As a young girl growing up in Paris, I would dream of floating across London’s rooftops in the company of a sooty Bert and Mary Poppins. Pan and his Tinker Bell would whisk me over to Big Ben in the blink of a sleepy eye, and for breakfast I would make marmalade sandwiches with Paddington Bear. I am sure kids all over the world dream of London, probably now more so in the company of Harry and his spellbinding witches and wizards. Here’s a taster of some smashingly good children’s books set in London, to be read with a good marmalade sandwich, washed down with Butterbeer, of course.
Children’s books set in London for older readers
1. My Name Is Victoria by Lucy Worsley
This right royal adventure is written by Lucy Worsley, TV presenter and joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces. It tells the story of a young girl, Miss V Conroy, who is sent to Kensington Palace to act as a playmate for the young Princess Victoria. Little does she know she is being groomed by her father to spy on the future Queen.
Recommended age: 9+ years
2. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
A Victorian whodunnit set in London’s murky underworld, our heroine is 16 year-old Sally Lockhart, who goes searching for clues to her father’s death. The Dickensian-style story takes us on a journey down London’s shadowy alleyways, its seedy boarding houses and smoky opium dens.
Recommended age: 12+ years
3. The Painted Dragon by Katherine Woodfine
Edwardian London. A priceless painting, on loan to the Sinclair department store from the King, is stolen. Sleuthing duo Sophie and Lil set out to uncover whodunit. This fast-paced historical novel is perfect for lovers of art.
Recommended age: 9-12 years
4. The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Siblings Ted and Kat watch their cousin Salim board the London Eye, but when it lands half an hour later, he is nowhere to be found. The police have no luck in finding Salim, so Ted and Kat launch their own investigation into what happened to their cousin, following a list of clues all over the city.
Recommended age: 9-11 years
5. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The tale of the girl from riches to rags, this classic is a must-read for all girls (of all ages). The book started its fictional life as a short story and then a play called A Little Un-fairy Princess. The princess in question sets sail from India with her wealthy father to one of London’s most prestigious boarding schools, only to become a destitute orphan. If you thought Cinderella’s stepsisters were a piece of work, they’re actually a piece of cake next to Miss Minchin.
6. Who Was Princess Diana?
Read the tale of the shy girl who married a prince and became the People’s Princess.
Recommended age: 8-12 years
Children’s books set in London for younger readers
7. Royal Rabbits of London by Santa and Simon Sebag Montefiore
Shylo Tawny-Tail is a country rabbit who stumbles across the diabolical Ratzis and overhears their evil plan to photograph the Queen in her nightie. In this fantastical adventure, Shylo sets off to London to enlist the help of the Royal Rabbits of London, who live in a warren under Buckingham Palace. Together, they must save the Queen from this dastardly plot. In the second instalment of these royally appointed bunnies, the Ratzis, from their perch high up in the Shard, are plotting against the President of the United States during his visit to London.
Recommended age: 7+ years
8. The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony
A sudden gust of wind sets off a marvellous London adventure for the Queen, the Queen’s men and one very special hat. Follow one determined, daredevil queen through the zoo, over Tower Bridge and up Big Ben… just where will that hat land?
9. Peppa Goes to London
Peppa finally makes it to London! Oink your way around the capital with the Queen, who takes Peppa and her friends on a magical bus tour of London.
Recommended age: 3-5 years
Dickens: no one does London better
10. Charles Dickens
Are there any Dickens books not set in London? OK, there are some, but as we all know, London was Dickens’s favourite backdrop, the greatest character of them all. I can’t name my favourites, but they are all must-reads: A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and Little Dorrit should all be on the list. It’s increasingly hard to get the young ones to engage with Dickens, especially as schools seem to encourage modern stories instead of the masters, and I do confess to getting very vexed about this!
One for the parents
It’s not set in London as such, but The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young is a literary cookbook stuffed full of essential recipes, such as Paddington’s marmalade, hunny and rosemary cake from Winnie the Pooh and seed cake from The Hobbit.
If you love books as much as I do, you might also like my guides to independent bookshops in London and London’s best café bookshops. An earlier version of this guide first appeared on Time Out.