Scholastic is one of the most recognised names in children’s books and educational publishing in the world. Founded in 1920 and responsible for bringing series like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Goosebumps to young readers, Scholastic has a rare ability to publish books that children genuinely want to read – while keeping curriculum relevance at the core of everything they do.
Their UK shop offers an impressive range of curated book collections, reading spines and thematic sets that align directly with the National Curriculum from EYFS through to KS4. Many are available at significantly below RRP, making them excellent value for parents looking for meaningful, lasting gifts. Here are the Scholastic collections we recommend on CurriculumGifts.
Scholastic Reading Spine Year 1 – 8 Book Set – £55.20
Best for: KS1 – Year 1 readers (ages 5-6)
Eight books hand-picked for Year 1, including Zog, Ruby’s Worry, The Day the Crayons Quit, The Proudest Blue and We Sang Across the Sea. Each title is chosen to build reading confidence, encourage conversation about stories and introduce children to diverse perspectives and experiences. Comes with supportive teacher’s notes to help parents get the most from each book.
A brilliant birthday or Christmas gift for a child in Year 1 – the kind of set that stays on the shelf for years.
Scholastic Reading Spine Year 4 – 8 Book Set – £54.30
Best for: KS2 – Year 4 readers (ages 8-9)
Eight brilliant books for Year 4, including The Boy at the Back of the Class, The Land of Roar, Cosmic, The Highland Falcon Thief and Finding Bear. A rich mix of adventure, humour and contemporary fiction chosen to build reading stamina and vocabulary in upper KS2. Each book comes with supportive notes for parents and teachers to extend the reading experience.
An ideal gift for a Year 4 child who loves reading – or one who needs a little encouragement to get started.
Scholastic Reading Spine Year 5 – 8 Book Set – £56.20
Best for: KS2 – Year 5 readers (ages 9-10)
Eight carefully chosen titles for Year 5, including Who Let the Gods Out?, Can You See Me?, Impossible Creatures, When the Sky Falls and Diary of a Future Billionaire. The collection spans mythology, adventure, fantasy and contemporary realism – building breadth of reading alongside comprehension and critical thinking skills. Comes with teacher’s notes to support book talk at home.
A fantastic reading gift for a Year 5 child, covering some of the most loved children’s books of the last decade.
Scholastic Reading Spine Year 6 – 8 Book Set – £54.90
Best for: KS2 – Year 6 readers (ages 10-11)
Eight powerful titles chosen to challenge and inspire Year 6 readers in their final primary year, including Northern Lights, The Nowhere Emporium, The Goldfish Boy, Safiyyah’s War and The First Year. The collection includes both modern classics and contemporary fiction that prepares children emotionally and linguistically for secondary school. One of the strongest Scholastic Reading Spine sets available.
The Shakespeare Stories Box Set – 16 Book Collection – £39.90
Best for: KS2 / KS3 – ages 9-13
Sixteen Shakespeare plays retold as funny, accessible short stories with illustrations by Tony Ross. Faithful to the original plots but written for young readers who might otherwise find the Bard impenetrable, this slip-cased boxed set is the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for primary and early secondary students. Ideal for children starting to encounter Shakespeare in English – and a beautiful gift that lasts.
Saving nearly £40 on the RRP, this is exceptional value for a set of this quality. A top pick for KS2 and KS3 English gifts.
Ancient Myths Box Set – 16 Book Collection – £39.90
Best for: KS2 – ages 7-9 | History and English
Sixteen Greek and Roman mythology retellings by double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean, with illustrations by Tony Ross. Featuring classics like Jason and the Golden Fleece, Theseus and the Minotaur and The Twelve Labours of Heracles, this beautifully boxed collection brings ancient myths to life in a way that supports both KS2 History (Ancient Greeks) and English (Myths and Legends). Half price on the RRP.
A brilliant gift for any child who loves Percy Jackson or Greek mythology – and a natural follow-up to the Hopeless Heroes series below.
Deluxe Hunger Games Collection – 4 Book Set – £51.99
Best for: KS3 / KS4 – ages 13+ | English and PSHE
All four books in Suzanne Collins’s internationally bestselling Hunger Games series in a stunning deluxe hardcover box set with brand new artwork by Freya Betts. Includes the original trilogy – The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay – plus The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. One of the most searched-for book sets in the UK, and genuinely one of the best gifts for a teenage reader. The themes of power, rebellion, identity and survival connect directly to KS3 and KS4 English Literature and PSHE.
Also in our Scholastic range
We also carry several more Scholastic collections across different stages and themes:
- Scholastic Reception 5 Picture Book Set – £34.95 – Five picture book favourites for EYFS and early KS1
- Hopeless Heroes: The Greek God 10 Book Collection – £19.99 – Ten time-travel mythology adventures for ages 7-8, saving over £49 on RRP
- Christie and Agatha’s Detective Agency – 5 Book Collection – £19.99 – Historical mystery fiction set in the 1920s for KS2
- Striders Phonics Readers Collection 1 – £30.99 – Dyslexia-friendly decodable books for reluctant readers aged 7+
- KS2 Understanding Neurodiversity Collection – £46.99 – Ten fiction titles exploring neurodiversity for ages 7-11
- KS3 and KS4 Books about Grief and Loss – £28.99 – Five powerful novels including A Monster Calls for ages 13+
Why Scholastic?
Scholastic’s great strength as a publisher is the breadth of what they offer. They can do picture books for Reception children and dystopian fiction for GCSE students, Greek mythology and Shakespeare retellings, phonics readers for reluctant learners and challenging literary fiction for Year 6. And they do all of it at a quality level that justifies the price – and often at a significant discount on RRP.
For parents looking for educational gifts that children will actually read, Scholastic collections are among the safest and most curriculum-relevant choices available in the UK.