Reading Lists: Books for 9 to 12-year-olds

We all understand the value of books, and there has never been a better time to get reading. Having your child at home is a perfect opportunity to help them develop a love of reading and to recognise it is a pleasure, not a chore!

Mentor Education have put together the following book lists for 9 to 12 year olds, using a variety of literary resources, book reviews, exam content, school reading lists and of course our favourites.

There is something for everyone – get reading!

Top tips for the reluctant reader…

• Be a role model – exhibit a love of reading yourself. Schedule a time for the family to read every day eg. fiction, newspapers, cook-books, magazines, biographies.
• Create a designated calm and cosy reading space.
• Choose books together – mindful of your child’s reading ability and their interests.
• Reading together is a special time and will not only improve your child’s fluency and understanding, but will create interesting discussions.
• Encourage your reluctant reader to read to younger siblings.
• Keep a reading log – this can be a great motivator
• Create a reward scheme.
• Help them to set-up an on-line book/comic/recipe club with friends.

Adventure Stories:

1. Troy: Adele Geras
2. Survival – Alpha Force1: Chris Ryan
3. Hornblower: CS Forester
4. Holes: Louis Sacher
5. Journey to the River Sea: Eva Ibbotson
6. Coram Boy: Jamils Gavin
7. Kensuke’s Kingdom: Michael Morpurgo
8. Moonfleet: John Meade Faulkner
9. Treasure Island: Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Beowulf, Dragonslayer: Rosemary Sutcliffe

War Stories:

1. The Diary of Anne Frank: Anne Frank
2. I am David: Anne Holm
3. The Silver Sword: Ian Serrallier
4. Hitler’s Daughter: Jacke French
5. Carrie’s War: Nina Bawden
6. Blitzed: Robert Swindells
7. Warhouse: Michael Morpurgo
8. POW: M. Booth
9. Zlata’s Diary: Zlata Filipovic
10. The Wave: Morton Rhue

Murder Mystery and Detective Stories:

1. The Roman Mysteries: Caroline Lawrence
2. The Falcon’s Malteser: Anthony Horowitz
3. Nancy Drew: Carolyn Keene
4. And Then There Were None: Agatha Christie
5. The Thief Lord: Cornelia Funke
6. Emil and the Detectives: Erich Kastner
7. Cirque de Freak: Darren Shaw
8. The Maze Runner: James Dashner
9. The London Eye Mystery: Siobhan Dowd
10. The House of 100 Clocks: A.M Howell

Fantasy & Science Fiction:

1. Shadow of The Minotaur: Alan Gibbons
2. Witch Child: Celia Rees
3. Hacker: Marjorie Blackman
4. The Neverending Story: Michael Ende
5. His Dark Materials: Philip Pullman
6. Stormbreaker: Anthony Horowitz
7. Skellig: David Almond
8. The Secret of Platform 13: Eva Ibbotson
9. Harry Potter: JK Rowling
10. The Day of the Triffids: John Wyndham

Horror Stories:

1. Goodbye Tommy Blue: Adele Geras
2. Marianne Dreams: Catherine Storr
3. The Haunting of Alaizabel: Cray Chris Wooding
4. The Clock Tower Ghost: Gene Kemp
5. Moondial: Helen Cresswell
6. The Haunting: Margaret Mahy
7. The Ghost Behind the Wall: Melvin Burgess
8. The Ghost of Thomas Kempe: Penelope Lively
9. Goosebumps: RL Stine
10. Room 13 Robert Swindells

Books about Animals:

1. Black Beauty: Anna Sewell
2. The Midnight Fox: Betsy Byars
3. Charlotte’s Web: EB White
4. National Velvet: Enid Bagnold
5. My Family and Other Animals: Gerald Durrell
6. Watership Down Richard Adams
7. Lionboy: Zizou Corder
8. Refugee Boy: Benjamin Zephaniah
9. Dear Nobody: Berlie Doherty
10. A Child Called: It David Peltzer

Books to make you laugh out loud:

1. How to Write Really Badly: Anne Fine
2. Notes From a Small Island: Bill Bryson
3. Hoot: Carl Hiaasen
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Douglas Adams
5. The Series of Unfortunate Events: Lemony Snickert
6. Two Weeks with the Queen: Morris Gleitzman
7. Wicked: Paul Jennings
8. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole: Sue Townsend
9. Mort: Terry Pratchett
10. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Jeff Kinney