Best reference books for Science beyond NCERT?

Hi, for my daughter, we rely heavily on Lakhmir Singh and Manjit Kaur for Physics and Chemistry. The language is very simple and the numericals at the back are quite similar to what comes in the exams, so it gives them that extra confidence. Just make sure they finish the NCERT exercises first, because sometimes kids get confused if they jump to reference books too early.

Honestly, don't overcomplicate it! NCERT is enough if you do the Exemplar problems thoroughly. Most toppers in our school just focus on those instead of piling up multiple reference books. Is your child in middle school or high school?

Try S. Chand publications, they are quite standard in most schools here. My son is in Grade 9 and he finds the practice questions very helpful for his term tests. Are you looking for books for a specific grade level?

Honestly, instead of buying too many books, I suggest you try the Foundation books by Pearson. They are excellent for concept clarity if your child is planning to aim for competitive exams like NEET or JEE later on. My elder one used these, and it really helped build a strong base for higher classes.

I strongly suggest S. Chand publications for Chemistry. It explains the reactions much better than NCERT. My son found it very useful for clearing his doubts during lockdown.

Hi, for Science, I have seen that Lakhmir Singh and Manjit Kaur are absolute gold standards for grades 8 to 10. My daughter used them for Physics and Chemistry, and it really helped her grasp the trickier concepts before her boards. It’s very descriptive compared to the dry NCERT text.

We follow a mix. My son uses Evergreen for extra practice questions because the question bank is huge. It really helps during exam time when you need that extra revision. Does anyone know if there are any good online platforms for these extra problems?

If you want something for conceptual depth, try the Pearson IIT Foundation series. It’s quite advanced, but if your child is interested in Science Olympiads or future engineering prep, it is a game changer. Just make sure they don't get discouraged, as the difficulty level is much higher than what's taught in class.