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Connection First
A bilingual podcast to inspire parents to connect more deeply, and more intentionally, with their children.
Each episode is available in both English and Español.
Fabi is on a mission to help parents build connection-based relationships with their kids. She believes that by nurturing our own emotional well-being, we can become the parents we truly want to be—present, grounded, and attuned to our children’s needs.
An immigrant mother from Venezuela, Fabi has spent the last 15 years living between Sydney and London. She’s a writer, podcaster, and passionate advocate for Conscious Parenting, with a special interest in how screen use affects children and family life.
Connect with Fabi on Instagram @connection_first
Or reach out via email at connectionfirst@fabianacoll.com
Connection First
#33 The Best Kids’ Books, According to My 11-Year-Old
It’s World Book Week in Australia, and in this super special episode my 11-year-old joins me to share his all-time favourite books, the ones that made him fall in love with reading from age 5 to now!
If you’re looking for book recommendations for kids, this list is packed with funny, adventurous, and unputdownable stories perfect for ages 8–12 (and younger readers too!). From Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid to Wings of Fire, Percy Jackson, and The Storm Runner, these are the books kids can’t get enough of.
I actually have a list of tips and ideas for helping kids fall in love with reading which so many parents have downloaded it and found it super helpful! You can grab it here.
And here’s the full list of books we talked about — in the order he read them:
- Zac Power — H.I. Larry
- The 13-Storey Treehouse series — Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
- Dog Man — Dav Pilkey
- Pow Pow Pig — Anh Do
- Squidge Dibley — Mick Elliott
- Diary of a Minecraft Creeper — Zack Zombie
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (The Meltdown is his favourite) — Jeff Kinney
- Funny Kid — Matt Stanton
- Wings of Fire — Tui T. Sutherland
- I Survived series — Lauren Tarshis
- Books by David Walliams (Super Sleuth is his favourite)
- The Kindness Project — Tanya Curran
- The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities — Rick Riordan Presents anthology
- The Odd 1s Out — James Rallison
- The Wild Robot — Peter Brown
- Skulduggery Pleasant — Derek Landy
- Percy Jackson series — Rick Riordan
- The Storm Runner series — J.C. Cervantes (his absolute favourite!)
Whether you’re a parent hoping to raise a reader, a teacher looking for fresh ideas, or simply want to discover the best kids’ books and series, this episode is full of inspiration to get your child excited about reading.
Keywords: kids book recommendations, best books for kids, children’s booklist, World Book Week, books for 8–12 year olds, middle grade books, funny books for kids, adventure books for kids, books to get kids reading, raising readers, top kids books 2025, book recommendations by kids, family reading habits, how to get kids into reading, read aloud chapter books, must-read series for kids, Dog Man series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Wings of Fire series, Percy Jackson series, The Wild Robot, Skulduggery Pleasant, The Storm Runner series, Minecraft books for kids, David Walliams books
connectionfirst@fabianacoll.com
@connection_first