ages 2 to 8 years
Most everyone has had almost-perfect days, stupid days, rainy days, peculiar days and uninteresting days. It’s the mix that makes life interesting. Bruno is a cat who tells the story of six very different days in his life.

They’re the sort of days we’ve all had—with surprising, quirky twists. Among those days, there are totally relatable moments, like this one:

“That day, the power went out on my street, At night, so as not to be in the dark, I lit candles. It was very pretty. Since they don’t happen very often, I really like days when the power goes out.”

And totally fantastic days, like when Bruno and his friend Ringo, a horse, find that they can breathe underwater and end up in a backwards swimming race with their new friend Bup, a fish. Bruno muses:

ages 3 to 8 years
Henrietta is a ‘great go-getter’ with an ‘adventurous spirit’ and ‘great determination’.
She’s also ‘an explorer of life, and that includes trees, bugs, animals and all mysteries.’ She’s waiting for a new baby—and hoping for a sister. She’s also starting school, making new friends, having her first sleepover and doing all the things that lucky children do at that age.

There are disappointments of course

Every so often, one of my prep (4 to 5-year-old) students brings me the dictionary, a huge encyclopaedia, or a chapter book akin to Lord of the Rings and requests that I read it to them. The mystery of a chapter book is so enticing: the wonder of what a story with so many words might tell is magical. It is so wonderful to read a chapter book to a child, but to start with Lord of the Rings can often lead to frustration.

However, there are many chapter books that are great for younger listeners!  Here's what I look for:

The movie Hidden Figures is just wonderful—funny, frustrating, uplifting, beautiful—the full cinematic experience!  But the book covers so much more (naturally). Here’s a clip of author Margot Lee Shetterly talking to one of Dorothy Vaughn’s* grandchildren. She talks about the movie and the other parts of the book.Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition is wonderful too—

ages 8 to 14 years
Beloved by parents, in part due to the cloistered risks the trip offers to children, camping is the stuff of dreams for many children too. Except when it’s not. For Henry Hoobler, who will go into year 3 at school when his family camping trip ends, there's some mild anxiety going on...

A story about letting go of fear to find freedom. It's a nice reminder of the courage of refugees and asylum seekers and an. enticing story to capture the attention of early teens—great for helping them to recognise the good things in life (like freedom and family).
 

ages just pre-teen to adult
You don’t get much more Australian than the poem Waltzing Matilda by Banjo Paterson. It’s pretty much our unofficial National Anthem and has the true feel of the Australian bush.... The iconic poem is given a new perspective in this historic novel by Jackie French. Set in Sydney in 1894, A Waltz for Matilda is the story of a courageous and determined young girl (Matilda)

ages 4 to 12 years
With Marge in charge there’s plenty of fun, a fair smattering of risk taking, a few nervous moments and a whole of rule bending. A terrific book for early readers and for reading aloud to younger kids. The universal experience of waiting anxiously for a new babysitter will delight young readers – but they’ll probably never have a babysitter quite like Marge.

ages 4 to 12 years
Friendships are seldom perfect, especially when the friends are new to forming and maintaining relationships outside their immediate family. Purdy (the cat) and Barker (the dog) have a solid but anguished sort of friendship. It’s the sort of friendship that will be instantly recognisable to many kids and their parents (or teachers)...

ages 6 years and up
Shakespeare certainly knew how to spin a tale - but reading or seeing one of his classic plays performed live can be intimidating or just plain hard to follow. Try reading these brilliant Shakespeare Stories first, they'll help it all come together and make the original so much easier to love.
 

Everyone thinks Fizz would make a good lapdog - but Fizz dreams of becoming a police dog. A funny first chapter-book for early readers with a hero who is full of spunk and determination.

ages 2 to 8 years

Adult + children's book for ages 4 years and up
Books to spark or feed an interest in the shining planets and how they move. Two lovely and lyrical approaches to the study of the planets.

in / chapter books but good for adults and young adults too
There are obvious Holocaust themes - and the ordinariness of a friendship between two small boys - all made clearer by the lack of flowery descriptions or moralising tones. There are no upper age limits for reading and absorbing this wonderful story.