Little Reads is a curated library of 3,000+ hand-picked children’s books, ages 5 to 11, on iOS and Android.
It’s for kids who already love reading (and the parents keeping them supplied), not a learn-to-read tool. More library than classroom.
The Mystery of the Clockwork Sparrow, Katherine Woodfine
London’s grandest new department store, Sinclair’s, is throwing open its doors. Then, on opening day, the priceless Clockwork Sparrow is stolen.
Shop girl Sophie and her new friend Lil decide to crack the case themselves, somewhere between the hat counter and the iced buns.
This one’s for the reader who likes secret codes, theatrical villains, midnight schemes, and two heroines you want to be best friends with.
Best of all, the mystery rolls on through The Midnight Peacock and Villains in Venice.
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief, A.F. Steadman
Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith wants one thing. To become a unicorn rider. But forget anything fluffy. These unicorns are deadly, bloodthirsty, and bonded for life to a single rider.
On the very day Skandar is meant to hatch his own, the most powerful unicorn of all is stolen.
This is the big, epic one. It won Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year, and you can see why.
Hand it to the reader who wants somewhere enormous to vanish into, the one still mourning the end of Percy Jackson.
It’s the first of a series that’s still growing, with Skandar and the Phantom Rider ready for the second they surface.
Max the Detective Cat: The Disappearing Diva, Sarah Todd Taylor
Max is chief mouse-hunter at the Theatre Royal, until he notices the famous singer Madame Emerald behaving strangely (and her maid looking terrified).
Before long he’s racing over the rooftops of London on the trail of a very clever thief.
A proper whodunnit, told by the cat. Cosy, glamorous, just the right side of dramatic.
I’d give this to the slightly younger reader who has outgrown easy readers but wants a real mystery to solve.
And there’s a second case, The Catnap Caper, for when they inevitably ask for more Max.
Spy Toys, Mark Powers
A toy factory builds playthings with real personalities, and every so often one comes out faulty.
Dan is a cuddly bear so strong he could crush a car. Arabella is a sunshine doll with a truly terrible temper.
Thrown on the rejects pile, they team up with a runaway police-robot rabbit and get recruited as secret agents.
It’s basically Toy Story meets James Bond. Fast, silly, gadget-packed. This is the one for the reader who declares a book boring if nothing has exploded by chapter two.
After this one, there’s Out of Control! and Undercover.
The Worst Class in the World, Joanna Nadin
Class 4B are, by their own teacher’s reckoning, the worst class in the world.
Whether it’s a biscuit-baking contest gone horribly wrong (ingredients include cough medicine and dog hair) or a Show and Tell dog eating the teacher’s shoes, catastrophe follows them everywhere.
It’s narrated by Stanley, who is utterly convinced none of it is his fault.
And yes, things go downhill in the best way in The Worst Class in the World Gets Worse.
- Bookbound thank Hannah Rix for this guest feature, and encourage you all to check out Little Reads.
