Best Books for 9, 10, 11 and 12 Year Olds: Novels Kids Cannot Put Down
Novels for older children: survival, school and family stories, fantasy worlds and modern classics. Every book here is in the Tori catalog, and each line says why it fits.
Calm, cozy and heartfelt reads
2012WonderR. J. Palacio
Children’s Books · HopefulA boy with a facial difference starts fifth grade at a regular school.
2000Because of Winn-DixieKate DiCamilloChildren’s Books · WarmA girl and a stray dog she finds in a grocery store make a town full of friends.
1989Number the StarsLois LowryChildren’s Books · ThoughtfulIn Copenhagen in 1943, ten-year-old Annemarie helps her Jewish friend escape the Nazis.
2016The Wild RobotPeter BrownChildren’s Books · HopefulA robot washes ashore on a wild island and must learn to survive among the animals.
2010SmileRaina TelgemeierChildren’s Books · WarmAfter an accident, Raina gets braces and navigates middle school and friends.
2012The One and Only IvanKatherine ApplegateChildren’s Books · HopefulA gorilla in a mall zoo paints and promises to save a baby elephant.
2016Wolf HollowLauren WolkChildren’s Books · ThoughtfulIn 1943 Pennsylvania, a girl stands up to a bully and protects a quiet stranger.
1978Sideways Stories from Wayside SchoolLouis SacharChildren’s Books · LightA school was built sideways with thirty classrooms stacked one on top of another.
2002HootCarl HiaasenChildren’s Books · LightA new kid in Florida discovers a mystery involving burrowing owls and a pancake house.
Adventures, discoveries and big ideas
1986HatchetGary PaulsenChildren’s Books · TenseAfter a plane crash, a thirteen-year-old must survive alone in the Canadian wilderness.
- 2012Wings of Fire: The Dragonet ProphecyTui T. SutherlandChildren’s Books · Epic
Five young dragons are raised in a cave to end a war.
- 1960Island of the Blue DolphinsScott O’DellChildren’s Books · Thoughtful
A young girl survives alone for years on an island off California.
2018Front DeskKelly YangChildren’s Books · HopefulA ten-year-old girl runs the front desk of a motel and dreams of being a writer.
2000Esperanza RisingPam Munoz RyanChildren’s Books · HopefulA rich girl from Mexico must work in a California labor camp after her father dies.
1990Maniac MageeJerry SpinelliChildren’s Books · HopefulAn orphan boy with legendary speed runs between two divided neighborhoods.
Classics and big series
- 1997Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s StoneJ. K. Rowling
Fantasy · WarmAn orphan learns he is a wizard and starts at Hogwarts.
1964Charlie and the Chocolate FactoryRoald DahlFantasy · LightA poor boy wins a golden ticket to see inside a candy factory.
1977Bridge to TerabithiaKatherine Paterson
Young Adult · MelancholicTwo children invent a kingdom in the woods.
1950The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeC. S. LewisFantasy · WarmFour children step through a wardrobe into a snowy land.
1962A Wrinkle in TimeMadeleine L’EngleScience Fiction · WarmA girl travels through space to rescue her father.
