World Book Day 2026: Our favourite childhood books, and what we would recommend now!
This World Book Day we wanted to look back at some of our favourite books of years gone by, and see what books we would recommend now! Read on to see a host of Pan Macmillan people's childhood photographs, along with their old favourites, alongside our own recommendations.
From stone-cold classics, to forgotten gems our team have some fantastic books from their youth, and we can promise that the new books recommended will bring no less joy! As it's the Year of National Reading, we wanted to connect with our past selves to see how the immediate pleasure of reading in our childhoods has informed the books we love today.
Emelie Gerdin, Press Officer, Fiction
The book that got me into reading
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
My favorite childhood book was Pippi Longstocking. As a stubborn child who refused to be told she couldn't do what the boys could, Pippi always felt like a friend to turn to. Pippi is cheeky, courageous and completely unpredictable. She is the strongest girl in the world and no rules apply to her (for better and for worse).
We also recommend
Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City
by Rob Biddulph
Superstar author and illustrator Rob Biddulph dazzles in Peanut Jones and the Illustrated City, the first title in an adventure series for boys and girls of 8+. This exciting, funny, middle-grade debut is from the bestselling creative genius behind #DrawWithRob and is illustrated in black and white throughout.
Some legends are born, some are drawn . . .
Drawing feels like magic to Peanut Jones. But art can't fix her problems. Her dad has gone missing, and she's stuck in a boring new school. Until the day she finds a unique pencil turbo-charged with special powers. Suddenly she's pulled into a world packed with more colour, creativity, excitement and danger than she could ever have imagined. And maybe, just maybe, she might find out what happened to her dad.
Tom Coombes, Communications Assistant
The book that got me into reading
Jiggy McCue (Series) by Michael Lawrence
Despite looking somewhat like a young Augustus Gloop in my picture, my favourite books were the Jiggy McCue series by Michael Lawrence. Being a pain in class was my MO, so I felt a kindred spirit in the main character.
We also recommend
The Blockbusters!
by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Head to Tinseltown in this hilarious and heart-warming adventure by the UK Children's Laureate 2024-2026 and bestselling, award-winner Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The Blockbusters! is fabulously illustrated in black and white throughout by Steven Lenton.
When new boy Rafa and his friends accidentally stray onto the set of a Hollywood blockbuster, the last thing they expect is to become part of the action. Rafa’s likeness to the famous movie star, BB, gives him VIP access all areas, including the banquet of catering doughnuts!
But Rafa isn’t the only one having an adventure. His big brother, Cillian, is missing. He sent Rafa a clue to his location, but he can’t really be in actual Hollywood, can he? It’s up to Rafa to keep acting the part of a movie star, if he is to find his brother – and home.
OIivia Scott, Trade Marketing Executive
The book that got me into reading
Skellig by David Almond
I loved Skellig as a child because it didn't feel like a typical fantasy book. It was a weird mix of a messy family drama and gothic mystery, which felt a lot more honest than standard fantasy. I loved David Almond’s take on an angelic being; Skellig wasn't some glowing figure, but a mysterious, haunting man living in a dusty garage on Chinese takeaway and brown ale. This book started me on a path toward darker, weirder books that weren't afraid to be a bit strange!
We also recommend
A Skinful of Shadows
by Frances Hardinge
Frances Hardinge weaves a dark, otherworldly tale in A Skinful of Shadows, her first book since the Costa Award-winning The Lie Tree.
When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide.
Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding.
Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment.
And now there's a ghost inside her.
The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, but it may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.
Briony Grogan, Director of People & Culture
The book that got me into reading
Various by Enid Blyton
My favourite books as a child were anything by Enid Blyton. I absorbed them as fast as I could and would pick them up at second hand sales or at the library. My favourites were the Magic Faraway Tree series and the Malory Towers books although I also enjoyed the Famous Five and Secret Seven.
We also recommend
The Island of Adventure
by Enid Blyton
Coming out soon, with others in the series already published, the Enid Blyton classics never go out of style! The Island of Adventure is the first thrilling installment in the Adventure series by Enid Blyton, one of the best-loved children's writers of all time.
For Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, Jack and Kiki the parrot, the summer holidays in Cornwall are everything they'd hoped for. Until they begin to realize that something very sinister is taking place on the mysterious Isle of Gloom - where a dangerous adventure awaits them in the abandoned copper mines and secret tunnels beneath the sea.
Sophie Brewer, Associate Publisher
The book that got me into reading
The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
Always a cat lover, the concept of an actual tiger coming to tea plus the novelty of going out for supper as a result was, and has remained, a double joy!
We also recommend
The Perfect Pet
by Hazel Gardner
Join Penguin and Pup in this laugh-out-loud caper from rising star Hazel Gardner and bestselling You're Called What? illustrator, Nikki Dyson. Choosing a pet has never been so hilarious - and complicated!
Like lots of friends, Penguin and Pup like VERY different things. Especially when it comes to finding the perfect new addition to their family.
All Penguin wants is something small and fluffy. Pup, in typical Pup fashion, thinks the BIGGER the better. A blue whale in a dress! A giant sloth! A unicorn! It's a recipe for disaster, and LOTS of laughter, but in The Perfect Pet, will they ever agree on one?
Whether you are more Penguin, or more Pup, come along and let the giggling begin!
Sophie Brewer, Associate Publisher
The book that got me into reading
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
My favourite book as a 6-/7-year-old was The Hobbit. My dad used to sit on the end of my bed and read it to me. He would do funny voices for the trolls and Smeagol and it was amazing to be transported into this magical world.
We also recommend
Quill and the Last Generation
by C. M. Lewis
A world without children is a world dying for a hero. No babies have been born for twelve years. No one knows why.
Quill, a shy, ordinary, twelve-year-old boy, doesn't know the first thing about being a hero. But that changes the moment a mysterious young shapeshifter, in the form of a raven, opens his eyes to a world bursting with urgent magic and breathtaking danger. Quill must prepare for
- DRAGONS that guard the deepest secrets,
- A MONSTROUS HOUND hunting lost souls and
- A WATER HORSE of deadly beauty.
Everyone believes Quill is the last generation's only hope. But to save everyone, he must be ready to face the King of Darkness in battle, and claim the Light of the World before time runs out. First he needs to find the courage to fight.
