Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi
Staff-created list
This is a list of the dyslexia friendly books. They use a specifically designed font, thick, cream pages and widely spaced lines; all factors that have been found to help teens with dyslexia read. The stories are written by some of the best authors in Young Adult fiction.
For Interest Age and Reading Age, see the publisher's website or the back of the book.
A Christchurch City Libraries' list.
"Street kid Scott jumps at the chance to be a Virtual Kombat gamer. If he can battle his way up the ranks, the ultimate prize will be his. But then h...Show more
"Street kid Scott jumps at the chance to be a Virtual Kombat gamer. If he can battle his way up the ranks, the ultimate prize will be his. But then his friend Kate goes missing in the battle arena, and Scott’s dream turns into a nightmare …" - Barrington Stoke. This series is from the author of the bestselling "Young Samurai" books and is just as action-packed.
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"Street kid Scott jumps at the chance to be a Virtual Kombat gamer. If he can battle his way up the ranks, the ultimate prize will be his. But then h...Show more
"Street kid Scott jumps at the chance to be a Virtual Kombat gamer. If he can battle his way up the ranks, the ultimate prize will be his. But then his friend Kate goes missing in the battle arena, and Scott’s dream turns into a nightmare …" - Barrington Stoke. This series is from the author of the bestselling "Young Samurai" books and is just as action-packed.
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"An honest and heart-warming story of family, growing up and ‘difference’. Hudson is a skilled reader of books but not so much of people. Mum’s new b...Show more
"An honest and heart-warming story of family, growing up and ‘difference’. Hudson is a skilled reader of books but not so much of people. Mum’s new bloke Louis is keen to help, but the triple whammy of news about a wedding, a funeral and a baby announcement is a lot to deal with in one day, especially for Hudson!" - Barrington Stoke. For those who love heartfelt stories and authors like Jacqueline Wilson, Sita Brahmachari tells stories set in India and beyond about adventurous characters overcoming challenges.
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"An honest and heart-warming story of family, growing up and ‘difference’. Hudson is a skilled reader of books but not so much of people. Mum’s new b...Show more
"An honest and heart-warming story of family, growing up and ‘difference’. Hudson is a skilled reader of books but not so much of people. Mum’s new bloke Louis is keen to help, but the triple whammy of news about a wedding, a funeral and a baby announcement is a lot to deal with in one day, especially for Hudson!" - Barrington Stoke. For those who love heartfelt stories and authors like Jacqueline Wilson, Sita Brahmachari tells stories set in India and beyond about adventurous characters overcoming challenges.
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"Dean blazes into John’s life in the summer of Year 10. He’s scary, but exciting too, and soon the boys’ summer seems set to be one they’ll never for...Show more
"Dean blazes into John’s life in the summer of Year 10. He’s scary, but exciting too, and soon the boys’ summer seems set to be one they’ll never forget. An intense and utterly compelling teen drama about disaffected youth, rebellion and teenage attachment." - Barrington Stoke. Kevin Brooks is an award-winning author who writes tense dramas that will have you on the edge of your seat.
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"Dean blazes into John’s life in the summer of Year 10. He’s scary, but exciting too, and soon the boys’ summer seems set to be one they’ll never for...Show more
"Dean blazes into John’s life in the summer of Year 10. He’s scary, but exciting too, and soon the boys’ summer seems set to be one they’ll never forget. An intense and utterly compelling teen drama about disaffected youth, rebellion and teenage attachment." - Barrington Stoke. Kevin Brooks is an award-winning author who writes tense dramas that will have you on the edge of your seat.
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"Nic's friends laugh at him all the time. He can't risk giving them another excuse to laugh at him, so when the boys visit the local haunted house af...Show more
"Nic's friends laugh at him all the time. He can't risk giving them another excuse to laugh at him, so when the boys visit the local haunted house after a party Nic accepts the dare to go inside. The trouble is, the boys don't realise that this party has a host, and he isn't very friendly..." - Bloomsbury.
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"Nic's friends laugh at him all the time. He can't risk giving them another excuse to laugh at him, so when the boys visit the local haunted house af...Show more
"Nic's friends laugh at him all the time. He can't risk giving them another excuse to laugh at him, so when the boys visit the local haunted house after a party Nic accepts the dare to go inside. The trouble is, the boys don't realise that this party has a host, and he isn't very friendly..." - Bloomsbury.
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"No one’s been outside the department store for nine years, not since the Star came. Tensions are running high in this dystopian tale, when Caz and W...Show more
"No one’s been outside the department store for nine years, not since the Star came. Tensions are running high in this dystopian tale, when Caz and Will are banished, forced to try their luck on the frozen, danger-filled streets." - Barrington Stoke. For over 20 years, Catherine Fisher has been writing adventure packed fantasy series for children and teens.
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"No one’s been outside the department store for nine years, not since the Star came. Tensions are running high in this dystopian tale, when Caz and W...Show more
"No one’s been outside the department store for nine years, not since the Star came. Tensions are running high in this dystopian tale, when Caz and Will are banished, forced to try their luck on the frozen, danger-filled streets." - Barrington Stoke. For over 20 years, Catherine Fisher has been writing adventure packed fantasy series for children and teens.
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"A powerful novel inspired by Virgil’s tale of the ill-fated night raid of Euryalus and Nisus. The Trojan War is over. The survivors must find new la...Show more
"A powerful novel inspired by Virgil’s tale of the ill-fated night raid of Euryalus and Nisus. The Trojan War is over. The survivors must find new land on which to settle, and there is war. Euryalus and Nisus, two teenage warriors among Aeneas's Trojan refugees, make a disastrous decision to raid the camp of their enemy." - Barrington Stoke. A stand-out read from an author who writes many stories set in the Ancient Greek and Roman world for children and teens.
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"A powerful novel inspired by Virgil’s tale of the ill-fated night raid of Euryalus and Nisus. The Trojan War is over. The survivors must find new la...Show more
"A powerful novel inspired by Virgil’s tale of the ill-fated night raid of Euryalus and Nisus. The Trojan War is over. The survivors must find new land on which to settle, and there is war. Euryalus and Nisus, two teenage warriors among Aeneas's Trojan refugees, make a disastrous decision to raid the camp of their enemy." - Barrington Stoke. A stand-out read from an author who writes many stories set in the Ancient Greek and Roman world for children and teens.
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"When Kenny drags Nicky out of bed one dark morning, Nicky has no idea that he is about to witness a terrible act of destruction, and the senseless k...Show more
"When Kenny drags Nicky out of bed one dark morning, Nicky has no idea that he is about to witness a terrible act of destruction, and the senseless killing of an innocent animal. But Nicky manages to save something precious from the disaster, and his and Kenny’s lives are changed forever..." - Barrington Stoke. This award wining series follows the friendship of Nicky and Kenny as they escape from their difficult lives into nature.
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"When Kenny drags Nicky out of bed one dark morning, Nicky has no idea that he is about to witness a terrible act of destruction, and the senseless k...Show more
"When Kenny drags Nicky out of bed one dark morning, Nicky has no idea that he is about to witness a terrible act of destruction, and the senseless killing of an innocent animal. But Nicky manages to save something precious from the disaster, and his and Kenny’s lives are changed forever..." - Barrington Stoke. This award wining series follows the friendship of Nicky and Kenny as they escape from their difficult lives into nature.
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"When war breaks out, Tilly Peacock and her sweetheart Harry are keen to do their bit - Tilly as a nurse and Harry as a soldier in France. But the wa...Show more
"When war breaks out, Tilly Peacock and her sweetheart Harry are keen to do their bit - Tilly as a nurse and Harry as a soldier in France. But the war drags on. Soon even Tilly's brother Georgie has been called up to fight, even tough his mind is much younger than his body. Harry makes Tilly promise to looks after Georgie, but Harry and Tilly are about to find out promises can be hard to keep." - Barrington Stoke. One of several dyslexic friendly books written by Linda Newberry who is a master of telling historical stories featuring women.
