29 Sep Monthly Book Spotlight: ‘Your Next Read Gold’ – the next step for young readers
For children ready to move beyond beginner chapter books, the new Your Next Read Gold series offers longer stories, more challenging language and plenty of humour, mystery and adventure.
The Your Next Read Gold series, from Affirm Press, is designed for emerging independent readers aged around seven to nine, building on the earlier Silver series for ages five to eight.
Both series have been created to make choosing — and reading — a book feel manageable. Easy-to-recognise icons show children the themes they can expect, including friendship, sport, mystery, humour and science fiction. Clear chapter divisions and illustrations throughout also help break the stories into approachable chunks.
The Gold books take young readers a step further. At 144 pages, compared with 112 pages for Silver, they have eight to ten chapters, more complex storylines and slightly more demanding language while still providing plenty of visual support.
Harry has a secret
Harry’s Secret, written by Anita Heiss and illustrated by Jade Goodwin, is a lovely example of what the series is trying to achieve.
Harry lives in Cowra in country NSW, where his friends spend their spare time skateboarding, swimming, fishing and hanging out together.
But Harry has a secret: he loves to draw.
He keeps a pencil tucked behind his ear and a small notebook hidden away so he can sketch faces whenever he gets the chance. The problem is that some of his friends think art isn’t cool, and Harry isn’t quite brave enough to admit how much it matters to him.
When a local portrait competition is announced, Harry secretly enters a drawing under the initials “HB”. Suddenly, keeping his talent hidden becomes a little more complicated.
It is an engaging story about friendship, peer pressure, creativity and having the confidence to be yourself — substantial enough to feel like a “real” chapter book while remaining accessible to a child finding their feet as an independent reader.
The first Gold books also range from intergalactic adventures in Escape From Planet Milkshake to The Guinea Fowl Mystery and Gabi Makes Room, giving children very different stories to choose from.
For parents, teachers and librarians looking for books that bridge the gap between beginner readers and longer junior fiction, Your Next Read Gold looks like a useful next step — and one young readers may happily gobble up.
Your Next Read Gold
Various authors and illustrators. Current titles include:
Harry’s Secret, Anita Hess & Jane Godwin
Escape From Planet Milkshake, Kate & Jol Temple, Briony Stewart
The Guinea Fowl Mystery, Amelia Mellor & Jess Racklyeft
Gabi Makes Room, Jane Godwin & Sara Acton
| Ages 7–9 | publisher Affirm Press | RRP $14.99
