The best book for a child depends on age and interest, not reading level alone. For ages 5–7, pick short, illustrated chapter books and series like Isadora Moon. At 8, follow their obsessions. For 10–12, mix adventure and comics such as Percy Jackson and Mega Robo Bros. Starting secondary school, offer freedom rather than pressure Heartstopper, The Hunger Games, Holes. The golden rule: match the book to the child, not the child to the book.

The school year is about to start. The uniforms are labelled (or still in a bag somewhere), the lunchboxes have reappeared, and the child in question has suddenly outgrown everything on their shelf or, more worryingly, stopped reading altogether.

There's no single correct book for any age. Reading ability is only part of it: a confident ten-year-old may still prefer funny illustrated fiction, while a thirteen-year-old who refuses novels will happily read three hundred pages about football. This is our guide to the best books for kids by age, from first chapter books to books for kids starting secondary school chosen by us, a raggle-taggle bunch of people who love reading but took very different paths to the books we love.

What books are good for a 5- to 7-year-old?

This is the handover period between being read to and reading alone. Look for generous type, short chapters, plenty of white space and illustrations that carry part of the story. A series helps, too: once a child loves the first book, the next choice is already made.

How to Grow Magic: The Giant Mystery by Rachel Morrisroe (illustrated by Steven Lenton) is a colour-illustrated series full of magical mishaps and manageable chapters. Isadora Moon remains one of the safest bets in the shop funny, friendly and recognisable; it's what got two of my daughters, both dyslexic, hungry for more. Tuck and Tina and the Haunted School pairs a proper adventure with colourful illustrations and accessible text. For reading together, Paddy Donnelly's The Golden Hare brings Irish wildlife, landscape and myth into a picture book that rewards repetition and that flash of "I know these pictures, I liked that book" gives children the confidence to choose the next one themselves. Don't underrate that.

These books build stamina without making reading feel like another worksheet.

What should an 8-year-old be reading?

Eight is less a reading level than a question of what your child is into right now. Some are racing into full novels; others still need pictures on every page. Both are brilliant.

This is where series loyalty forms. This Is Not the Diary of Izzy Dobson by Abigail Balfe is funny, heavily illustrated and warm about school, friendship and feeling different. The Doomsday Club by Irish author and primary teacher Kevin Moran has action, humour and the useful premise that detention may have to wait because the world needs saving. The 13-Storey Treehouse is spectacularly silly, while Tom Gates understands that doodles and jokes aren't distractions from reading they're often the way in.

So what should an 8-year-old read? Something they want to pick up again tomorrow.

What are the best books for 10- to 12-year-olds?

At this age, reading age and interest age start to separate. A strong reader may be capable of an adult-sized novel but have no interest in adult themes.

For adventure, Jamaal Target: PHANTOM Agent by Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie (August) mixes Alex Rider pace with superhero action. For readers who want plenty of pictures without losing story, Mega Robo Bros: Power Up by Neill Cameron is fast, funny and packed with robot battles and full-colour comic-book chaos. Irish readers should try The Bookshop Sisters by Sarah Webb, set in a lively Dublin bookshop in 1956, while Percy Jackson and Skulduggery Pleasant offer series they can disappear into for years. These respect both the reader's growing ability and the fact that they're still children we've staff and customers still rereading them.

What books should kids read starting secondary school?

This is where reading for pleasure often drops away: school gets busier, phones get louder, and books start to feel like something an adult chose for improving purposes.

The answer is usually more freedom, not more pressure. Frances Hardinge's Traitors' Nest (27 August) offers castles used like chess pieces, dangerous bargains and a fifteen-year-old who refuses to stay a pawn. The Hunger Games still has astonishing momentum, Holes is short, strange and clever. Graphic novels count too Heartstopper has kept countless teenagers reading because it's warm, immediate and emotionally intelligent. So does non-fiction: Little Island's Mixed Up: An Irish Boy's Journey to Belonging by Leon Diop is an honest Irish memoir about race, identity and belonging.

For older teens specifically, see our full best books for teens by age it picks up exactly where this one leaves off.

How do you get a reluctant reader to read?

First, remove the guilt. A child who dislikes the book in front of them doesn't necessarily dislike reading.

Graphic novels are real reading. Audiobooks are real reading. Re-reading the same book is real reading. Joke books, manga, football biographies and fact books all count, and children are allowed to abandon books that bore them adults do it constantly, we just call it "putting it aside for now."

Match the book to the interest, not the reading level. A football-obsessed child may fly through the Great Irish Sports Stars books; try Dog Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Tom Gates or Star Breakers for instant momentum. Then stop worrying about how many books a week. One book genuinely enjoyed does more than five endured.

What are good bedtime stories during the school term?

School-night bedtime stories need to be calm, finish able and easy to return to. A serialised chapter book works well one chapter a night builds routine and removes negotiation at the exact point when everyone's tired.

Jill Tomlinson's The Cat Who Wanted to Go Home is gentle, funny and perfect a chapter at a time; The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark has reassured children for generations. For something Irish, Máire Zepf's The Cloud Kingdom is a linked collection of magical tales faeries, ghost dragons, dream-weaving and a stolen cat called Pangur. For more, see our guide to the best bedtime stories for children.

Whatever age your child is starting this year, there's something on our shelves to suit them. Come in and ask, browse online, or let us choose with one of our children's mystery boxes.

Shop children's books at Chapters Bookstore in store on Parnell Street or online across Ireland.

Frequently asked questions

1. What age should a child start reading chapter books?
Many begin between five and seven, but there's no deadline. Look for interest and stamina  short chapters, generous type and illustrations that share the storytelling rather than age alone. A series the child loves is often the thing that makes independent reading finally click.

2. How do I know if a book is too old for my child?
Check the themes, not just the vocabulary. A child may read the words comfortably but not be ready for the content. If in doubt, flick through it, read the back, and skim a review or ask a bookseller who knows the title.

3. Do graphic novels count as real reading?
Entirely. They build visual literacy, vocabulary, comprehension and confidence, and they're often the format that carries a reluctant reader back to prose. A child racing through graphic novels is reading, full stop the pictures do work, they don't replace it.

4. Should I still read aloud to an older child?
Yes , for as long as you both enjoy it. Reading aloud keeps the shared habit alive, exposes children to language above their own reading level, and takes the pressure off. Plenty of confident readers still love being read to.

5. Can I let my children choose their own books?
Absolutely, with a light touch. Don't hover or steer them toward the books you loved give them space, but glance at where they picked it up and have a quick flick on the way to the counter. If they're drifting into older YA, just check you're comfortable with the content.

6. Can Chapters recommend books for my child in store?
Absolutely. Tell us their age, what they love and what they refuse to read the refusals are often the most useful part. Our booksellers will match the reader to the book, whether they're five and stalling or twelve and drifting away from reading.