20 Best Books For Ages 9 12 (2023 Update)

This story is an absolute classic. I bought it to read to my year six students and they are loving it. The story is so well written and on my third reading I am still completely enthralled. A wonderful book to own. I can't recommend it enough!two red hens

I read this book as a child and loved it! Some of the passages are still very clear in my mind decades later. This is a fictional account of a boy who runs away from home to live alone in the woods. But the depth of story and the detailed account of his various survival techniques have made many question whether the story was true. Now that I have children of my own, I had to buy the book for them. Its a great book and I highly recommend it!butterrum

My 9 year old daughter loves this book. She could not put it down! This book is an excellent source of survival tips. It teaches kids to imagine "what if" situations, which prove to be beneficial as they grow into adulthood. I recommend this book to all!mrs.jefferson

Such a great adventure and being from New York I love reading a story where I can completely envision the setting. Great read.Neek

Let me start off by saying I have loved all of NK Jemisins work, but this one has fallen so flat from what I expect from her. She usually has a way of writing and weaving a story, with strong characters, racial issues, and social issues that just blow my mind. It's heart stopping and emotion building. I didn't feel any of this this time around and that makes me extremely sad.. This story fell beyond flat for me. I really didn't connect with any of the characters. It was confusing. And the ambiance just felt off the whole way through. The writing felt very child like and immature. Nothing of what I expected of an author of this caliber. I have noticed, reading other reviews, that people who truly loved it hadn't really dived into her other works. I recommend reading this one before her other works. I much prefer the nuances and story telling of her other works. Her writing in this one seems like she digressed. I really wanted to love this one. She's one of my favorite authors and I'm just beyond disappointed. I did enjoy her take on the city. And the magical undercurrent aspects of the story. I may try again at a later date but for now, definitely disappointed in one of my most anticipated reads of 2021Khalessi

the rise of nine is a great book! the series is a good one. rise of nine continuing on is a really excellent addition to the series. if you like I am number four this will be a great choice.rhooglugt2

excellent read didnt want it to end, exciting and gripping. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy books.jodiexmurph

Absolutely awesome experience on my first ever visit to this store. Ordering my son's book was easy and simple. Wil highly recommend.Jenelle

This was amazing!! I can not wait for the next order!! I would recommend this to anyone. I definitely will be using Books-a-million in the future!!Allen

I bought this for my 8 year old son with the hope that it would grab his interest enough to help cut back on his desire to play video games constantly. This book really did the trick. He couldn’t put it down and finished it in a few days. It’s gross in a kid-appropriate way, very silly, and thoroughly entertaining. Definitely worth the purchase!SLCont

My daughter discovered and loved the TV series on Netflix (clearly advertised on the book covers). I recently found out it was initially a book series, which made sense, since I also watched it with my 11-yo, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it myself! The books arrived beautifully presented, just with a cross of plastic to protect and hold the set together. They were all in perfect condition, and we started reading the books right away — my daughter being bicultural, her English is not yet where it could be at, what with her attending a French school rather than a British one… so we read together and I make her watch everything I can in English. This is American but luckily the British publisher used British spelling throughout, which is particularly important in our case! She is absolutely loving these books, and I am thrilled to see how much help it was to watch the series in English and then read the books. Esp. because the series closely followed the events of the books, which was another great piece of news! So anyway, I highly recommend this very affordable set, which is surprisingly well written, witty, laugh-out-loud funny, and highly enjoyable on the whole.A V. H. R.

What a fun read! I’ve been reading 2 chapters a night and the kids love it. It’s a cool read for young teenage reader. I love the comic book edge to it.Heather

I read this as required reading in Juniour high and really enjoyed it (I hated reading as a kid)! My daughter is now reading it in Middle school on her own! It is truly a classic that illustrates well how human nature will run its natural course given the opportunity. A somewhat pessimistic battle against good and evil that leaves one thinking about the true nature of human kind, be it evil or good! Can't wait to discuss it with my daughter!damalenurse

Somewhere deep within the chaotic realm of middle school, I remember having first read "Lord of the Flies". It is an apt microcosmic account of the polarization that would take place should society suddenly find itself without law and given over to anarchy. There would be 3 main categories of people: The Ralphs; struggling to provide law and order where there is little hope for it, the Piggies; who would be crushed and overtaken by the strong without the protection of law and order, and the Jacks of the world; who would immediately come into power. Indeed the Jacks of the world are always in power. They are the ruthless, the savage, the borne dictators. Ralph's government was a Republic. Jack's government was a militaristic ruthless and base empire with little to no regard for the individual, with the exception of the individual at the head. There is another type of individual we find in the story who I most relate to–that being the non-participant who stares of into strange other-worlds. The Simons of the world.endersolder