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"When war breaks out, Tilly Peacock and her sweetheart Harry are keen to do their bit - Tilly as a nurse and Harry as a soldier in France. But the wa...Show more
"When war breaks out, Tilly Peacock and her sweetheart Harry are keen to do their bit - Tilly as a nurse and Harry as a soldier in France. But the war drags on. Soon even Tilly's brother Georgie has been called up to fight, even tough his mind is much younger than his body. Harry makes Tilly promise to looks after Georgie, but Harry and Tilly are about to find out promises can be hard to keep." - Barrington Stoke. One of several dyslexic friendly books written by Linda Newberry who is a master of telling historical stories featuring women.
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"The Nest was the best thing my dad ever built, and he built it for me. He built is when we moved into the new house - him, me and Mum. I thought it...Show more
"The Nest was the best thing my dad ever built, and he built it for me. He built is when we moved into the new house - him, me and Mum. I thought it was wonderful. Outrageous. But then Dad went there to hide from the world, and from Mum, and everything started to go wrong..." - Barrington Stoke
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"The Nest was the best thing my dad ever built, and he built it for me. He built is when we moved into the new house - him, me and Mum. I thought it...Show more
"The Nest was the best thing my dad ever built, and he built it for me. He built is when we moved into the new house - him, me and Mum. I thought it was wonderful. Outrageous. But then Dad went there to hide from the world, and from Mum, and everything started to go wrong..." - Barrington Stoke
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"Samira wants to do well, her parents want her to do well, her teachers want her to do well, but the pressure is starting to tell. Can her friends re...Show more
"Samira wants to do well, her parents want her to do well, her teachers want her to do well, but the pressure is starting to tell. Can her friends rescue her when it all gets too much?" - Bloomsbury. This is the first in series exploring the lives of a group of friends in high-school and the struggles they face.
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"Samira wants to do well, her parents want her to do well, her teachers want her to do well, but the pressure is starting to tell. Can her friends re...Show more
"Samira wants to do well, her parents want her to do well, her teachers want her to do well, but the pressure is starting to tell. Can her friends rescue her when it all gets too much?" - Bloomsbury. This is the first in series exploring the lives of a group of friends in high-school and the struggles they face.
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"Welton Blake has done it! He's asked out Carmella McKenzie the best-looking girl in school and she's only gone and said yes! But just as he thinks h...Show more
"Welton Blake has done it! He's asked out Carmella McKenzie the best-looking girl in school and she's only gone and said yes! But just as he thinks his luck is starting to change, Welton's phone breaks, kick-starting a series of unfortunate and humiliating events. With bullies to avoid, girls ready to knock him out and all the drama with his mum and dad, life for Welton is about to go very, very wrong." - Barrington Stoke. This author's books capture the ups and downs of teen life.
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"Welton Blake has done it! He's asked out Carmella McKenzie the best-looking girl in school and she's only gone and said yes! But just as he thinks h...Show more
"Welton Blake has done it! He's asked out Carmella McKenzie the best-looking girl in school and she's only gone and said yes! But just as he thinks his luck is starting to change, Welton's phone breaks, kick-starting a series of unfortunate and humiliating events. With bullies to avoid, girls ready to knock him out and all the drama with his mum and dad, life for Welton is about to go very, very wrong." - Barrington Stoke. This author's books capture the ups and downs of teen life.
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"Lily has lots of worries. Sheʼs struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, sheʼs losing her gran to Alzheimerʼs. But then she disco...Show more
"Lily has lots of worries. Sheʼs struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, sheʼs losing her gran to Alzheimerʼs. But then she discovers her great-great-grandfatherʼs diaries from the First World War. Could his incredible story of bravery help her reconnect with her gran and even give her the inspiration she needs to push through and win?" - Barrington Stoke. When Tom Palmer isn't writing his immensely popular sports stories, he writes stories set during the Great Wars.
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"Lily has lots of worries. Sheʼs struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, sheʼs losing her gran to Alzheimerʼs. But then she disco...Show more
"Lily has lots of worries. Sheʼs struggling to compete in her fell-running races and, worse, sheʼs losing her gran to Alzheimerʼs. But then she discovers her great-great-grandfatherʼs diaries from the First World War. Could his incredible story of bravery help her reconnect with her gran and even give her the inspiration she needs to push through and win?" - Barrington Stoke. When Tom Palmer isn't writing his immensely popular sports stories, he writes stories set during the Great Wars.
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"Sophia, Mia and Alexis are clinging on to a spark of hope that maybe – just maybe – magic truly does exist. Could they really be witches with the po...Show more
"Sophia, Mia and Alexis are clinging on to a spark of hope that maybe – just maybe – magic truly does exist. Could they really be witches with the power to cast life-changing spells? When the three friends gather to cheer up heartbroken Sophia, they’re ready to put their theory to the test. But when long-held secrets are revealed and hard truths start to hit home, their night of bewitching quickly takes an unexpected turn." - Barrington Stoke. Holly Bourne is a best-selling YA author whose stories often examine the stigma around mental illness.
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"Sophia, Mia and Alexis are clinging on to a spark of hope that maybe – just maybe – magic truly does exist. Could they really be witches with the po...Show more
"Sophia, Mia and Alexis are clinging on to a spark of hope that maybe – just maybe – magic truly does exist. Could they really be witches with the power to cast life-changing spells? When the three friends gather to cheer up heartbroken Sophia, they’re ready to put their theory to the test. But when long-held secrets are revealed and hard truths start to hit home, their night of bewitching quickly takes an unexpected turn." - Barrington Stoke. Holly Bourne is a best-selling YA author whose stories often examine the stigma around mental illness.
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"At an elite academy where the wealthiest students from across the galaxy come to be educated, Hugo works as a watchmaker in a dusty attic room. But ...Show more
"At an elite academy where the wealthiest students from across the galaxy come to be educated, Hugo works as a watchmaker in a dusty attic room. But he is one of the lucky ones. Many androids like him are jobless and homeless. A privileged student like Dorian could never understand their struggle – or so Hugo thinks when the pompous duke comes knocking at his door. But when Hugo and Dorian uncover a potential terrorist threat, android and student must overcome their differences and work together to track down the culprit before the whole academy is placed in danger." - Barrington Stoke. The first in a new series from YA science-fiction writer Lauren James.
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"At an elite academy where the wealthiest students from across the galaxy come to be educated, Hugo works as a watchmaker in a dusty attic room. But ...Show more
"At an elite academy where the wealthiest students from across the galaxy come to be educated, Hugo works as a watchmaker in a dusty attic room. But he is one of the lucky ones. Many androids like him are jobless and homeless. A privileged student like Dorian could never understand their struggle – or so Hugo thinks when the pompous duke comes knocking at his door. But when Hugo and Dorian uncover a potential terrorist threat, android and student must overcome their differences and work together to track down the culprit before the whole academy is placed in danger." - Barrington Stoke. The first in a new series from YA science-fiction writer Lauren James.
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"Summer 1939. With Europe on the brink of war, eighteen-year-old Kristina Tomiak has been called up to join the White Eagles, Poland’s valiant air fo...Show more
"Summer 1939. With Europe on the brink of war, eighteen-year-old Kristina Tomiak has been called up to join the White Eagles, Poland’s valiant air force. When the Nazis reach the town where she is based, Kristina makes a daring escape, but she doesn’t realise that she’s carrying a stowaway in her plane. Will Kristina be able to navigate the most challenging flight of her life and reach safety amid the turmoil of war?" - Barrington Stoke. From the award-winning author of the spy novel "Code Name Verity" is a selection of super readables that tell the stories of young women fighting in World War II.
