Dyslexia-friendly children's fiction from Barrington Stoke #12
by Sophie Green
Take a look at these new and upcoming visually accessible stories for children and teens from Barrington Stoke and help them discover a love of reading.
Barrington Stoke is a small, independent and award-winning children’s publisher who for over 20 years have been pioneering super-readable, dyslexia-friendly fiction to help every child become a reader.
Browse our other dyslexia-friendly books or find more recommendations for children.
For children:
Porky Pies, by Ross Montgomery and Marisa Morea
Porky Pies is always telling lies, trying to terrify his brothers and sisters into believing that the Big Bad Wolf is back. But when the biggest fibber in the litter tries to plan his most daring prank yet, the joke is on him this time. So who will have the last laugh?
The Missing Bunny, by Holly Webb and Antonia Woodward
Annie is really excited about her new pet rabbits and can't wait to welcome them into the amazing new home her dad has built for them. But when Annie is in a rush to get to school the next morning, she doesn't check that the door to the hutch is shut properly, and one of the rabbits, Humbug, escapes. Can Annie find Humbug in time to save her from the neighbourhood fox?
Little House, by Katya Balen
Juno's furious about being sent to stay with her grandfather for the summer. She'll miss all the fun she and her friends had planned for the holidays. She'll also miss her mum, but it's her mum's fault for leaving anyway. Then Juno discovers a long-forgotten little family in her grandfather's attic. As she works to carefully craft a new home for them, can she learn to forgive her mum and understand her reasons for going away?
New Arrivals at Willow Farm, by Helen Peters and Isobel Lundie
There are two cute new arrivals down on Willow Farm, but they're both having a difficult start. Snowy the Sheepdog seems to be better at making friends with the sheep than herding them. He'll be sent away unless he can earn his place. Poor Cowslip the calf is missing her mum. None of the other animals seem to want to make friends until a strange-looking new creature arrives who's just as lonely as Cowslip. Follow the adventures of Snowy and Cowslip as they find their feet on the farm.
Borrow New Arrivals at Willow Farm →
Test Trouble, by Serena Patel and Louise Forshaw
Try as he might, Arun simply cannot wriggle his way out of taking the maths test at school. Instead, he must learn to face his fears in this encouraging and relatable school story from Serena Patel. Maths test? Nightmare! Arun is determined to get out of a Maths test at school. But how? A school-wide protest against all tests? Pretending to be sick? He's ready to try anything, but maybe he's not the only one who feels this way, and maybe in the end it's better to face your fears?
Pirates and Sea Monsters, by Gill Lewis and Irina Avgustinovich
Tia and her mum start an adventurous new life on Gull Haven Island, finding lots of animals who need their help along the way.
Borrow Pirates and Sea Monsters →
The Creatures of Killburn Mine, by Dan Smith and Chris King
When a meteorite crashes to Earth near Crooked Oak, Pete, Nancy and Krish are determined to find it. But they're not the only ones. After spotting one of their teachers up on the moor where the meteorite landed, they start to wonder if his strangely altered behaviour and appearance might be connected to the arrival from outer space. But nothing could prepare them for the horror they uncover deep down in Killburn Mine.
Borrow The Creatures of Killburn Mine →
Angel of Grasmere, by Tom Palmer and Tom Clohosy Cole
July 1940 - as Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk, she and her friends scour the hills around their Lake District home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion. But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness, such as saving a flock of sheep from a snowdrift and getting help for an injured farmer who might other wise have died.
With no one claiming credit, they come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but when his identity is finally revealed can Tarn come to terms with the truth?
Drowning in My Bedroom, by Stephen Cole
Gayla is trapped when floodwater pours into her bedroom in a residential centre for kids with disabilities. The other children have been evacuated while Gayla waited for her father, but now the streets around are cut off and she's all alone with no way out. Junjun's makeshift shack has been washed away in the flood and he needs to find medicine for his sister, who's sick after drinking contaminated water. At first these two young people seem to have little in common and pity each other, but as the waters continue to rise, can they find a way to work together to survive?
Borrow Drowning in My Bedroom →
For teens and young adults:
EchoStar is Always Listening, by Melinda Salisbury
Ruby Brookes and her best friend Deva have won free places at the Ash Tree Foundation Performing Arts Camp over the summer, but only if their school grades seriously improve. So when Deva suddenly starts getting high marks in all their subjects, leaving Ruby behind, she is confused and jealous. Until she finds out Deva's success is down to EchoStar, a new app that's helping her get ahead. Ruby is desperate to start using it too, but there is much more to BrightStar than she has imagined. Because EchoStar is always watching and listening.
Borrow EchoStar is Always Listening →
The Big Ask, by Simon James Green and Mallory Heyer
Harvey is popular, cool, plays football and has been in a relationship with his girlfriend Summer for as long as anyone can remember. Alfie is not popular, not cool, has a sick note so he doesn't have to play any sport, and has been in a relationship with his Xbox since forever. So when Summer dramatically dumps Harvey just a few days before the school prom, no one is expecting Alfie to ask Harvey to be his date. Least of all Alfie. But sometimes amazing things can happen when you take a chance.