Must Read Kids Books for July 2025

Verken die groot buitelewe in hierdie aksiebelaaide dierebordboeke met skuifblaaie op elke bladsy. Hierdie reeks bordboeke sal ‘n liefde vir die
natuur inspireer by selfs die kleinste diereliefhebbers. Met lewendige kunswerke gedruk op wit bord, robuuste maklik-om-te gebruik meganismes vir klein handjies en ‘n rymende teks met vriendelike dierefeite, is hierdie die perfekte boeke om nuuskierige klein verkenners keer op keer te betower. In hierdie eerste safari-diereboek is daar seekoeie wat in die watergat rondrol, leeus wat in die grasvlaktes jag, kameelperde wat hoog aan blare smul en nog vele meer weses om aan die lewe te bring met die bewegende dele.

The laughter never ends with Oi Frog and Friends!

Get your hands on this roaring, stomping, dino-packed new title in the award-winning, bestselling Oi Frog and Friends series!

According to Frog, in dinosaur times sitting down hadn’t been invented. So . . .

Pterosaurs didn’t sit on bendy straws?
Velociraptors didn’t sit on plug adaptors?
And Triceratops didn’t sit on lollipops?

Join Frog, Cat and Dog for oodles of prehistoric rhyming fun packed with dinosaurs, mammoths and – of course – prehistoric frogs! With over 3 million copies sold across this beloved series, this hilarious new rhyming story from Kes Gray and Jim Field is the perfect picture book to share together. Guaranteed to get little dinosaurs-fans giggling.

Open the doors to meet Bear’s friends in this sweet and simple story that helps everyone settle down at bedtime.

Knock! Knock! Who’s that? Let’s open the door and see . . . Hello, Mouse! Don’t you know it’s bedtime?

Bear is getting ready for bed. He’s had a little snack, brushed his teeth and put on his big bear pyjamas when – Knock! Knock! – someone is at the door. Don’t they know it’s bedtime? It’s Mouse and she needs a little snack. Then Crocodile arrives and her toothbrush is broken, and – uh oh – Lion’s pyjamas are too small, and now wide-awake Owl is playing her trumpet very loudly. Can Bear help his friends so they can all get a good night’s sleep?

From the illustrator of the bestselling Felt Flaps series and winner of the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book of the Year Award 2017 (for Where’s Mr Lion?)

Written by Lou Peacock, whose A Whale of a Time anthology was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book of the Year 2023.

Help your child wind down for bed with this gently interactive picture book that makes bedtime fun for everyone.

‘There was once ONE Happy Lion who lived in the zoo of a little French town. Then there were TWO Happy Lions, and that’s better than one, because two is company. Then…one day…there were THREE Happy Lions…’

The proud parents are delighted with their new cub. But what profession could he have? How can they help launch him into the world?

This great-value bumper story collection contains three fantastic Beast Quest books: Hellion the Fiery Foe, Shamani the Raging Flame and Flaymar the Scorched Blaze! Join Tom and Elenna on their adventures as they battle three mighty Beasts and fight Evil on their mission to protect Avantia.

With over 14 million books sold, Beast Quest is the original and best action-adventure series for boys and girls aged 7 and up.

Number One for Fiendish Fun! Join Horrid Henry in another bumper book of mischief.

Horrid Henry loves the summer, but even the balmiest of summer days have a way of turning into chaos when he’s around . . . Discover six of the funniest and best Horrid Henry stories, including a wedding that goes wrong, a disastrous school fair and a rather eventful trip to a theme park!

An irresistible introduction to reading for pleasure, with six illustrated stories plus a joke and activity section – the perfect gift for Horrid Henry fans everywhere, and ideal entertainment for school holidays and journeys.

This collection contains the following stories:
– Horrid Henry’s Wedding
– Horrid Henry’s Sports Day
– Horrid Henry’s School Fair
– Horrid Henry’s Swimming Lesson
– Horrid Henry: Rock Star
– Horrid Henry and the Zoom of Doom

A brand-new Escape Room adventure from bestselling author, Christopher Edge. Discover an epic new world packed with puzzles, action, danger and bravery – a virtual escape room where anything is possible and nothing is as it seems…

If you liked ESCAPE ROOM, then you’ll love GAME ZERO. A twisty, puzzle-filled story, it’s a gamer’s delight!

Eden’s visit to The Escape sees her dropped into a world of puzzles and peril with no way out. She must find the keys, climb the levels and meet her fate. But what if she’s not playing the game? Maybe the game is playing her…

A thought-provoking story about the power that games give us to reimagine the world.

Step into Nikki Maxwell’s aDORKable world this summer with the BRAND NEW ADVENTURE in the mega-selling Dork Diaries series – now with over 60 million copies in print worldwide!

