BREAKING NEWS: Announcing Better Reading’s 2021 Top 50 Kids’ Books!

We are thrilled to announce Better Reading’s 2021 Top 50 Kids’ Books, and it’s a stellar list!

Each year, Australian kids, parents, teachers, librarians and book lovers have their say about which children’s books and authors they love to read. It is a true reflection of what Australian kids read, featuring a mix of classics, middle-grade, picture books and YA.

So without further ado, the 2021 top spot goes to … drumroll please … Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling! Since its publication nearly 25 years ago, this magical series has been beloved by both children and adults alike, and now it’s found its place with the next generation of young readers.

Overall, we’ve found that this year’s list embodies what it means to get ‘lost in a book’. During these extraordinary times, children and parents are turning to books for entertainment, escape and comfort. And what better way to do this than by cracking open one of these fabulous reads?

Better Reading Director Cheryl Akle states: “It’s clear there is a deep love for fantasy and adventure series – genres that allow readers to escape to unknown worlds with characters they can relate to. We can see this through Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling at number one, and clear new favourites such as the Keeper of the Lost Cities series by Shannon Messenger and The Wizards of Once series by Cressida Cowell making the list for the first time.”

Other notable mentions go to Aussie favourite Anh Do who has three books on the list, Mem Fox with three beloved picture books, three from Julia Donaldson, and let’s not forget Roald Dahl, with a whopping four books on the list.

Some other noteworthy observations:

7 of the top 10 books are written by women
11 books are part of a series
16 of the authors are Australian, and they account for 21 of the books on the list!

Here is the Top 10, as voted by you:

The Top 50 Kids books are available in Big W stores nationwide, bookshops and libraries. All over the country, readers use the Top 50 kids as their annual book list, counting down their reads alone, with friends, in libraries and school classrooms and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #Top50Kids2021 #BRTop50Kids.

Thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s Top 50 Kids! We are pleased to announce the following seven winners who will receive a copy of all 50 books: