Best Children’s Books Set in London

Are you looking for the best children’s books set in London? Well you have come to the right place! Not only am I a Londoner but I have also worked in a bookshop and write children’s books so I am a triple threat when in comes to selecting children’s books about London. In this guide I will round up all the best books set in London for kids from picture books for toddlers and preschoolers to gritty books for teens to help them get acquainted with the city. 

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Best Children’s Books Set in London

Best Children’s Books Set in London

But before we get started on what we think are the best children’s books set in London we wanted to draw your attention to our other London kids posts. We not only have age specific London travel guides but also family itineraries that will really help you enjoy your trip to London no matter the ages in your family. 

• London with a baby
• London with a toddler
• Best Things to do in London with kids
• London Itinerary with kids
• Day Trips from London with Kids 
• Best London Museums for Toddlers
• Best Free things To do in London with kids

To name just a few. 

So now let us get onto the books which we have handily split up into reading ages to help you navigate the best books for your littles. 

Picture Books set in London for PreSchoolers

Maisy Goes to London

What preschooler doesn’t love Maisy the mouse! Maisy the Mouse is a classic British Picture Book written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins.

In this adventure Maisy heads to London and sees many of the sites that you will visit on your trip to London. This is the perfect way to get littles excited about visiting the Capital!

If you are travelling to London with toddlers then this might be the best children’s books set in London for their age!   

Charlie and Lola We Must Completely Go To London

If you aren’t British then you may not be familiar with cheeky siblings Charlie and Lola. Charlie and Lola are on British TV Channel Cbeebies but are a book series too.

In this series the sibling duo head to London in this fun for an adventure in the Capital.  This is another great book for preschoolers especially for those that are familiar with the TV Series!

Click here to purchase this book.

The London Noisy Book – one of the best Childrens books about London

If your little is like mine, then they love a book that makes noises,

This book is a great button pressing book all about the sights and sounds you’ll hear on a trip to London – but if you are taking a flight might be worth not keeping this in your hand luggage for your sanity’s sake rather than annoying all the passengers around you. 

This is one of the best books about London especially to learn about the sights and sounds of the city! 

Katie In London  by James Mayhew

This book is unbelievably sweet and a great introduction through to London by following Katie’s adventure in the city with a lion from Trafalgar Square!

A Walk in London

In this book a mother and daughter take a day trip to explore the city together. Having explored the city many times with my little I love this quaint little book!

This is London – one of the best children’s books about London

This is a classic in the London children’s book realm.

First published din 1959 this book has been updated recently to make sure it remains relevant and is still one of the best children’s books about London! This jaunt through the city highlights all of the main attractions your little one can expect to see.

You will often find this book in many of the shops at London museums it is such an icon. 

Best Children’s Books Set in London for 4-8 year olds

Madeline in London

Ok, hear me out. I know when the literary heroine Madeline springs to mind you think of the French Capital rather than the British but this book is the exception.

In this book Madeline leaves Paris and heads to London to see the queen. 

Note: if you plan to watch the changing Of the guard be sure to check out this guide for the best places and tips. 

The Queen and Mrs Brown Day for Dinosaur – one of the best books about London for kids

We are huge fans in the Wandermust Family household of the children book publishing department of the Natural History Museum and they create some of the best books about London for kids!

We are avid collectors of the Dinosaur Series but that isn’t the only book series they do.

This book sees the Queen set off on a visit to the Natural History Museum to visit the dinosaurs. As the Natural History Museum is a must for anyone visiting London with kids this book must be purchased before your visit to London. 

Paddington

If there is one children’s character I associate with London it is the beloved Paddington Bear. And since the death of the Queen in 2022, Paddington has become even more strongly associated with the capital as Paddington bears were left all of the city in tribute to her Majesty.

This series of nighttime stories will have your children dreaming of a trip to London

Best Kids Books Set in London for 8-12s

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dawd

I love a mystery book and thing the 8-12 range is the perfect time to introduce mysteries to kids.  

The London Eye Mystery is a great starter mystery set against the backdrop of London! Ted and Kat watch as their cousin Salim sets off on a rotation of the London Eye but never comes back.

They set on a mission across London to find out what happened!

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by J K Rowling

The Philosophers Stone is the first in the most popular children’s book series of all time and many Harry Potter fans will come to London to see some of the places from the books and film.  

For instance you can visit s the London Zoo, Millennium Bridge and of course head to King Cross and have a photo taken as you try and enter platform nine and three quarters. 

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is a great book to introduce your kids to London with. 

The Big Ben Mystery by Carol Marshs

This book features on the Around the World in 80 Mysteries series! The mystery is solved as the characters visit The Tower of London, Bug Ben and more of the big London attractions! A great book for those planning to hit London’s biggest sites!

Goodnight Mister Tom

This book holds a very special place in my heart as the first book to make me cry as I read it as an 11 year old.  

The book contains sensitive themes so is most suitable for the upper end of this age range.

The book tells the story of Willie who is evacuated and sent back to his London home and his relationship with his evacuee father Mister Tom. A great read to understand about life in London during the Second World War. 

Best Kids Books Set in London for Teenagers

The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer

In this book, the characters are playing with a time travel machine when they are transported back to 18th Century London!  A great book filled with historical details that brings London in the 18th Century to life! This book is part one in  a series of three!

Rivers of London by Peter Aaronvitch

Rivers of London is about police officer Peter Grant as he is recruited to the paranormal department of the Met Police after a chance encounter with a ghost and trains as an apprentice wizard. London and its history is a character in itself in this book and is a particularly good read for those planning on spending a lot of time in the Covent Garden area. 

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Bone Season is a nine part series currently in progress! The book starts in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden, one of my favorite places to explore with teenagers! The action is split between Oxford and London and is sure to hook your teenager from the first page!

Want to visit the Covent Garden and Seven Dials area? – Check out this post! 

The City’s Son by Tom Pollock

This young adult fantasy novel sees a young girl Beth, a graffiti artist discovering a hidden London! The first in the Skyscraper Throne trilogy!

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

A young man Richard discovers a hidden London, known as London below where he encounters the Angel of Islington and the Black friar as he tries to unfold mysterious events occurring in London Below.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

The second part in the Mrs Pettigrews Home for Peculiar Children series! The action moves away from Wales as the children head to London to find their teacher!

What are your favorite books for kids set in London?