Best Books – 9-11 Years
-
Flour Babies
Author: Anne Fine
Publisher: PenguinAs part of a Child Development project, each boy in Class 4C is given a ‘flour baby’, a sack of flour which must be looked after for three weeks, ensuring it does not get lost or dirty.
-
Private Peaceful
Author: Sir Michael Morpurgo
Publisher: HarperCollinsSet during World War I, Private Peaceful charts eight hours in the life of Tommo, a young soldier at the Front.
-
Journey to the River Sea
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s BooksOrphan Maia is thrilled to learn she is to live with relatives in South America and cannot wait to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the Amazon.
-
Millions
Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Publisher: Pan MacmillanOne night, a bag containing £229,370 falls from the sky and flattens the hermitage. Damian is convinced it is a gift from God.
-
Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: PuffinThis modern fairy-tale with a brilliantly inspiring young heroine is one of Roald Dahl’s best loved stories.
-
Once
Author: Morris Gleitzman
Publisher: PenguinMorris Gleitzman brings heart and humour to the difficult subject of the Holocaust in this ground-breaking children’s book.
-
The Story of Tracy Beaker
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Publisher: Random HouseTracy lives in a children’s home but constantly hopes that her absent, glamorous Mum will come and take her away.
-
Skellig
Author: David Almond
Publisher: Hodder Children’s BooksExploring a ramshackle garage with his new-found friend, Mina, Michael discovers a strange, magical creature.
-
Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
Publisher: PenguinTwelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl hatches an ingenious plot to steal all the gold in fairy land.
-
Carrie’s War
Author: Nina Bawden
Publisher: PuffinDuring World War II, Carrie and her younger brother Nick are evacuated to Wales and billeted with the fierce old Mr Evans and his mousy sister, Louise.
-
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Author: J K Rowling
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s BooksAfter the misery of life with his ghastly aunt and uncle, Harry Potter is delighted to have the chance to embark on an exciting new life at the Hogwart’s School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.
-
Goodnight Mister Tom
Author: Michelle Magorian
Publisher: PuffinWillie Beech, a lonely and deprived child, is evacuated to a tiny English village just before the Second World War, and finds himself living with reclusive widower Thomas Oakley.
-
The Borrowers
Author: Mary Norton
Publisher: PuffinThe Borrowers are tiny people who live in the secret places of old houses – behind the mantlepiece, inside the harpsichord, under the kitchen clock.
-
The Hobbit
Author: JRR Tolkein
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’sThis well-loved fantasy story has delighed readers ever since its first publication in 1937.
-
Stig of the Dump
Author: Clive King
Publisher: PuffinExploring an old chalk pit, Barney meets a strange boy who wears a rabbit skin and speaks in grunts.
-
The Adventures of Tintin
Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper
Publisher: EgmontResourceful junior reporter Tintin embarks on a series of exciting international adventures, accompanied by his faithful dog Snowy, in this favourite series.
-
Swallows and Amazons
Author: Arthur Ransome
Publisher: Red FoxIt’s the summer holidays, and the Walker children are excited to set sail on their boat Swallow and camp on Wild Cat Island.
-
Ballet Shoes
Author: Noel Streatfeild
Publisher: PenguinFirst published in the 1930s, this classic story of three very different girls who work hard to master their talents has captivated children’s imaginations for decades
-
The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Publisher: EgmontAn air pilot makes a forced landing deep in the Sahara Desert. There, he makes a mysterious Little Prince, who tells him a series of wise and enchanting stories.
-
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C S Lewis
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’sWhen Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – step through a wardrobe door in the strange country house where they are staying, they find themselves in the land of Narnia.
-
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Author: Joan Aiken
Publisher:There are wolves outside the walls of Willoughby Chase, but for cousins Bonnie and Sylvia, the real danger lies inside.
-
The Witches
Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: PuffinReal witches disguise themselves as lovely ladies, when secretly they want to squish and squelch all the wretched children they despise.
-
Truckers
Author: Terry Pratchett
Publisher: Random HouseThe first title in the Bromeliad trilogy, this is an enchanting fantasy from favourite author Terry Pratchett.
-
Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher: BloomsburyStanley Yelnats’ family has a history of bad luck, so he is not entirely surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to the Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre