The Very Best Chapter Books for Kids Of All Ages

Whether you’re looking for book suggestions for your independent reader, or a title to read aloud to your class or children at home, you are sure to find a chapter book that you and your children will love in this collection of the best chapter books for kids of all ages.

We have collected books together into lists that are sorted by genre, recommended ages and themes. Scroll down to find each of these curated collections.

What is a chapter book? A chapter book is a typically a fiction book written for children who are ready to transition from picture books to more text based books. Many early reader chapter books still include simple illustrations – though the pictures are generally less important to the story than they are in a picture book.

What age are chapter books for? While there is no hard and fast rule, children generally make the transition to chapter books somewhere between the ages of seven to ten years. That being said, my youngest daughter was reading simple chapter books at age 6.

How do I know if my child is ready for chapter books? There is no doubt that all children develop the ability to read fluently and independently in their own time. As chapter books generally have a greater amount of text than their picture book counterparts, children need to be competent at decoding words, and reading fluently enough to comprehend what they are reading.

One simple test of the level of difficulty of a book for your child is to choose a page at random and have your child read the page aloud. Put one finger up for each word they don’t know. If you get to five fingers up, the book is too hard. If your child is slowly sounding out many of the words, the book is too hard.

When reading a book at the right level a child should read at around the same speed as he talks, with the reading smooth and fluent. The child should read with expression and be able to tell you confidently about what they have read.

If you are unsure whether your child is ready for a particular chapter book, borrow a copy of it from your local library (or school library) and give it the five finger test. If it proves to difficult for them, you can always read it together as a read aloud.