Summer Reads for Kids
Published 05/07/2022Summer Holidays are here and let’s face it, we’re all desperate for something to keep the kids busy. And what’s better than getting them lost in a book? They are educational, entertaining and you might get some peace in the equation! To get you going we have created a list of current favourites, compiled by our resident 4 – 12 year olds 😉
1. The Shop of Impossible Ice Creams – Shane Hegarty
7+
This one is a must for any summer holiday reading list. Allow bestselling author Shane Hegarty to bring you inside a delicious world of magical adventure. This is the first in a comic, heart-warming illustrated series, for 7+ fans of The Nothing to See Here Hotel and Charlie Changes into a Chicken.
The story is about Limpet’s mum who is opening an ice-cream shop, full of her favourite new flavours: mushroom and tuna ice cream, anyone? Roast parsnip and gravy? Limpet’s not sure about this. His favourite ice-cream flavour is vanilla. But when wicked Mr Fluffy arrives with his Mega Emporium of Amazing and Spectacular Ice Creams, Limpet knows he’s got to fight back.
Illustrated throughout with fabulous black and white illustrations by Jeff Crowther and written by the bestselling author of Boot, this story would make an enjoyable read aloud as well as making you fall in love with reading.
2. The Little Bee Charmer of Henrietta Street – Sarah Webb
8+
This isn’t a new one, but is a regular on bestseller lists and anyone who’s read it will tell you why.
In Dublin 1911, Eliza Kane and her brother Jonty move from the leafy suburbs of Rathmines to a tenement flat on Henrietta Street they are in for a shock. Pigs and ponies in the yard, rats in the hallways and cockroaches or ‘clocks’ underfoot! When they meet their new neighbour, Annie, a kind and practical teenager and her brothers, and a travelling circus comes to town, offering them both jobs, helping Madam Ada, the bee charmer, and Albert the dog trainer, things start to look up. When a tragedy happens in the tenements, Eliza, Jonty and their new friends spring into action. A tale of family, friendship and finding a new home, with touch of magical bees!
3. The Choice – Philly McMahon
10+
This is the fictionalised account of ex Dublin midfielder Philly McMahon’s multi-award-winning memoir. Two brothers growing up in the shadows of the Ballymun flats are on very different paths. Sports-mad Philly is on his way to the hallowed turf of Croke Park; John to exile, heartbreak and ultimately tragedy. But were these paths set in stone? Or does our fate lie in the choices we make?
It’s a rare book giving us an insight in to lives of real kids growing up in real Dublin that we maybe don’t see enough of.
4. Our Big Day – Bob Johnston
4+
Uncle David and Simon are going to get married! There’s lots to do, from making the invitations to arranging the decorations, but when the wedding rings go missing just before the ceremony, Bear the dog has to use all of his special skills to help save the day! A fun and engaging picture book and a heart-warming celebration of love, family, weddings and marriage equality.
Lovingly illustrated by Michael Emberley, this gorgeous book hits all the right spots. So get the kids reading, or even better, read it to them!
5. ABC Ireland – Aoife Dooley
0-4
“A is for Aran jumper B is for bog C is for Connacht D is for DART”
Illustrator, actress, comedian and autism activist Aoife Dooley’s board book features uniquely Irish images that will inspire giggles – and a love of all things Irish. Aoife’s previous board book, 123 Ireland!,won Children’s Book of the Year (Junior) at the 2019 An Post Irish Book Awards.BUY NOW
6. An Slipéar Gloine – Fearghas Mac Lochlainn & Paddy Donnelly
8+
Cinderella like you’ve never heard it before. Luaithrín’s life is a little trína chéile thanks to her stepmother Camilla and her evil step-sisters Straoisín and Smaoisín. Hilariously written in verse by Fearghas Mac Lochlainn. Illustrated by ever wonderful Paddy Donnelly.
Out 31st of August.
7. The Friendship Fairies Go To Camp – Lucy Kennedy
7+
It’s summer, and the Friendship Fairies, Emme, Holly and Jess, are off to Camp Tìr na nÓg to help Sir Prize mind his animals and learn lots about looking after the environment. But the Barns boys are going too, so you can be sure there’ll be trouble! Will Emme be able to help clean the ocean? Will Jess meet the magical people who live in the forest? But most importantly, will Holly manage to earn the trust of Riley, the rescued Chunga-Wunga? As always with the Friendship Fairies, it’s going to be an adventure!
This is the third book in Lucy Kennedy’s timeless bestselling series of children’s stories about making friends and fitting in.BUY NOW
8. Dog Man – Mothering Heights – Dev Pilkey
8+
Who doesn’t love Dog Man?
Dog Man and Petey face their biggest challenges yet in the tenth Dog Man book from worldwide bestselling author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. Dog Man is down on his luck, Petey confronts his not so purr-fect past, and Grampa is up to no good. The world is spinning out of control as new villains spill into town. Everything seems dark and full of despair. But hope is not lost. Can the incredible power of love save the day? Dav Pilkey’s wildly popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including: empathy kindness persistence and the importance of doing good. Plus they are so hilarious you’ll want to read them all yourself!BUY NOW
9. Noni and The Great Chawwwklit Mystery – Dermot Whelan
7+
Meet Noni. She’s a crazy old, law-breaking, chocolate-selling, pram-wielding, wickedly funny woman who likes nothing more than a dangerous caper! Someone has tampered with the city’s supply of chocolate and now Noni and her young friends must find out who did it before the evil tricksters poison the whole town – including the dreamy rugby star, Chunks McSturdy. Can Noni and her pram of seriously dodgy treats overcome the odds and get to the bottom of the mystery before all hell breaks loose? Will her pet raven, Francis, ever find enlightenment? Will anyone ever teach Noni to say the word ‘chocolate’ properly? Get ready for lots of laughs, tons of adventure and truck loads of chawwwklit!
10. Adrin Adams and the Cheese Nightmares – Paul Howard
10+
The laugh-out-loud funny children’s book from Number-One-Bestselling Ross O’Carroll Kelly author, Paul Howard. Illustrated throughout by Lee Cosgrove. This is an adventure full of mystery, magic and seriously smelly cheeses!
Aldrin Adams is an ordinary boy with an extraordinary superpower. When he eats cheese just before he goes to sleep, he can enter into other people’s dreams…and their nightmares! But why has he got this power? And what is he supposed to do with it? What Aldrin doesn’t realise is that he is being watched by a mysterious, supernatural, supervillain who’s creating nightmares for millions of children every night. Will an ordinary boy, armed with his pet frog and the stinkiest cheese in the world, be enough to stop him?
*Shortlisted for the Children’s Book of the Year – Irish Book Awards*