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Shelf-help for kids

If you need help finding your next great read or are looking for books in other languages, look no further than our Shelf-help section.

Find new authors in your favourite genre or ask for a personalised suggestion from one of our knowledgeable librarians.

After a suggestion?

Simply fill in this form and tick the options that best describe what you're after, and we'll suggest a book for you from our collection and reserve up to five titles.

Ask a librarian

Explore by genre

Action

If you love an exciting action-packed page-turner, this is for you!

Excellent adventures

Excellent adventures, humorous escapades, treasure hunts, classic adventures, and more

Comics

Timeless classics and contemporary graphic novels for kids - Tintin, Raina Telegemeier and beyond!

Magic, myth and legend

Magical worlds, monsters, fairytale creatures, gifts and powers, and more

Laugh out loud!

If you enjoy a good belly laugh, we've got a book for you!

Incredible animals

Animals have the best adventures, and there's nothing more fun than seeing the world through the eyes of animals

Mystery

If you can't resist a good whodunit detective mystery, we've got some great suggestions for you!

Sci-fi

Time travel, robots, future tech, superheroes, aliens, and more

Spooky

If spooky stories and goosebumps are your thing, here are some great stories to try

Sport

If you live and breathe sport, we've got a book for you. Lists include a mix of fiction and non-fiction books, with general and specific sport categories

Non fiction

Art, craft, games and coding, animals, the natural world, history, real stories about real people, and more

Web links

Australia Reads (for school kids)

Australia Reads

Book lists of award-winning Australian books especially for school kids, organised according to class year. Click on the book covers and explore!

Better Reading (kids and YA)

Better Reading (kids and YA)

An Australian-based site with reviews, lists (according to age and theme), feature articles, podcasts and more.

Growing book by book

Growing book by book

A US-based site designed to nurture young readers - age and theme-based book lists, and advice for engaging kids.

Brightly: Raise kids who love to read

Brightly

Get book recommendations, tips and advice, and more, tailored to your child's age (0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13+).

Reading lists organised according to age and theme.

Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets

US-based site with themed book lists for kids aged 0-12, as well as tips for struggling readers, information about popular authors, and more.

Fantastic Fiction (children and YA)

Fantastic Fiction (children and YA)

Fantastic Fiction is an online catalogue of authors and books, with lists of popular kids and YA authors, and genre lists.

Who next ... ? A guide to children's authors

Who next ... ? A guide to children's authors

When kids ask: 'Who can I read next?' or 'Who writes like my favourite author?', the answers are here! Writers of children’s fiction are listed with suggestions of other authors who write in a similar way, together with key book and series titles.

Browse:

in four age groups: 5-7, 8-11, 12-14 and 14+
by genre and theme
graphic novels, read out loud titles, short stories and titles for dyslexic or struggling readers
prize-winning children’s books
by country of birth of authors
other useful links

Goodreads (kids books)

Find and read more books you'll love, and keep track of the books you want to read. Be part of the world's largest community of book lovers.

Goodreads is an American social cataloguing website that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogues and reading lists.