Great Books for 'Tweens

Sometimes finding books for kids between the ages of 10 and 12 can be a challenge. Some reluctant readers have to be forced to read (and act like you are making them clean a septic tank) while some devour books and demand more, challenging books, which then makes you nervous about content. Here are my best suggestions for 'tweens.

(All images from Amazon)

The Chronicles of Narnia Box set, available here

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis might be the perfect set for this age group. Magic, other lands, talking animals, with battles and challenges to face at every turn. The vocabulary, in my opinion, is just right for this age group, a few words to challenge them but exciting enough to keep reading through. 

The Rescuers, Available here.

2. The Rescuers series by Margery Sharp is a delightful blend of fantasy and practicality. On one hand, you have mice that talk and rescue prisoners from all sorts of terrible situations, but the matter-of-fact way they go about it is both humorous and inspiring. Miss Bianca in the Orient is my favorite, but you will want to buy all the books in the set because you can't just read one.

The Borrowers is available here

3. The Borrowers by Mary Norton. What happens to all the little things... paper clips, safety pins, socks... that just seem to disappear? Mary Norton had a theory, and she built on underworld filled with tiny people to explain it. Kids will love this series about the Clock family and their adventures through a world of giants.

Gregor the Overlander Series, available here

4. Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins. Before there was Hunger Games, there was Gregor. Collins intended this series for a younger set of readers, so they aren't quite as intense as her dystopian trilogy, but they are every bit as well-written and exciting. Gregor follows his sister through a laundry door down into a secret kingdom underground. 

 

The Amazing Adventures of Toby the Trilby, available here.

5. The Amazing Adventures of Toby the Trilby, by Angela Castillo (yours truly). He was born underground, at the edge of the world’s destruction. Twelve years old, Toby has never seen the sun. Created by six scientists who accidentally gave him cat ears (and a tail), Toby decides to leave the safety of his cavern world to seek answers. Did anyone survive the Great Destruction? Why has he been hearing a mysterious Voice? And, most important of all, does he have a soul? 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, available here.

6. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is I think, the perfect book for the reluctant 'tween reader. Incredible, real vintage photographs are found throughout the book and spur the reader to keep exploring to find the meanings behind them. An exciting book of purpose and destiny. One of my favorite books written in the last five years.

The Search for Wondla is available here

7. The Search for Wondla by Tony Diterlizzi is great for kids who enjoy futuristic, steampunk-type novels, lots of robots, machines and crazy contraptions. Very imaginative and fun read with great illustrations as well.

Ella Enchanted is available here

8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Many re-tellings of the classic, Cinderella, exist, but this is my favorite. Ella is a marvelous heroine, imperfect, but plucky and resourceful. Girls will read this one and beg for more of her books. Good thing she has several other wonderful books, including The Two Princesses of Bamarre.

Princess Academy is available here

9. Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale. I recommend and believe in this book so much I buy copies whenever I find them and give them away to girls that I know. A great story of sacrificing your own desires for the good of others. Another very important lesson this book teaches is why you shouldn't assume someone feels a certain way without asking them... something many adults still need to learn as well! Shannon Hale is also a very prolific writer and has many books for 'tweens and older teens.

So there's just a few suggestions from a very long list in my brain. Do you have some favorite books for 'tweens? Please feel free to add them to the comments section!