Very good copy of this classic piece of literature. Never having experienced this typical high school required reading, I decided I'd gone long enough without reading it and I needed to be able to finally understand all the references to it one hears time and time again. I enjoyed it but I'm fairly sure I would not have enjoyed it as a teenager as it is literature and I was not enjoying true literature at that age. Humans truly are savages and we can only struggle not to be.kayakscout

Shusterman does a fantastic job at characterisation, world – building, and pacing. It is a perfect introduction to the perfectly imperfect Scythe universe as it meticulously discusses the moral quandaries regarding life within a world that has conquered death. Shusterman realistically considers minute details in this world of science – fiction, drawing inspiration from past and present society to manufacture a seemingly perfect, yet stagnant future. Thus, resulting in somewhat dark, but most importantly, thought provoking journey of change which will have you binge-reading the rest of the trilogy and writing a review before you even know it!scionecrosis

Both my husband and I love this book series. We had never heard of the author before and weren't sure about it. Promoted as a teen book, it really is excellent for teens and adults (my restriction is that younger children might find it too disturbing). Extremely well written and compelling. Quite a different story and I think, very thought provoking. This particular copy, I am giving to a friend to enjoy. We have bought the full series. The 3rd and possibly the final book on just came out. It is about death in a world where natural death no longer occurs and how that is made to happen. If that intrigues you, I think you may very well enjoy this book–which is stand alone or you can buy the series. We enjoyed it so much that we have now purchaced more books from this author to read at a later time.stanandcarol

Easily one of the best middle grade books I've read in a while. Neal Shusterman is an amazing writer already so he didn't disappoint. He's created this unique world that is eye-opening and may reveal some of the lengths people would go to to get what they want. You'll also fall in love with the characters that actually seem like they're real and are detailedand in depth. I love this book and this series.lusine.m

Wonderful book about using your imagination to enjoy what awaits you. The beautiful illustrations help bring the book to life as it engages the reader in a journey through the travels of the characters.CS

Holes is a book which keeps your attention through to the bitter end. It somehow turns what would be a boring detention camp in real life into a thrilling novel. It is set in a dried up lake in Texas. The main character's name is Stanley Yelnats. He is sent to the camp after a judge finds him guilty of stealing a pair of shoes. Each day at the camp he is required to dig a hole five feet wide and five feet deep. The story is developed with a series of flashbacks which tells the story of the dark past of the dried up lake. Holes is the type of book that you can't put down until you finish. With a good set of characters and a good story line to match, Holes is a book you must read.michael nibs

I purchased two copies….one for my 11 year old grandson to read and one for me to read. My grandson said he liked it but I thoroughly enjoyed it!!! I loved the weaving of the past and present and all the different characters.Lorraine

One of the most entertaining books I have read in a long time. Stanley was convicted of stealing a pair of used, smelly but valuable celebrity sneakers. He claimed they fell from the sky, but he was not believed and sent by the Court to "camp." The "camp" is for wayward boys and this is story is about Stanley's time at the camp. Stanley was from a poor family and his mother was pleased that finally her boy was going to get to go to "camp." What in the world is more entertaining than teen-aged boys….particularly wayward ones in "captivity?" You have to read the book to learn about the Holes. I loved the book. It was an easy and way too fast read.sisters49

Amateur sleuths tackle a mystery set in ancient Egypt and succeed! I have one grand finishing and one starting 3rd grade, and we all love a good mystery as well as historicals. The writing is good and encourages the reader on all levels. The publisher's blurb will give you some clues, and no spoilers here, but we all loved the book and want more! Won in a LibraryThing Giveaway.jT

So everyone in my household is beyond the demographic for this book, but we loved the movie so I was curious to see how the source material fared. Honestly, I think the movie treated the material better. The book was fun, and it was nice to see the thought of "turning good" being the bad guy's instead of some other character, but overall the way the events were portrayed in the book simply weren't as entertaining as the film. I wasn't too keen on the art style, either.Eric

Hilarious! My kids laughed, I laughed, it’s very well written and the drawings are so expressive. My 5yo wants to read it everyday. Even my 3yo finds it funny.Lady_kyp