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"Summer 1939. With Europe on the brink of war, eighteen-year-old Kristina Tomiak has been called up to join the White Eagles, Poland’s valiant air fo...Show more
"Summer 1939. With Europe on the brink of war, eighteen-year-old Kristina Tomiak has been called up to join the White Eagles, Poland’s valiant air force. When the Nazis reach the town where she is based, Kristina makes a daring escape, but she doesn’t realise that she’s carrying a stowaway in her plane. Will Kristina be able to navigate the most challenging flight of her life and reach safety amid the turmoil of war?" - Barrington Stoke. From the award-winning author of the spy novel "Code Name Verity" is a selection of super readables that tell the stories of young women fighting in World War II.
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"This exciting coming of age story follows a boy from a tower block as he joins a premier league football academy. Jackson is good at football… reall...Show more
"This exciting coming of age story follows a boy from a tower block as he joins a premier league football academy. Jackson is good at football… really good at football. And when a scout from United spots him in the park, it seems like he might just have the chance to make it out of his high-rise tower block and into the premier league. But the other boys have been playing together since they were young and Jackson isn't sure he'll ever fit in – or be able to manage his fiery temper." - Bloomsbury. Perfect for sport fans, this series drama on and off the field as Jackson looks to balance his football career with problems at home.
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"This exciting coming of age story follows a boy from a tower block as he joins a premier league football academy. Jackson is good at football… reall...Show more
"This exciting coming of age story follows a boy from a tower block as he joins a premier league football academy. Jackson is good at football… really good at football. And when a scout from United spots him in the park, it seems like he might just have the chance to make it out of his high-rise tower block and into the premier league. But the other boys have been playing together since they were young and Jackson isn't sure he'll ever fit in – or be able to manage his fiery temper." - Bloomsbury. Perfect for sport fans, this series drama on and off the field as Jackson looks to balance his football career with problems at home.
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"Violet’s mum hasn’t been herself for a while. A few too many glasses of wine in the evening. Mornings when she can’t get out of bed. Now Violet’s th...Show more
"Violet’s mum hasn’t been herself for a while. A few too many glasses of wine in the evening. Mornings when she can’t get out of bed. Now Violet’s the one looking after her little brother and looking out for empty bottles in Mum’s bag. She wants to believe her mum when she promises that things are going to change, but is it just another little lie?" - Barrington Stoke. For readers who prefer realistic stories, Eve Ainsworth is an award-winning author whose books tell the stories of young people and the challenges they face.
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"Violet’s mum hasn’t been herself for a while. A few too many glasses of wine in the evening. Mornings when she can’t get out of bed. Now Violet’s th...Show more
"Violet’s mum hasn’t been herself for a while. A few too many glasses of wine in the evening. Mornings when she can’t get out of bed. Now Violet’s the one looking after her little brother and looking out for empty bottles in Mum’s bag. She wants to believe her mum when she promises that things are going to change, but is it just another little lie?" - Barrington Stoke. For readers who prefer realistic stories, Eve Ainsworth is an award-winning author whose books tell the stories of young people and the challenges they face.
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"Aman’s dad is gone, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She struggles to talk about it, but it’s a fact and he isn’t coming back. When a lovely man ...Show more
"Aman’s dad is gone, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She struggles to talk about it, but it’s a fact and he isn’t coming back. When a lovely man called Gurnam moves in to her street and saves Aman from some local bullies, he and Aman quickly become friends, perhaps even like family. But Gurnam has his own sadness. One that’s far bigger than Aman can understand, and it’s tearing his life apart." - Barrington Stoke. Bali Rai draws on his own experiences growing up in a multicultural community, playing football to tell stories about bullying, racism, and the power of friendship.
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"Aman’s dad is gone, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She struggles to talk about it, but it’s a fact and he isn’t coming back. When a lovely man ...Show more
"Aman’s dad is gone, leaving her feeling lost and alone. She struggles to talk about it, but it’s a fact and he isn’t coming back. When a lovely man called Gurnam moves in to her street and saves Aman from some local bullies, he and Aman quickly become friends, perhaps even like family. But Gurnam has his own sadness. One that’s far bigger than Aman can understand, and it’s tearing his life apart." - Barrington Stoke. Bali Rai draws on his own experiences growing up in a multicultural community, playing football to tell stories about bullying, racism, and the power of friendship.
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