Want to know what books Zoe Greaves recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Zoe Greaves's favorite book recommendations of all time.
You have to solve a series of nearly impossible clues.
You need to deal with a cruel dictator and three thousand Wimbley Woos (yes, you read that sentence correctly). And the whole situation - the whole, entire thing - is your fault.
Wed Wabbit is an adventure story about friendship, danger and the terror of never being able to get back home again. less
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Zoe GreavesAs a parent reading bedtime stories to younger children all the time, I identified with so many of her jokes. She’s gently teasing the genre of over-the-top picture books, with characters that speak only in rhyme. It’s so deftly done, though. It’s unbelievably weird, but, again, I had a lump in my throat at the end. The characters were vividly drawn and I empathised with them completely. (Source)
Dreamsnatcher’s Abi Elphinstone heads up this gorgeous collection of wintery stories, featuring snow queens, frost fairs, snow dragons and pied pipers... from classic children’s writers such as Michelle Magorian, Geraldine McCaughrean, Jamila Gavin, Berlie Doherty, Katherine Woodfine, Piers Torday, Lauren St John, Amy Alward and Emma Carroll, among... more
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Zoe GreavesThe Geraldine McCaughrean story is strange and almost pagan and then there’s more playful, elven fantasy. There’s a good range. I also chose it because I think it’s been slightly underrated. Short stories are an underrated genre anyway, but this is a really exceptional collection. Very bold choices, for girls or boys, it doesn’t matter. (Source)
A love letter to books and the people who cherish them, The Bookshop Girl is a whimsical delight, crafted with charming oddity and clever hilarity in equal measure.
Property Jones lives happily with her mum and brother in their cozy old bookshop, even if there aren't many books on the worn shelves and it's always a bit too chilly inside. Lately, though, her mum has been making a lot of nerve-calming tea as she does the accounting, and Property is beginning to worry about the future of the White Hart.
But everything changes when Albert H. Montgomery, the owner of the...
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Zoe GreavesA lot of the comparisons in the reviews mention Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and there is a comparison in that there’s a competition—but there the similarity ends. (Source)
What if the princess didn't marry Prince Charming but instead went on to be an astronaut? What if the jealous step sisters were supportive and kind? And what if the queen was the one really in charge of the kingdom? Illustrated by sixty female artists from every corner of the globe, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls introduces us to one hundred remarkable women and their extraordinary lives, from Ada Lovelace to Malala, Elizabeth I to Serena Williams. Empowering, moving and inspirational,... more
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Zoe GreavesRosa Parks, Maria Callas, Amelia Earhart. The range is amazing. It’s spectacular. I wish I had had this book when I was a child. In terms of female role models, it’s wonderful. I took this on holiday over the summer and my 14-year old niece was reading it to my 8-year old daughter and they just couldn’t stop. They were sharing the stories, they’d read one to each other and we’d be regaled with... (Source)
A train that travels through impossible places. A boy trapped in a snow globe. And a girl who’s about to go on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Impossible Postal Express is no ordinary train. It’s a troll-operated delivery service that runs everywhere from ocean-bottom shipwrecks, to Trollville, to space.
But when this impossible train comes... more
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Zoe GreavesThere is just a whiff, just the merest whiff, of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in this book. And that is never a bad thing in a book. It’s a wild, funny and impossible adventure – just the sort of crazy ride that is perfect to sink into. (Source)
There 's nothing more to say about it. It is what it is. It is what will always be. Ember and Ness.
Then Ness dies. It is sudden and unexpected and leaves Ember completely empty. How can this be'
When Ember finds a way into the Afterworld, she determines to bring Ness back. Because that 's what friends do isn't it' They rescue each other. They help. They never give up. Ember and Ness. That don 't change.
A powerful, poignant, darkly comic and deeply moving story about friendship at its most extraordinary. less
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Zoe GreavesThis story is about a friendship that extends even into the afterworld. It’s powerful stuff, it’s moving and it’s very funny – and, of course, it defies every expectation quite brilliantly. (Source)
Rich and strange, these eerie and magical folktales from across Britain and Ireland have been passed down from generation to generation, and are gathered together in a definitive new collection from the master storyteller and winner of the Carnegie Medal, Kevin Crossley-Holland. Dark and funny, lyrical and earthy, these fifty stories are part of an important and enduring historical tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Described by Neil Gaiman as the "master",... more
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Zoe GreavesKevin Crossley-Holland is one of our finest writers and an absolute master storyteller. There is a subtle difference! In these fifty retellings Crossley-Holland gathers all his remarkable historical knowledge and his refined skills as a wordsmith together. Expect eerie and uplifting, dark and witty, poetic and earthy – the contradictions necessary to give ancient tales new life. My advice: order... (Source)
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Zoe GreavesI am a huge fan of Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Even more so since I was lucky enough to interview her earlier this year. She is an exceptional talent, an original thinker, a quick-witted, warm-hearted, poetic intellectual who writes with searing and yet honest clarity. Every child should read her work. So should the grown-ups. Her latest book, The Way Past Winter, reads like a combination of Ursula... (Source)
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Zoe GreavesA journey through art history, from early art drawn on cave walls to the images we make today on our computers and phone cameras. It’s told through conversations between artist David Hockney and Martin Gayford, who talk with inspiring simplicity and clarity. (Source)
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Zoe GreavesA fact-filled journey through the oceans with clever paper engineering and beautiful illustrations. This book has such panache – it is a standout, sumptuous feast of book design. Every page makes you sigh and reminds us just how extraordinary the watery depths and its inhabitants are. (Source)
Don't have time to read Zoe Greaves's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Combining art, mythology, and science, What We See in the Stars gives readers a tour of the night sky through more than 100 magical pieces of original art, all accompanied by text that weaves related legends and lore with scientific facts. This beautifully packaged book covers the night sky's most brilliant features--such as the constellations, the moon, the bright... more
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Zoe GreavesIt’s a gorgeously illustrated guide, not only to the constellations, planets, comets and northern lights – but also to the science, myths and history of the stars in our universe. (Source)
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Zoe GreavesI love this book for show-casing over 100 young people – musical talents, environmental activists, engineers, artists and authors, as well as political voices. Your kids will feel that anything is possible and that the world is full of possibility after sitting down with this energetic volume for an afternoon. (Source)
In 1660, at the age of thirteen, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) began her study of butterfly metamorphosis—years before any other scientist published an accurate description of the process. Later, Merian and her daughter ventured thousands of miles from their home in the Netherlands to the rainforests of South America seeking new and amazing insects to observe and illustrate.