My 8 yo is not a bad reader but not keen on heavy reading. These books are mostly pictures. There's very little text at all on each page. For instance, one page may have a picture with the word "Boom" in large letters all over it. But it's very engaging and fun with the result that she might read 3 books in an evening. So get them all.Nil

In the late 1960's a new type of American literature evolved, one that spoke straight to the social and economic needs of teens and largely bypassed the sentimental, boy-meets-girl fiction that had largely been the norm before. THE OUTSIDERS (1967) by a new teen author, S.E. Hinton, set the outlook and established the genre. "Young Adult" fiction, as the new writing came to be called, was a hit with adolescents and sympathizers alike. The novel is set in a medium-sized Oklahoma city and narrated by "Ponyboy" Curtis who, along with his two older brothers, was left to fend for himself when their parents died in a car wreck. After that, material privation is only part of the challenges the brothers face. The town is divided along class lines: on the East Side live working-class "Ponyboy," his family and friends, the so-called "Greasers." To the West are the middle-class "Socs," the better-off but not necessarily "rich" kids. These two mega-gangs have their own different styles, which author Hinton limns out in great detail: social interaction (Soc understatement versus Greaser passion), transportation (newer Detroit cars versus walking, or beaters), clothes (wheat jeans and Madras plaid versus t-shirts and leather), and of course music (the Beatles versus Elvis — after all, this was 1967). After a long-anticipated rumble pits Greasers against Socs, Ponyboy and friends decide it's best to go into hiding in another town. But what should have been prudent develops along unanticipated and tragic lines, which I can't go into here. I can say, though, that THE OUTSIDERS put S.E. Hinton at the top of her game, gave legs to a powerful new force in fiction, and even triggered a hit 1983 movie. Check out either or both of them!Allen

Great book, great cover. Great shipping. But pages were cut at all different lengths. Very weird. Did not matter to me, but bugged my daughter, who the book was for.rlawson031

I can't really relate to this book, as i never experienced the issues this kid did. My son has to read this for school, so i read it first. For me personally, I prefer something more up beat. I don't care to read about bullying. I feel like that is all that they have the kids read now and days at my sons school. I don't really think it is age appropriate for a 13 year oldKAREN

My daughter loves this book! She is very picky and struggles finding books she likes, so we were glad to find one that she enjoys.Allison

My daughter read all of the nevermore series and then we found Amari and the night brothers. Evelyn said they are similar in a lot of ways but Amari is just a extra special character. My daughter says ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! I couldn't not get her to put this book down and her excitement over the characters was infectious. We are all taking turns with the book now!!Evelyns mom

Very pleased with my purchase…not so much the delivery…almost ruined Christmas for my grandson. Took almost 2 month to receive.Debbie

I have used books from this series for several years in my program's Resource Center, and the kids just love them. Very compelling reading that always involves a young person as a primary character. Ideal for kids who need a little push to read more, but also are great for kids who love to read. Just bought the entire set for a grandson!Jane R.

This book is such a good way to see all the characters you love again. From the shadow and bone trilogy to six of crows and now this you can really see how the author has improved. The romance is on point, the plot is fabulous and there is great representation. Overall a perfect read!Zoya

An amazing book! Very detailed and descriptive. The characters are very well written. The storyline flows nicely, and there is a lot of action. A must-read for fantasy fans! #sweepstakesBooks-A-Million

I have been desperately looking forward to reading this since I got my copy, but I had to wait while I wrapped up some NetGalley reads first. Having now finished it, my expectations were completely met. I've loved all Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse books and Rule of Wolves was no exception. The story picked up where King of Scars left off and plunged us immediately into the action. I wondered where my favourite character was at first, but finally he made an appearance. He didn't get a lot of page time, but when he did it was meaningful, and I appreciated what Bardugo did with the character, giving him depth and meaning, rather than having him as a cardboard-cut-out villain. Despite weighing in at nearly 600 pages, this book is fast-paced throughout and never drags. If anything, I wanted more chapters when it ended. Bardugo's world building and character presentation were excellent as always, and I liked the way the ending was satisfying enough to be a conclusion if she doesn't write more, yet left a clear path for further storytelling should she decide to extend the Grishaverse, potentially with another Kaz Brekker-centric work, given the lead in. These books are definitely one of my all-time favourite fantasy series. Rule of Wolves is a clear 5-star read for me.NickiJ