Lately, Nikki’s little sister has been a TOTAL BRAT! But while Brianna is busy raiding her closet and taping a HIDEOUS drawing of Nikki on her bedroom door, Nikki has more important things to think out. It’s the end of summer and she has only 72 hours to completely reinvent herself before starting at Westchester Prep…
 
SQUEEEEEEE!!
 
Nikki is determined to be the COOLEST, CUTEST, SMARTEST, MOST INTRIGUING girl at school. But when disaster strikes and Brianna gets hold of Nikki’s most cherished items… her phone AND her diary, her world is turned upside down. Will an unexpected emergency ruin Nikki’s fabulous start to the new school year or, worse, ruin her relationship with wacky BFFs, Chloe and Zoey, and cute crush Brandon?

With a HUGE global fanbase, Dork Diaries is the perfect series for fans of Lottie Brooks, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates.

The thrilling second Geomancer book in the epic fantasy trilogy from the bestselling, award-winning Kiran Millwood Hargrave, for readers of Philip Pullman and Katherine Rundell.

Unlock a magic that could change the world … or destroy it.

Ysolda is on the run, travelling with a rebellious princess to the wilds of the Drakken Peak – on the back of a huge sea wolf.

With her faithful sea hawk Nara by her side, her quest to find the fabled magic of the Geomancer is just beginning …

From the author of The Girl of Ink and Stars, Julia and the Shark and The Mercies, the Geomancer trilogy is a new modern classic for readers young and old.

Return to Wonderland in this extraordinary reimagining of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by one of our most brilliant storytellers

England, 1919. Alyce – with a Y – lives with her grandmother, the original Alice, having lost her father during the Great War. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realises her grandmother’s strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all.

But the land Alyce finds herself in feels different from the Wonderland of her grandmother’s stories – for it is trapped in its own war. The Sun King and the Queen of the Moon are fighting over a stolen hour, and soon Alyce is tasked with setting it right. With the help of the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat and a Sailor Fox, Alyce will have to solve Wonderland’s problems and, eventually, find her way back home.

Enter an enchanting adventure through Wonderland, featuring stunning illustrations by Matthew Land. Starring new characters and old favourites, Alice With a Why is both a celebration of Lewis Carroll’s beloved original story, and a modern masterpiece.

Expect even more swoon, outrageous humour and epic battles in The Hero Complex, the sequel to Helen Comerford’s Carnegie-nominated YA debut The Love Interest.

Jenna Ray was the Love Interest, but now she’s the HERO. Unfortunately, as it turns out, having actual superpowers doesn’t make life any easier.

For starters, being an official superhero means Jenna and Blaze can work together but not be together, no matter how much they are drawn to each other.

Jenna knows she can make it work. She can be ‘just friends’ with Blaze while handling intensive hero-training exercises, a world-ending prophecy and her own power-triggering panic attacks . She can be the perfect hero.

As the pressure builds, what more will Jenna have to give up in order to save the world?

SWOONY | SUBVERSIVE | SUPER

A dark, intoxicating and unputdownable thriller, simmering with atmosphere.

Chloe has always dreamed of becoming a bestselling writer. Then she meets enigmatic influencer Clara Holland, and at last, Chloe has something to write about. They bond instantly, and Chloe moves into Clara’s mansion. But as Clara’s fame skyrockets, she starts behaving strangely, hosting increasingly wild parties, complete with bonfire rituals and moonlit river baptisms.

Clara opens up her home to other girls desperate to live like her. The media call it a cult, and soon Chloe begins to hear unsettling rumours from Clara’s past. After one spectacular party, a girl goes missing and the rumours take on a sinister new meaning. If Chloe can’t escape Clara’s influence, she may be next …

THE GOLDENS is about to become your newest obsession.

A rollercoaster of a medieval romp and a sapphic love story, set in a world of dragons, witches and excellent snacks from NYT bestselling duo, Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner. Perfect for fans of Gwen and Art are Not in Love, Twin Crowns and My Lady Jane.

A blacksmith’s daughter with a secret.

A lady with a plan.

We’re in for one unforgettable knight…

Gwen has spent the past several years manning the blacksmith’s in place of her father, an open secret in the village in which she lives. A much more covert secret, however, is that she knows not only how to craft but also how to wield a sword, and an incognito stunt at the local jousting tournament manages to catch the eye of the wily Lady Isobelle.

Isobelle has secret dreams too, but she’s been promised in marriage to the winner of the whole stupid tournament, which means an end to any freedom or choices for her. Desperate to avoid this fate, when she connects the newcomer knight to the female smithy she saw earlier that day, she begins to hatch a scheme…

Petty knights. Backstabbing noblemen. A prison breakout. Cheesecake-on-a-stick. One particularly large and angry dragon.

Will our ladies survive the night? And can our knight save the day?