Years after her death, Merian’s accurate and beautiful illustrations were used by scientists, including Carl Linnaeus, to classify... more
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Zoe GreavesThe story of Maria Sibylla Merian’s (1647-1717) life blew me away the first time I stumbled upon it. When she was just 13, Merian began her study of butterfly metamorphosis – years before any other scientist had published a description of the process! This is just the beginning of a story that travels from the Netherlands to the wilds of the South American rainforests. It’s a story that will... (Source)
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Zoe GreavesRundell has this mastery of language, this light touch—and she’s so funny when she puts her mind to it. It’s just beautiful. (Source)
Every day, lumberjack Jim Hickory heads into the forest with his trusty ax and chops down trees. Unfortunately, all sorts of creatures, including a bird, a porcupine, and a beaver, lose their homes in the process, so Jim gives them a home in his beard -- until one day it all gets to be too much. Time for Jim to come up with a better solution! This funny story carries a green message. less
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Zoe GreavesI don’t know how many times we’ve read this for bedtime since it came out, but it’s a joy, and just beautifully silly. (Source)
The sun is setting, and everyone in the forest is getting sleepy. The mice, rabbits, and deer all give great big yawns as they snuggle up with their families for the night. But "someone" isn't sleepy just yet. Little Bear thinks he can stay awake a bit longer. Can he do it? Chris Haughton's bold and vibrant illustrations will captivate little ones eager to stay up just a teeny bit longer, while sweet depictions of animals cozying up in... more
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Zoe GreavesMy son was asleep within two minutes of it finishing, which is a very pleasant bonus for a parent. (Source)
And welcome to this Planet.
We call it Earth.
Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you’ve only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let’s explore what makes our planet and how we live on it. From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your journey. And you’ll figure lots of things out for yourself. Just remember to leave notes for everyone else Some things about our planet are pretty complicated, but things can be simple, too: you’ve just got to be kind.
Here We Are is... more
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Zoe GreavesOliver Jeffers is an exceptionally brilliant artist and children’s author and illustrator. He has a lovely, playful streak. (Source)
All over the country, there are words disappearing from children's lives. Words like Dandelion, Otter, Bramble, Acorn and Lark represent the natural world of childhood, a rich landscape of discovery and imagination that is fading from children's minds.
The Lost Words stands against the disappearance of wild childhood. It is a joyful celebration of the poetry of nature words and the living glory of our distinctive, British countryside.... more
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Zoe GreavesThe illustrations are utterly breathtaking. Jackie Morris is an illustrator that I just find astonishing—she’s got to be one of the most brilliant artists working in children’s books at the moment. (Source)
From the author of the bestselling tale The Girl of Ink & Stars comes a beautiful new adventure about finding your way home.
There are some places you would not want to go. Even if I told you that we have oceans filled with sea turtles and dolphins, or forests lush with parrots that call through air thick with warmth... Nobody comes here because they want to.
The island of no return.
Ami lives with her mother on an island where the sea is as blue as the... more
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Rachel HickmanA captivating novel set on a tropical island that is used as a leper colony. (Source)
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Zoe GreavesAuthor Kiran Millwood Hargrave, started off as a poet. She writes books that feel like they’ve been around forever, and she’s only in her mid-20s. So she’s precociously brilliant. Her books are objects of excellence. (Source)
Can their family survive this fearful war? The Skylarks’ War is a beautiful story following the loves and losses of... more
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Simon Smith@fod3 @Braunteaches It made me cry. Fantastic book. (Source)
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Zoe GreavesThis is a human and wholly accessible account of World War I. Both hilarious and heartbreaking. Reading it, I felt very much that this is a classic. The pictures it conjured in my head are so vivid, the characters so familiar – I’m convinced this is a book that will be with us for decades. It makes the 100 years between 1918 and 2018 not seem so very far apart. (Source)
Don't have time to read Zoe Greaves's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.