Caboodlers' Corner: Discover children's books

Check out our children's books features, recommendations and competitions for parents, teachers and family members. Play our fun Book Island Challenge together and get ideas for new bedtime reads from popular kids' authors.

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Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller: Send your questions in!

 

Ask a bookseller and you'll get a £15/€20 National Book Token to spend in your local bookshop if your question is answered.

What's your question?
Ask a Bookseller: Far From the Madding Crowd

Sally from Far From the Madding Crowd recommends

 

Sally from Far From the Madding Crowd in Linlithgow has picked five questions sent in by Caboodlers to answer. 

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Ask a Bookseller: Blackwell's Oxford

Becky from Blackwell's Oxford recommends

 

Becky, a bookseller from Blackwell's Oxford, has picked five questions sent in by Caboodlers to answer.

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Waterstones Canterbury

Rachel from Waterstones Canterbury recommends

 

Rachel from Waterstones Canterbury has joined us in Caboodlers' Corner to provide children's books recommendations.

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Send a question in for our Book Doctors

Book Doctor: Send your questions in!

Win a National Book Token!
 

In a reading rut? Want to health-check your reading habits? Send questions in for our future Book Doctors and you could get a £15/€20 National Book Token!

Ask a question
Book Doctor: Emma Carroll answers your questions

Book Doctor: Emma Carroll answers your questions

 

The Tale of Truthwater Lake author Emma Carroll has joined us to prescribe some fantastic books for children and adults alike.

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Book Doctor: Katie and Kevin answer your questions

Book Doctor: Katie & Kevin Tsang

 

Dragon Realm authors Katie & Kevin Tsang are our guest Book Doctors for World Book Day, prescribing the best reads for young booklovers. 

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Book Doctor: Rashmi Sirdeshpande answers your questions

Book Doctor: Rashmi Sirdeshpande

 

Children's author Rashmi Sirdeshpande is our guest Book Doctor for World Book Day, prescribing the best reads for young booklovers.

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Book Doctor: Sophie Kirtley

Book Doctor: Sophie Kirtley answers your questions

 

Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home and The Way to Impossible Island, has joined us as Book Doctor. 

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Book Doctor: Darling Reads answers your questions

Book Doctor: Asher from Darling Reads

 

Asher Woolford from Darling Reads bookshop in West Yorkshire joins us as Book Doctor for Independent Bookshop Week.

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Book Doctor: Tamara MacFarlane

Book Doctor: Tamara MacFarlane

Book Doctor: Tamara MacFarlane
 

Owner of Tales On Moon Lane bookshop and author of Dragon World, Tamara, prescribes the best reads for young bookworms on World Book Day. 

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Book Doctor: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Book Doctor: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

 

Kiran Millwood Hargrave tackles your bookish dilemmas – and five Caboodlers have won a signed copy of her book and a £15/€20 National Book Token!

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Book Doctor: Jasbinder Bilan

Book Doctor: Jasbinder Bilan answers your questions

 

Author of Asha & the Spirit Bird, Jasbinder Bilan, prescribes the best reads for young booklovers.

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Book Doctor: Robin Steven

Book Doctor: Robin Stevens answers your questions

 

Author of Murder Most Unladylike, Robin Stevens, prescribes the best reads for young bookworms on World Book Day. 

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Book Doctors: Cressida Cowell and Francesca Simon

Book Doctors: Cressida Cowell and Francesca Simon

 

Cressida Cowell and Francesca Simon prescribe the best reads for young booklovers.

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Book Doctor: Abi Elphinstone answers your questions

Book Doctor: Abi Elphinstone answers your questions

 

Abi Elphinstone, author of Rumblestar and The Dreamsnatcher series, prescribes the best reads for young booklovers.

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Book Doctor: Juno Dawson

Book Doctor: Juno Dawson answers your questions

 

Juno Dawson, editor of LGBTQ+ anthology for teens, Proud, prescribes the best books to read with pride.

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Book Doctor: Jeff Kinney answers your questions

Book Doctor: Jeff Kinney answers your questions

 

Jeff Kinney is our Book Doctor for World Book Day, prescribing the best reads for young booklovers. 

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Book Doctor - Chloe Coles

Book Doctor: Chloe Coles answers your questions

Book Doctor: Chloe Coles
 

Chloe Coles, author of Bookshop Girl (and real-life children's bookseller extraordinaire), prescribes just the right read for book-loving children and teens.

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Book Doctor: Andy Griffiths

Book Doctor: Andy Griffiths answers your questions

 

Andy Griffiths, co-author of the hilarious Treehouse series, prescribes the best reads for junior bookworms.

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23 books to look out for in 2023

23 more children's books to look out for in 2023

 

We're back to highlight 23 of the best new books for children and teens, including everything from wintry fairy tales to magical adventures, dystopian futures to laugh-out-loud stories, and beyond

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8 comics for kids who love graphic novels

9 comic series for kids who love graphic novels

 

Bunny vs Monkey creator Jamie Smart recommends graphic novels to get kids reading.

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5 books for children who love video games

5 books for children who love video games

Guest author Christopher Edge
 

Christopher Edge, author of Escape Room, has joined us to recommend his top books for children to choose with their National Book Tokens.

