Year 4 reading list

Ages 8 to 9 · Key Stage 2

Confident readers can take on classics and long fantasy, while others do better with diaries and short novels. Both are fine. Talk about what happens and why.

Loved by many

• Matilda by Roald Dahl. A girl who loves books and has a terrible headteacher.
• Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. A pig, a spider and a story about friendship and loss.
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. Four children, a wardrobe and a snowy land.
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. Long but gripping. Many children read it for the first time at this age.
• The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf. A new boy who is a refugee, seen through his classmates. A way into talking about kindness.
• Stig of the Dump by Clive King. A boy meets a caveman at the bottom of a quarry.
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. A diary-and-cartoons format that suits less confident readers.

At home

Ask one question after a chapter: what do you think happens next, and what in the book makes you think so?