of a Greek god, I’ve had my share of near-death disaster. This summer, I didn’t choose to battle the cheerleading squad, but when two hissing she-devils with fangs are heading straight for you, what’s a half-blood meant to do? That was just the beginning. This is the one where my arch-enemy, Luke, is looking for a way to invade our camp via an ancient labyrinth. If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So it’s goodbye sunshine, hello darkness as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond

The Terrific Ten 10 Books Box Set Collection By David Walliams – £42.99

TEN hilarious and moving novels from bestselling, critically acclaimed author, David Walliams, in one TERRIFIC box-set!

BAD DAD:
Dads are fat and thin, tall and short. There are young dads and old dads, clever ones and stupid ones. There are silly ones and serious ones, loud ones and quiet ones. Of course, there are good dads, and bad dads . . .

THE MIDNIGHT GANG:
When Tom gets hit on the head by a cricket ball, he finds himself at Lord Funt Hospital, and is greeted by a terrifying-looking porter. Things go from bad to worse when he meets the wicked matron in charge of the children’s ward… But Tom is about to embark on the journey of a lifetime!

GRANDPA’S GREAT ESCAPE:
Many years ago Grandpa was a World War II flying ace. But when he is sent to old-folk’s home Twilight Towers – run by sinister Matron Swine – it’s up to Grandpa and his grandson, Jack, to plot a daring escape. Little do they know the wicked matron is on to them . . .

AWFUL AUNTIE:
Stella Saxby is the sole heir to Saxby Hall. But awful Aunt Alberta and her giant owl will stop at nothing to get it from her. Luckily, Stella has a secret – and slightly spooky – weapon up her sleeve . . .

DEMON DENTIST:
Strange things were happening in the dead of night. When children put a tooth under their pillow for the tooth fairy, they would wake to find something creepy in its place. Evil was at work. But who or what was behind it?

RATBURGER:
Can Zoe keep her beloved pet rat safe from the clutches of the dastardly Burt of Burt’s Burgers?

GANGSTA GRANNY:
Ben’s grandma is the boringest grandma ever: all she wants to do is to play Scrabble and eat cabbage soup. But there are two things Ben doesn’t know about her:

1) She was once an international jewel thief.
2) All her life, she has been plotting to steal the crown jewels, and now she needs Ben’s help.

BILLIONAIRE BOY:
Joe has a lot of reasons to be happy. About a billion of them, in fact.
He has absolutely everything he could possibly want.
But there’s just one thing he really needs: a friend…

MR STINK:
Mr Stink stank. He also stunk.
And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well . . .
But there’s more to this vagrant than meets the nose!

THE BOY IN THE DRESS:
Dennis was different.
Why was he different, you ask?
Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book . . .