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23 children's books to look out for in 2023

23 children's books to look out for in 2023

 

23 fantastic new children's books that will arrive in bookshops during the first half of the year. 

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22 more children's books to look out for in 2022

22 more children's books to look out for in 2022

 

22 fantastic new books for younger readers that will be arriving in bookshops during the second half of the year, from laugh-out-loud fiction to poetry to read together.

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22 children's books to look out for in 2022

22 children's books to look out for in 2022

 

22 fantastic new books for young readers of all ages to look out for in the first half of the year, from magical adventures to funny fiction.

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7 illustrated children's books about disability

7 illustrated children's books about disability

Guest author James Catchpole
 

James Catchpole, author of the brilliant picture book What Happened to You?, shares his top illustrated books for young booklovers that feature characters with disabilities or are true stories about famous disabled people.

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10 brilliant books to read by Black writers

10 brilliant books to read by Black writers

Guest bookseller Round Table Books
 

Layla – expert bookseller at the fantastic Round Table Books – recommends 10 brilliant books for both children and adults written by Black authors.

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10 armchair adventures for junior bookworms

10 armchair adventures for junior bookworms

Guest author Katherine Rundell
 

Author Katherine Rundell recommends her favourite adventure stories.

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Create your own villain and WIN!

Winners: Create your own villain

 

We asked children to create their own villain for a chance get their character illustrated by Ryan Hammond. A shortlist of 30 fantastic villains were shortlisted and the overall winner is...

See the winner
Who is the funniest of them all?

Winners: Write a joke for author Helen Rutter

 

We asked young readers to write a joke to make children's author Helen Rutter laugh out loud for a chance to win a book bundle, £100 worth of funny books, and their name in lights.

See the winners
Winners

Winners: Cressida Cowell's Which Way to Anywhere

 

We gave young readers the chance to win fantastic Cressida Cowell goodies in an out-of-this-world competition. The winners have been announced, as chosen by the author.

See the winners
Did you complete the Bunny vs Monkey comic strip?

Winners: Complete the comic strip

 

Hundreds of young artists sent in their comic strips for Bunny vs Monkey creator Jamie Smart to judge. Congratulations to 8-year-old Jori who has won a signed set of books, t-shirt, print, rucksack and cap!

View the winning comic
Winners

Winners: Tell us a story in one drawing

 

Illustrator David Roberts picked the winner and runners-up. The overall winner won fantastic Questioneers goodies, including a £50/€60 National Book Token!

See the winners
Winners

Winners: Create a National Book Token

 

We received thousands of fantastic designs. The talented winners have won a £10/€10 National Book Token for each of their classmates.

See the winning designs
Winners

The winners of Design a National Book Token...

 

This World Book Day, thousands of children sent in their National Book Token designs – whether pencilled, painted, or digitally drawn.

And the winners are...
Book Island Challenge

Winners: Book Island Challenge

 

We reveal the answers for the latest game. 10 children each won a £10/€10 National Book Token and a bundle of 14 fantastic books from publisher Knights Of.

See the answers
Winners

Winners: Big Dreamers Writing Competition

 

See which talented young writers won our short story competition – and a £200 National Book Token each!

Read the winning stories
Bookshop Bingo

Let them hunt for a good book!

 

National Book Tokens can be spent in bookshops everywhere – take our #BookshopBingo activity sheet for young bookworms to complete when you visit your favourite bookshop!

Download and print
25 years of World Book Day

25 years of World Book Day - play the quiz!

 

National Book Tokens is proud to have sponsored World Book Day for 25 years. To celebrate their big birthday, we've created a quiz about World Book Day books past and present.

Play now
Which Mr. Men or Little Miss character are you?

Which Mr. Men or Little Miss character are you?

 

Are you clumsy or cranky? Do you spend the weekend dancing, or getting into trouble? Discover your inner Mr. Men Little Miss personality.

Play now
What's your book choosing style?

What's your book choosing style?

Quiz: what's your book choosing style?
 

Do you like the comfort of familiar characters, or do you enjoy challenging yourself to read new voices and stories?

Take the quiz!
Play the Book Island Challenge

Play the Book Island Challenge for junior bookworms

 

Help young readers guess which book characters live on the islands in our fun games.

Play now
Find the missing book titles

Help us find the missing book titles

 

Our bookshelves have fallen down and we've lost some of our books titles! Can you help us find the missing words?

Play now
10 locations in children's books

10 locations in children's books – guess them all!

10 locations in children's books
 

From Hogsmead to Treasure Island, take our fun quiz on 10 locations in children's literature.

Play the quiz
20 years of World Book Day

20 questions for 20 years of World Book Day

 

Play our quiz feauring 20 questions about 20 World Book Day authors to celebrate 20 years.

Play the quiz
Calling all junior bookworms!

Calling all junior bookworms!

Guess which characters live on the islands in our Book Island Challenges.

Book Island Challenge
A gift beyond words

A gift beyond words

National Book Tokens are the ideal gift for booklovers and can be spent in bookshops in the UK and Ireland, and online.

A gift beyond words
National book token cookie themed gift card

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single visitor in possession of a good website, must be in want of a cookie."
Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen
*paraphrased


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