Check out these dyslexia-friendly titles for kids! All free to borrow with a library card.
We stock visually accessible books from the dyslexia specialist publisher, Barrington Stoke. These books are printed on thick, cream paper and have a wider gap between each line of text, so readers of all abilities can enjoy them.
Want more suggested books? Take a look at our recommendations.
The Runaway Tortoise
Holly Webb
Ava thinks her 45-year-old tortoise, Albert, is the most boring pet ever. She can’t take him for walks or cuddle him, and he doesn’t even like pats!
But when Auntie Grace’s dog frightens Albert with all his barking, Ava realises just how much she loves her tortoise. Then, one day after school, she comes home to find a great big hole under the fence – and no Albert!
Will Ava be able to track him down and bring him home?
The Case of the Race
Vashti Hardy
It’s race time for the animals of Moonlight, but disaster has struck: the winners’ medals are missing!
Hana and Ace must use their detective skills to help Brumble the bear wizard track them down, and they learn an important lesson about taking life at your own pace along the way.
Keeping Possession
Eve Ainsworth
Eboni’s decision to join the Lightmoor Lionesses has led to a falling-out with her closest friends on her old team. They feel betrayed and Eboni is frozen out at school.
Feeling isolated, she’s delighted when she forms a new friendship with popular Olivia, quickly realising they have loads in common. But there’s one problem. Olivia isn’t interested in football and can’t understand Eboni’s dedication to the sport that she loves.
Will Eboni stay true to herself or will she sacrifice her footballing dreams for friendship?
Sadie Jones and the Ball
Sally Nicholls
Everyone knows the story of Cinderella and how she and Prince Charming danced the night away at the ball. But what happened to all the other girls who were invited?
Sadie Jones, kitchen maid at the palace, is furious when everyone else is left standing around with no one to dance with while Prince Charming and Cinderella have a wonderful time.
So when Cinderella disappears and Prince Charming flounces off in a huff, it’s up to Sadie to save the day!
The Accidental Vikings
Karen McCombie
Things take a weird turn for Alfie and Kat when they get separated from the rest of their group on a school trip to the Viking Museum.
The models around them start to come to life, and at first Kat is sure they’re being pranked for a TV game show. She urges Alfie to play along, and they take part in Viking village life – cooking, weaving and even digging a toilet pit.
But will they ever be able to find their way back home?
Storm Bird Magic
Gill Lewis
Long-lost fairies hiding near the lighthouse?
Chickens belonging to a sea witch that warn sailors of coming storms?
There are a lot of wild stories going about as some tall ships seek shelter in Gull Have Bay. Tia and Nat don’t believe any of them to begin with. But when Nat’s dad helps unravel the truth, they learn about a seabird that’s in danger.
Can Tia and Nat find a way to help, and will it allow them to rediscover the magic of the real world all around them in their island home?
What It Was Like in Ancient Benin
David Long
Under the rule of the Oba, the Kingdom of Benin was one of the richest and most powerful in West Africa. Behind a network of massive walls, its vibrant capital city boasted the Oba’s impressive palace, filled with intricate artworks, while the Edo people worked as skilled artisans, formidable hunters and talented traders.
Yet as European influence began to grow, so did the challenges that faced the Benin kingdom.
From the omnipotent power of their warrior-kings to the devastating impact of the slave trade, David Long unearths the remarkable stories of daily life, trade, and the unique culture of the Edo people.
Advice From a 12-Year-Old Nobody
Helen Rutter
Vinny’s got problems – lots of them. His family’s falling apart, and his best mates have dumped him for some really annoying girls.
He should be able to turn to his mum for help – she’s an online life coach who answers other people’s problems for a living. But she’s too busy to see that Vinny is really struggling.
Unable to solve his own issues, Vinny starts replying to unanswered posts on an old blog of his mum’s. At first the solutions seem easy, and he can be as hilariously honest as any 12-year-old boy would be, but what will happen when Vinny realises he’s out of his depth?
Escape
Sophie McKenzie
A dream school trip to a sea-life sanctuary turns into a nightmare for Bernice when she finds herself in a race against the tide.
When her friends’ reckless behaviour plunges them all into the freezing waters of Shark Bay, Bernice has to confront her fears and summon all her knowledge of marine life to find a way to safety.
But in shark-infested waters, can she act quickly enough to save the day?
Nova
Chris Bradford
Max Nova is headed to Mercury with his father, a space trucker, when their ship is suddenly diverted. They have a new urgent mission. An abnormal gravity reading has been detected near the sun.
There are fears that this could signal the start of a supernova! But what Max and his father discover is much more dangerous – and far stranger – than any supernova.
Flung to the outer reaches of the universe, Max must navigate a galaxy of dangers to find his way home before time runs out!
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: A Retelling
Tanya Landman
An eerily captivating and accessible retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Gothic novel of murder and monstrosity. Evil Mr Hyde stalks London’s streets, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Good Dr Hyde keeps protecting him.
Why? Is Hyde blackmailing Jekyll for some shameful past sin? Or is something stranger and more sinister going on?
Respected scientist Dr Henry Jekyll is fascinated by the human capacity for evil. But his experimentation into the darker side of his own character has horrific and dangerous results.
New You For Ever
Stephen Cole
The year is 2070, and the New You Foundation claim to have found the ultimate answer to the climate crisis.
They want human beings to transform themselves into Pleekas – perfect artificial replicas. Pleekas can go on for ever but won’t create waste or use the Earth’s resources.
Too good to be true?
When a chance meeting leads young journalist Anders Jones to the sinister truth, he must risk everything to expose New You – if it’s not already too late…
Endgame
Melinda Salisbury
Ruby, Freya and Ivy are all survivors of the Ash Tree Foundation, an organisation that claimed to help teenagers deal with technology addiction but which was a front for a dangerously addictive augmented-reality platform, Novo Reality.
Novo Reality was the brainchild of tech-baroness Dagmar Nilsson, who disappeared without trace when the Foundation was busted. But now, a year later, just as the girls are all preparing to start a new chapter of their lives, it becomes clear that Dagmar is continuing with her aim of world domination.
Can the three friends draw her out of hiding and shut down the Foundation for good, or will Dagmar’s dream of controlling the world finally come true?
Because the Endgame is coming, and someone is going down…
Big Words
Luke Palmer
Biggest goes first – always. That’s one of the unspoken rules of Kiln, the forbidden wasteland where Sam and his mates hang out. So when Sam comes up with a plan to go sledging on the rust-ridden bonnet of a rotting car, he goes first. To show the others how it’s done.
His mates aren’t so keen. But there’s no complaining. No backing down. Those are the other rules of Kiln. Even when they lead to disaster.
Will their friendship survive the wreckage that follows, or is it time for the rules to be changed?