Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Books for 10yo who's read it all

Regarding Anne McCaffrey: mostly going to be female protagonists, will your son be ok with that? The Harper Hall trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums) fine for 10 yr old -- my kid read them age 10.

But be careful with McCaffrey's other books -- they'll tend to have a bit of romance-novel-light-sex, and you mention you're trying to stay away from sex yet. For instance, Dragonflight, her very first "Dragonriders of Pern" book (which the Harper Hall trilogy fits in sort of sideways with), while I enjoyed it myself when young, has a almost-rape-that-turns-into-love-relationship. It's not at all graphic, at least as I recall -- but maybe a dubious message for a 10 yr old.

Other books for a 10 year old:

My kid enjoyed Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians,
and the next couple books after that (about the 4th? book they went downhill), by Brandon Sanderson. With a librarian in the family, maybe they'd be amusing. I will add that with the first book (the only one I read), I was pleasantly surprised to realize towards the end was NOT just goofy, disconnected humor, but things had actually been building up and clues had been scattered along the way and it was actually clever!

I second Watership Down, mentioned by others.

I'd second Ender's Game as others have mentioned; I think it's fine for kids. But I have reservations about some of the other Ender books -- it'd be a book-by-book question. I recall domestic abuse and just an icky family situation, and grotesque killings, in Speaker for the Dead.

Jules Verne -- The Mysterious Island, in particular, is fun.

Runemarks, Joanne Harris
The Prophecy, Hilari Bell
Powerless, Matthew Cody
Heart of a Samurai, Margi Preuss -- based on fascinating real-life person
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (mystery series start, set in 18th century Japan), Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Happy Kid, Gail Gautier
a time-travel trilogy by Maiya Williams, starting with The Golden Hour -- first set in French Revolution time, 2nd in Cleopatra's time, 3rd in Gold Rush

More books:

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline -- I don't recall there being anything too problematic for a young reader in this book. Video game treasure hunt -- the Steven Spielberg movie version is coming out next month!

Summerland, Michael Chabon -- a great writer writing a kids book -- culturally diverse fantasy plus baseball

The King in the Window, Adam Gopnik -- author mostly writes adult books

Gregor the Overlander series, by Suzanne Collins -- this earlier series by the author of The Hunger Games is enjoyable, and makes moral points (against racism, against war), and ok for much younger kids than The Hunger Games

The Chronicles of Kazam trilogy starting with The Last Dragonslayer, Jasper Fforde -- another author who usually writes adult books

The Schwa Was Here, Antsy Does TIme, Neal Shusterman -- bit of magical realism, these books are addressing some interesting issues in a subtle way

No Castles Here, A.C.E. Bauer -- fantasy in a gritty urban setting but at a kid-appropriate level

Adam Canfield of the Slash, Michael Winerip -- middle school boy dealing with ethics of journalism, has a couple sequels; author is a Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the New York Times

The Boys of San Joaquin, D. James Smith -- set in the 1950s in Fresno, California, the writing style is good (and if you enjoy things like Cheaper By the Dozen, or Knucklehead: Stories of Growing Up Scieszka, you may like it); has two sequels

Ways to Live Forever, Sally Nicholls -- 11 year old with leukemia trying to fulfill his bucket list; there's a movie version (haven't seen it)

Down the Mysterly River, Bill WIllingham and Mark Buckingham -- lots of references to character types from literature, and kind of post-modern meta-fiction-y meets Hardy Boys type main character; (note that these collaborators are primarily known for their work on the Fables comics series)

--- Some more books for fun ---

Sisters Grimm series, Michael Buckley -- this series is more appealing to
boys than one might guess; the author is very funny

The Mysterious Benedict Society series

books by Roland Smith, e.g., the I.Q. series

Dark Lord series, Jamie Thomson -- a kid who's read and enjoyed Tolkien will enjoy the central conceit: it's essentially Sauron put into a young teen body. (Be aware that these books have been published under two or maybe three different sets of titles.)

H.I.V.E. (Higher Institute of Villainous Education) series, Mark Walden -- fun anti-heroes

Flawed Dogs, Berkeley Breathed -- note treats some hard topics around pet ownership, including abuse and abandonment of pets

---- Some classics

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

Swallows and Amazons series, Arthur Ransome

I can't say, as it's been too long. I found that they didn't age well based on writing quality, but they were fine for me as a middle-schooler.

The Netflix series, I was pleased to note from the very beginning, features two very strong female main characters, and several women in leadership positions, including an Elvish military captain (hero) and a human Queen (villain). However, I would not recommend the series to your 10yo. I give it an unofficial PG-13 rating for sexual situations.


Ender's Game itself contains domestic abuse (Ender's brother) and grotesque killings (Stilson, Bonzo, the giant from the virtual game, the Formics).

My 9-year old son's class (mostly high readers) have loved the Wings of Fire series by Tui Sutherland (There's 10 so far in the series, mythical books about dragons). They can be kind of gory, but it doesn't seem to bother the class. What I have loved about them is how they showcase the different strengths and characteristics of each character. While there are several characters that are very academic and highly intelligent, there are others who are brave, funny, positive thinkers, etc. I thought it was an excellent choice for gifted kids to learn how to appreciate non-academic strengths.

How about Arthur Conan Doyle, Jonathan Swift or Mark Twain?

Thanks for the recommendations! He has read or tried some of what is suggested, but I have added some to our list. Peony2, your suggestions look especially up his alley!

Keep them coming if you've got more.

Has he read the Cat Warriors books and the Rick Rordan stuff? They're hecka thick books for kids but my daughter adored them for several years. She also loves the Wings of Fire, which do have some gorey bits but even my sensitive 8yo was ok with them (we have been doing them as audiobooks in the car).

We also did the whole Harper Hall trilogy on audiobooks. My 8yo loved them.

The Redwall series might also fit the bill.

Right - Brian Jacques has a much broader vocabulary than is typical for books targeting 8-10 year olds.

Our daughter lapped the stories up when she was younger - she still has a poster showing a map of their world somewhere.