22 Chapter Books I Read with My Kids in 2025
Looking for good chapter books to read with your kids? Here’s our 2025 family reading list, complete with our reviews and recommendations to inspire your family’s next literary adventure.
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As my boys get older, it’s getting harder to fit in reading time every night since they have more activities going on in the evenings, but it’s still an important part of our family culture. Reading with my kids is one of my favorite parts of motherhood, so I’m going to keep doing it as long as they keep letting me.
This year, we leaned heavily into audiobooks (to take advantage of the many hours we spent in the car), but I also read aloud several books at home. By the end of the year, we’d worked our way through over 20 chapter books together!
Want ideas to help you fit in more reading time with your kids? Check out this post.
Some of the books we read this year were incredible, some were really weird, and a few led to some really powerful conversations with my kids.
Below you’ll find our 2025 family reading list, along with a quick review of each book. I hope it gives you ideas for your own read-aloud plans for the coming year. Enjoy!
Chapter Books I Read with My Kids in 2025
Frozen Stiff by Sherry Shahan
This was our first read aloud of the year, and it was a solid choice. It’s a fun, fast-paced survival story about two teens who get stranded in the Alaskan wilderness during a kayaking trip. The adventure kept my kids engaged, exciting enough to hold their attention without ever getting too intense.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
One of my absolute favorite books of the year—and the kids loved it too. It follows a middle schooler with a complicated past who unexpectedly (sort of accidentally?) joins a competitive track team when the coach realizes his incredible natural talent. The writing in this one is top notch, and the author does a fabulous job of balancing serious, thought-provoking topics with regular doses of humor from characters that make you wish they were real.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
I actually listened to this one on my own first, and as soon as I finished it, I knew my kids needed to hear it too. The dual narrative goes back and forth between Salva, a young boy fleeing war in 1985 southern Sudan, and Nya, a girl who (years later) spends hours each day walking to fetch water in the same region. The audiobook is so well done, and it reminded me to be grateful for all the things–like water–that I take for granted every day.
The Secret School by Avi
We read this one for Battle of the Books, and I loved it more than I expected to. It’s an old-timey story with a spunky, determined girl who secretly becomes the teacher of her school so she can keep it open and pursue her own education. It’s a light-hearted read with lots of funny situations that left my kids giggling next to me as we read.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
This was Barnes & Noble’s YA Book of the Year last year, and we picked it up over winter break. It is beautifully written—an epic fantasy with hilarious, lovable characters that genuinely feel like friends by the end. I rarely buy books (we’re loyal library users), but as soon as I saw the sequel was coming out, you better believe I immediately preordered it. This one was a favorite of all three of my boys.
The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell
I think I loved the sequel even more than the first book, which is saying something. Both books touch on some heavier topics, especially the second one, but the author balances out the heavy with plenty of comic relief. My boys are obsessed with Ratwin the (ridiculous) Ratatoska and Jacques, the tiny (and slightly narcissistic) dragon. Highly recommend.
The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling
This unique survival story is written in free verse poetry and follows a girl and her father who are caught in a flash flood that rips through a slot canyon. It was intense and dramatic, but also brought up some really interesting conversations about perseverance and grit.
Book Scavenger Series by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
My mom bought these for us, and we loved them. It’s a mystery with a treasure hunt element, perfect for fans of Mr. Lemoncello‘s Library and The Mysterious Benedict Society. The first book was my favorite, but the others were definitely worth reading too. Fun fact: Because of this book, my kids now refer to anyone’s hair sticking up as a “Steve”.
Mr. Lemoncello’s Fantabulous Finale by Chris Grabenstein
We’re longtime Mr. Lemoncello fans, so of course we had to buy the finale when we saw it at the bookstore this summer. It was a satisfying (even if somewhat predictable) ending to a series I love and recommend all the time. If you haven’t read these yet, you absolutely should.
Moo by Sharon Creech
Sharon Creech is a master storyteller, and is one of the few people who I think could pull off a free verse poetry novel about two kids who unwillingly “volunteer” to befried an old lady and her stubborn cow named Zora. It’s sweet, funny, and unexpectedly emotional. I may have teared up at the end. Also: my youngest now owns a purple cow Squishmallow named Zora.
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin
We listened to this on our family road trip to San Diego. It started a little slow, but once it picked up, we were hooked. When we finally reached our hotel after ten hours in the car, my kids didn’t want to get out because they needed to know what happened next! This one was a “Top Three” pick for everybody in our family!
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
I’m just going to say it: I didn’t love this book. Something about the characters and the overall message didn’t sit right with me. It just all felt very…negative. Plus, the ending was completely weird and (for us) unsatisfying. We listened to it on the drive home from San Diego, and I was honestly glad when it was over.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
I didn’t realize until halfway through that this Newbery Award-winning book was based on a real person, Nat Bowditch, whose work revolutionized navigation and is still used on U.S. Navy ships today. It isn’t always a happy story (this guy had some serious obsacles in life), but it was fascinating and inspiring to learn his story.
Gregor the Overlander Series by Suzanne Collins
Long before The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins wrote this wildly imaginative series about a boy who discovers a hidden underground world full of giant bats, rats, and bugs. It’s admittedly a weird premise, but somehow it works. My boys especially loved the character of Gregor’s toddler sister, Boots, who is the source of much comic relief in this epic hero’s journey.
The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
This nonfiction book tells the unbelievable true story of the Mona Lisa being stolen from the Louvre in 1911—and the fact that no one noticed for over a day! The narrative also flashes back to the 15th century, exploring Leonardo da Vinci’s eccentricities and the painting’s long history. It was a bit denser than I expected (there are a lot of names to keep track of), but the writing is witty, and we were all completely fascinated.
Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood
I didn’t intend for this to be “the year of free verse poetry novels”, but by the time we’d read our third one, I realized it was becoming a theme. But they were all so good! This one tells the true story of 13-year-old Ken Sparks, who survived the sinking of the SS City of Benares during WWII and endured eight harrowing days in a lifeboat. None of us had heard this story before, and we were completely absorbed.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
It’s a classic, and there are things I genuinely love about it—but it’s also very weird. Proceed with caution and be prepared for lots of deep questions about physics, metaphysics, and other things you probably don’t know the answer to.
Glitch by Stuart Gibbs
As long as you don’t think too hard about the mechanics of time travel, this book is pure fun. The story follows two rival “Glitchers” who must work together after discovering a letter from the future warning of a looming disaster. It’s fast-paced, funny, full of twists, and it was a huge hit in our house—especially with my 13-year-old, who named it his favorite book of the year.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I’ve been wanting to read this book to my kids for several years, and I finally decided they were old enough to truly appreciate it. Wonder tells the story of Auggie, a boy born with a facial difference, as he navigates attending school for the first time. This book deserves every bit of the praise it’s received over the years; it’s thoughtful, compassionate, and deeply moving. I really, really love it. Now we just need to watch the movie!
And the winner is…
Just for fun, I asked each of my boys to pick their top three favorite books from the year, and here’s what they said:
Will (13): Glitch, The Bletchly Riddle, and Ghost (Not surprising as all these books are aimed more at slightly older kids like him).
Logan (11): The Bletchly Riddle, Impossible Creatures, Book Scavenger
Max (8): Impossible Creatures, Book Scavenger, The Bletchly Riddle
I was a little surprised that my younger two picked all the same books even though they didn’t know what the other person was choosing. But also…not that surprised, because we all loved those books so much.
My favorites: The Bletchly Riddle, Moo, The Mona Lisa Vanishes
The Bletchly Riddle made it on everyone’s top three, so I guess that’s our winner!
Overall it was a great year of reading!
Honestly, even the books that weren’t our top picks were mostly really enjoyable and I’d totally recommend them (except for The Thief Lord). I felt like we had a good balance of different types of books (historical, fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, poetry, realistic fiction, etc.) which made it a really well-rounded, enjoyable year.
Now the question is… what do we read next?
What books did YOU read this year? Tell me your favorites in the comments!
