The summer holidays are here and travel is on our mind. But who says you need a passport to explore the world?
With the right books kids and their families can go on unforgettable journeys through distant cities and landscapes, climb mountains or explore other cultures. Books have a special way of making distant places feel close and familiar.
Whether your child is a curious five-year-old or a thoughtful tween, this list includes chapter books that will gently expand their horizons. Through stories of characters their own age, kids can experience how others live, learn, celebrate, and dream - broadening their view of the world with every chapter.
Chapter books set in Africa for 5 to 12-year-olds
This illustrated chapter book is the first in an exciting new series of 5 to 8-year-olds. We chose it for our Parakeet boxes in March 2025 and subscribers loved it.
Misha and Ziggy are no ordinary twins. They have a secret that no one else knows: Misha can speak to animals and Ziggy can shapeshift into them! The siblings couldn’t be happier to be joining their wildlife presenter father on a trip to Ethiopia, and they’re determined to help him bag the best footage of the legendary Black Lion.
Jacob and Kira live in the heart of Mbale, Uganda with their conservationist mother and navigate life as unsuspecting geniuses; Kira with hopes to explore outside the hot terrains of Uganda, and conspiracy theorist Jacob, whose fear often holds him back from the answers he so desperately wants to uncover.
But when they discover that someone has been watching their every move in the hopes to enlist them in a top-secret agency called Transcendent, their lives are turned upside down.
Chapter books set in Asia for 5 to 14-year-olds
Another Parakeet subscriber favourite, we sent this in our January 2025 boxes.
It's a fun and thrilling adventure inspired by the animals of the lunar zodiac, highly illustrated throughout and the first in a new series that is perfect for newly independent readers.
All Miaow wants is to enjoy his peaceful, solitary life as a temple guardian catching mice. But when the Jade Emperor invites all creatures on Earth to compete in a Great Race, the reserved cat finds himself reluctantly entering - and worse, socialising!
We chose this fantastic debut novel for our Macaw subscribers back in June 2024. It's a thrilling mystery that sees the main character journey across contemporary India and is perfect for readers aged 12 and up.
When Lena’s beloved older brother goes missing at the end of summer camp, the bottom drops out of Lena's world. The police dismiss Kay-Kay’s disappearance as that of just another teenage runaway, but Lena knows they are wrong. Tired of not being listened to, powerless to reach her parents through their grief and unable to imagine a future without her brother in it, Lena sets off to find him.
This fantastic book - a hybrid of prose and manga - has been a consistent bestseller in our bookshop since publication in November 2023. It's aimed at readers aged 12 and up.
Abducted by spirits from his village, lost boy Akira must make the long journey in north Japan to find his family and save his young sister, before time runs out. Voyaging deeper and deeper into a Japan ‘between the worlds’, Akira and his companions encounter a host of yokai monsters and famous ghosts, discovering a sometimes comical and sometimes terrifying world of interlinked and ghostly short stories along the way.
Explore Oceania with these chapter books for 8 to 14-year-olds
Maya's life is about to be upended. After her dad's fishing boat is ravaged by a relentless storm, Maya's parents make the decision to start over-by moving to a tropical island in the Pacific. But making a change doesn't always make a difference.
Far from her friends and her quiet seaside home where she spent all her time surfing, Maya is swept away by a storm much larger than herself. As Maya begins to realise that paradise is not always what it seems, can she bring her family back home again?
We're huge fans of Ele's writing and were thrilled to feature a guest post from her on our blog all about the book and writing environmental fiction for kids.
We chose this powerful animal adventure set on New Zealand's North Island for our Macaw subscribers in April 2025.
Twelve-year-old Folly is angry and grieving for her mum. She isn't ready for Dad's plans for a new life in Auckland with his new girlfriend. So Folly runs away with the one friend who truly understands: her wise pony, Tooth. With her mother's ashes in her backpack, Folly sets off to the fabled Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand.
Travel across Europe with these illustrated chapter books for younger readers
This charming Parisian animal tale is translated from French and includes beautiful illustrations throughout.
At the hotel for cats, it's up to feline friends Bobine, Mulot, Carpette and Couscousse to make all the furry guests feel at home. But when they learn that George, a mischievous human, is coming to stay, they really have their work cut out for them! Can they avoid a cat-astrophe?
This hilarious full-colour graphic novel sees time travelling penguins Pablo and Splash head back to Ancient Rome. But when Pablo and Splash meet an emperor with a passion for collecting exotic birds, only some quick thinking - and emergency time travel - can save them from the fate that awaits them in the Colosseum.
Head to the poles with books set in the Arctic and Antarctica
This fantastic, slightly-magical adventure, was a hit with our Cockatoo subscribers in December 2024. We're excited to read the sequel, Maisie vs The Himalayas, to continue the adventure!
Maisie thinks her dad is the most boring person in the world. He writes cool-sounding books like How To Wrestle A Crocodile and How To Defuse A Bomb, but he's never actually done any of the awesome things he writes about. When childcare falls through and Dad has to take Maisie to Antarctica to research his next book, How To Survive In Antarctica, Maisie realises there is definitely something unusual about Dad...
This phenomenal follow-up to the multi-awarding winning The Last Bear is a wonderful animal adventure for readers aged 8 and up.
April Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But, over a year later, she can’t stop thinking about Bear. When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she’s convinced it’s her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers.
Explore North and South America with these brilliant reads for 5 to 14-year-olds
Travel across the USA with this canine detective in a puzzle-filled early chapter book for readers aged 5 and up.
Bones and Catson are visiting New York when the local police chief asks for their help. The city is being terrorised by a masked villain who is threatening the police with chaos if they don't solve his riddles. After thwarting a fiendish plot in Manhattan, Bones and Catson are hot on the heels of the mysterious criminal on an epic coast-to-coast chase across USA. Along the way, they take in Niagrowl Falls and scale the faces of the great dog presidents on Mount Ruffmore until the adventure concludes at the walls of Aldogtraz prison in San Francisco.
This wonderful coming-of-age story is told in a full-colour graphic novel for readers aged 12 and up.
Pedro Martin has grown up hearing stories about his abuelito―his legendary crime-fighting, grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution! But that doesn’t mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with their family. After all, Pedro has 8 brothers and sisters and the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home, and what follows is the trip of a lifetime, one filled with laughs and heartache.
This spine-chilling ghost story set in Jamaica was hit with our Macaw subscribers when we included it in our boxes back in November 2022. Steeped in Jamaican folklore it's seriously spooky and suitable for readers aged 12 and up.
After a shocking event leaves Tyrese struggling with grief, he’s taken to visit family in Jamaica. From the first night, strange things start happening: impossible visions, blackouts, swarms of insects… Tyrese can’t explain what’s going on and he’s scared that he’s losing his grip on reality. Then Tyrese is warned he’s being hunted by the mysterious Shadow Man. Tyrese and his friends set out on a gripping journey across the island to try and uncover the Shadow Man’s sinister history.
