Kiwi youngsters are reading more than ever before – and they prefer diving into a physical copy of Harry Potter or The BFG, to ebooks.

The latest Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 books is out today, and comes as the chain says it's seeing "a very significant" jump in sales of children and teen books.

"This upswing is reflected in book markets around the world, who are reporting strong increases in kids' book sales," Whitcoulls head Book Buyer Joan Mackenzie said.

"Our own experience is that kids are reading more than ever before, and rather than reading digitally - which is what you might expect from the younger generations - they want real books."

While making no claims to be an expert in the matter, Mackenzie said she suspected kids now spent so much time on digital devices, they appreciated spending time with something else.

"My own child said to me years ago that there is absolutely no satisfaction in reading a book electronically, because you don't see the heft of what you have just managed to read.

"If a kid reads a 200 to 300 page book that's a really big achievement. But if you read electronically you don't see that.

"And also you don't see the cover every time you go to your book. You don't pick it up and instantly relate to the thing you are reading."

As for the books they are consuming, the Harry Potter series is back in number one spot in the Kids Top 50 list, followed by Roald Dahl's BFG and local favourite Hairy Maclary and Friends.

Newcomers include the Tom Gates and Skulduggery Pleasant series, while Enid Blyton classics The Magic Faraway Tree and the Famous Five have made comebacks.

Mackenzie suspected parents had a strong influence on their children's reading choices.

"I think most parents who are readers and want their kids to be readers try to pass onto them things they loved when they were younger."

She said Roald Dahl's books were the type of bestsellers which had been past on from generation to generation.

"So are things like Dr. Seuss. Parents buy those books because they know them. But Enid Blyton is also going strong, which I think is amazing after all these years."

Mackenzie said sometimes young readers also liked something that was just "a little bit rude", pointing to the list's inclusion of the likes of the Captain Underpants series and the title I Need a New Bum.

"There are certain triggers that work for young readers that really captivate them."

The top 10:

Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Hairy Maclary and Friends by Lynley Dodd

The Treehouse Series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney

Gangsta Granny by David Walliams

Wonder by R J Palacio

Geronimo and Thea Stilton Series

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler