We have a really great public library along with school provided Epic and Learning Ally subscriptions. My kids have been absolutely shredding through books lately. Suggest away! Here’s what they have both enjoyed within the last year or so:
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\- Artemis Fowl
\- The Cats of Tanglewood Forest
\- City of Ember
\- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
\- Dog Man
\- Dragon Masters
\- Dragons in a Bag
\- Harry Potter 1-4 (started getting too scary)
\- How to Train Your Dragon
\- Septimus Heap
\- The Wild Robot
\- Wings of Fire
\- Anything Choose Your Own Adventure
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I feel like I’ve been slacking with the youngest. She likes princesses, strong main female characters, girl power, etc. Her most recent favorite series along that line has been Dragon Girls.
The older kid also enjoys realistic fiction like the I Survived books, anything with animals (especially cats, dragons, and snakes), and anything with magic. The Warriors books and Percy Jackson are high on my list for her.
I like sci-fi, but I’m a bit stumped on age appropriate books beyond City of Ember and the Wild Robot.
by AdorableGreenRat
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The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede.
Non-fantasy: Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright.
Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys Books
Much Ado About Tombstone
From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Hank the Cow Dog series
Warrior Cats series
The Egypt Game
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators series
Rifles for Watie
The Penderwicks series
Ella Enchanted and really anything by Gail Carson Levine. I’ve read other ones of hers as an adult and they’re just so good!
Any of Cornelia Funke’s books, The Thief Lord, Dragonhaven, Inkheart.
Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo to scratch the Harry Potter itch.
Into the Land of the Unicorns by Bruce Coville
The Pyrdain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander and his other books as well.
The Lion boy trilogy by Zizou Corder
The Shamer’s Daughter series by Lene
Kaaberbol
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
The Spiderwick chronicles
Dragonback series by Timothy Zahn starts with Dragon and Thief.
The Five Ancestors series by Jeff Stone
The Poppy books by Avi are excellent for the animal protagonist category.
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
And then there’s the GOATS Tamora Pierce and Diana Wynne Jones!
Tammy’s Circle of Magic series is juvenile fiction the rest YA.
DWJ wrote a ton of books. Her chrestomanci series and Howl’s Moving Castle are good starting points.
The So You Want to be a Wizard series by Diane Duane
Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins
These are juvenile fiction, but might get too scary for the younger one if HP was? I don’t remember specifics, just that I was not surprised she wrote hunger games after this series. Both deal with the horrors/ aftermath on the psyche of war. It’s great though! Subterranean war with giant ants and cockroaches, (but you love the cockroaches!)
I heard good things about the Fablehaven series, never read them though.
Also if your older one likes realistic stuff the Dear America books are excellent! They also did a series The Royal Diaries I think, with princesses from around the world.
The Borrowers series is good too!
Historical Fiction
Rosemary Sutcliff wrote a ton
Matilda Bone and Catherine called Birdy by Karen Cushman (loved these when I was a kid)
The Edge on the Sword and Far Traveler by Rebecca Tingle
Comics- the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
Mouseguard by David Peterson
Princeless series by Jeremy Whitley
Am trying not to repeat here but there are so many great recs!
For sci fi, check out Jenni Holm, Kevin Emerson, John David Anderson’s Homebound, Will Alexander’s Ambassador.
Squirrel Girl and Lumberjanes comics
Tea Dragon Society, Giants Beware, Zita the Space Girl, Cleopatra in Space, City of Dragons, Nightlights
Amari and the Night Brothers, any of Sayantani DasGupta’s middle grade, Ellen Potter’s fantasies, The Marvellers, Witchlings, Robin McKinleys books, The Jumbies series, anything by Jessica Day George, Eva Evergreen, The Dragon Egg Princess, Princess Academy
For the younger one specifically: Maybe Kingdom of Wrenly? Christina Soontornvat has a couple series with Scholastic (Diary of an Ice Princess maybe?) Upside Down Magic, Spiderwick Chronicles
Also check out the website A Mighty Girl which will give you lots of great recs
My kids just turned 9 & 11 (3rd/5th grades)
They are currently burning through all of the Goosebumps books right now and have requested I get them all the sequels to Bunnicula, which they read last year. Tis the season.
A new Wild Robot book just came out on Tuesday – *The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot, 3.)* My kids are anxiously awaiting our copy.
Have they read any Gordon Korman books? Both of mine love those and my 5th grader is delighted his teacher started reading them The Unteachables this week.
They both loved Holes, but have been hit or miss with Sachar’s other books (which I personally think are great.)
If you do read aloud and want to do sci fi, we all had a great time reading Jurassic Park last spring.
Happy reading to them!
Nevermoor is a pretty great series, esp for your youngest!
I also liked the Stardust series by Linda Chapman – most of Linda Chapman’s books are geared towards girls that age.
For sci fi, I liked Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow as a kid. Maybe The Giver, although 9 might be too young for it?
Other series I enjoyed at that age: Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan, Mysterious Benedict Society, Young Samurai.
Enders Game for the 12 year old.
Impossible creatures by Katherine Rundell is getting rave reviews
The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. _The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie_ is the first title.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott Odell
The Percy Jackson series could be fun to book club as a family. I love to read those books as an adult
Anne of Green Gables I read at 12
The giver
Ranger in Time series, about a dog who travels in time. My third graders loved those books. The Giver series for your older child. Caddie Woodlawn (kind of like Little House series, but only one book). Miss Osborne-the-Mop (older book you might have to get from the library). Bridge to Terabithia. Half Magic by Edward Eager about a girl whose wish to be magical is granted, but she can only make half her wishes come true. Any of E. D. Baker’s books (princesses, fairy tales, magic).
Thanks for making this post! We’re always looking for cool new books!
My kiddo is 9 and really liked Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. I don’t think I saw it recommended yet.
She’s been really into the Warriors series lately.
I read Harry Potter 1-7 for the first time between the ages of 6-11, as most kids my age did when the books where coming out.
Books by Jonathan Stroud
Piercy jackson
The Boxcar Children!
the lunar chronicles! i was so obsessed with it in middle school
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Dive, Everest, or Island series’ by Gordan Korman
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket