Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Book recommendations: age 9-12

Hi everyone - I have been asked to create stickies for threads with lists of book recommendations gathered from member posts for different age ranges (0-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, 13+). Here is the thread for the 9-12 age range.

Thanks Mark!

Ooh, reminded on another thread. My DD10 read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper last year and absolutely could not put it down. It was really, really good. She also really liked The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt this year.

Inkheart trilogy--Cornelia Funke
The Books of Elsewhere series--Jacqueline West
Eva Ibbotson
Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, beauty, Rose Daughter--Robin McKinley
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings--Tolkien
His Dark Materials series--Pullman
The Once and Future King--TH White
Summer and Bird--Katherine Catmull
Diana Wynne Jones

I sent this before it was finished. Here is the rest of the list of fantasy books my DD10 has enjoyed the past year or so.
Septimus Heap-Angie Sage
Fablehaven-Brandon Mull
The Underland Chronicles-Suzanne Collins
Inkheart Trilogy-Cornelia Funke
Rangers Apprentice-John Flanagan
the Shadow Children-Margaret Haddix
The Familiars-Adam Epstein
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel-Michael Scott
Wings of Fire-Tui Sutherland
The Inheritance Cycle-Christopher Paolini
Chrestomanci-Dianna Wynn Jones

We tend to look for series, but I'll try to remember all the other great books.

The Phoenix and the Carpet series, E. Nesbit

A Wrinkle in Time series, Madeleine L'engle
..followed by (really, the book should not be read without having read AWiT): When You Reach Me--Rebecca Stead
Breadcrumbs--Anne Ursu (themes better for older kids)
Wonderstruck--Brian Selznick
The Invention of Hugo Cabret--Brian Selznick

One-Eyed Cat by Paula Fox (probably for the younger end of the age range)

6th Grade Summer reading list from ds school.

Theme Topic: Journeys & Destinations

Counting by 7s - Holly Goldberg-Sloan
Dead End in Norvelt - Jack Gantos
The Thing About Luck - Cynthia Kadohata
Matilda Bone - Karen Cushman
Mockingbird - Katherine Erskine
Splendors & Gloom - Laura Amy Schlitz
Shooting Kabul - N.H. Senzai
Who Was First? Discovering the Americas - Russell Freedman
Mosque - David Macaulay
A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
The Princess Bride - William Goldman
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

My DD10 loved both of these.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/47468.Gifted_Young_Readers

This list is not broken down by age, but I see it as a list that I want dc to go through by the age of twelve roughly. I don't really like breaking it out by age because one gifted reader may be five years beyond garde level and another may be only two. I see it as regardless of if they can read at a 12th grade level at 8 or 9, they still ought to have read all these children's classics so they relate to the great literature that is written for children. I don't care if it is way below their reading level so long as they enjoy it on an emotional level. I moderate the good reads list and I don't want stuff on there like Flat Stanley or Magic Treehouse because I don't see that as classic literature or rather literature
for gifted readers-- rather just a bridge to reading chapter books.they are great in fullfilling that need while kids are learning the confidence to read longer books, but they aren't in my opinion must read books that have higher order value to gifted children. Anyway, that list is along the same lines, just not broken out by age-- because as we all know that is so arbitrary when dealing with kids. Feel free to take the books from this list or add too it. My original intention was to post it as a link whenever people asked for book recommendations.

I second Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. This was part of DS/DD's 5th grade Reading/Language Arts curriculum first quarter. I don't want to repeat recommendations so I will add:
other books in the series by Tui T. Sutherland, The Seven Wonders Series by Peter Lerangis, Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Hitler's Secret by William Osborne, and the Divergent trilogy by ???

My daughter just finished reading this book and loved it. Just the right type of humor.

By the way, this is my first post. Finally decided to join today, but wish I had earlier. I'll be following this thread!

DD10 read The Giver in 4th grade and loved it, so I bought The Giver Quartet for her to read (all 4 books) this summer:

The Giver
Gathering Blue
Messenger
Son

by Lois Lowry

She is currently reading (and enjoying very much) the first book in The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Other books she read and enjoyed in 4th grade were:
Kira-Kira (very emotional, the sister dies of cancer at a young age)
Hatchet
Holes

Then she needs to read some Terry Pratchett.

My DD loved Maurice and his amazing rodents and the Wee Free Men.

There are a ton of others too- some better than others

It's such a shame that Terry Pratchett has early Alzheimer's

The Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer.
The Simon Bloom series, by Michael Reisman.
The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster.
The Wizard of Oz series, by L. Frank Baum.

DD9 recently acquired the first three books in The Missing series by this same author, and she's devouring them.

DD9 really likes mysteries so we are currently doing a lot of Agatha Christie. (Due to 2E issues she listens to audio books. I say "we" because its mostly in the car.) Just finished "Death on the Nile" and started "Murder on the Orient Express" yesterday.

The Mrs. Pollifax series has also been a favorite.

She loved "Around the World in 80 Days" so we plan to do some more Jules Verne this summer.

She enjoys Dickens too. "A Christmas Carol" and "Great Expectations" were both favorites. She liked "Oliver Twist" but not my favorite.

Last fall I found an old book called "The Egypt Game" that she LOVED. It started a passion for learning everything possible about Ancient Egypt. That led us to Rick Riordan's "Kane Chronichles" series and then to all things Percy Jackson.

She and DH recently read "Frankenstein" which she enjoyed.

She liked "Tom Sawyer" but in a rare moved asked me to stop playing "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." Not sure if it may have been the narrator on that one, though. We are holding off on any other Mark Twain for a while.

The "Sisters Grimm" series is fun. You have to suspend disbelief a bit to get into the story but then it really takes off.

Will add to my list as I think of more.

My DS 11 just finished The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier. He's very picky and he loved it. He's now reading Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by the same author.

"The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place" series (Maryrose Wood), about a (presumptively) gifted 15-year-old governess and her three students, who were raised by wolves prior to being taken in by an English nobleman. A little bit of mystery, a little bit of humor, many stray tidbits of edutrivia (she is a governess, after all!).

My son loved to read these books: DS7 1-LEMONY SNICKET, Book 1:'Who Could That Be at This Hour?\
Book 2:'When Did You See Her Last?
Book 3 is will be out soon in October. DS7 is so excited.
File under 13 Suspicious Incidents
2-STAR WARS, jedi Academy
3-SPIRIT ANIMALS, Book 1: Wild born
Book 2: Hunted
Book 3: Blood Ties
I asked him which one you should recomended for the 7 years old to read first . He said that , First Lemony snicket because Sprit Animals has so many upside down . If he begins with Lemony Snicket, he will get used to it.

My DS10 LOVES "The Inheritance Cycle" series by Christoper Paolini. The first book is "Eragon."

I haven't read them myself, (too big for me, lol) but the vocabulary is complex because he often asks me what words mean when he is reading in the car.

The Lemonade War (and series)

DD recently loved this book and the others in the Seeds of America trilogy: http://www.amazon.com/Chains-The-Seeds-America-Trilogy/dp/1416905863/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_y

We love Laurie Halse Anderson! Ultramarina, I can't remember exactly how old your DD is, but Anderson's YA offerings are great, particularly Speak (but the story involves a rape, so may not appropriate for the 9-12 age range of this thread. However, very appropriate for girls headed to high school...).

DD10 has hit the ceiling of the MAP test and is reading at a high school level. The challenge is to find books that are at a more advanced reading level, that don't bring in too much sex or violence. Books from a century or two ago are generally safer bets, since society censored more back then.

Here we can assess the kid-safe: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Here we can assess the grade-level or lexile: http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/

I just wish these two databases were merged. I still have not found a definitive solution to this problem. Its exacerbated by how fast gifted children consume books.

Cricket, she's 11--we're in an awkward stage with books. I'm trying to squeeze the last little bit out of children's, because YA is freaking me out. Adult fiction is looking like a better choice right now!

Biographies are often a safe choice. One source is every good book.

There are also good reads on the thread Short book / advanced middle school level.

And on this recent blog post from Gifted Parenting Support:
Finding Age Appropriate Books for Gifted Readers
by L J Conrad
July 6, 2015

Adding a link to the thread Graphic novel recommendations? which mentions a 9-year-old.

Adding a link to the thread Books like Horrible Histories for older kids.

Adding a link to the thread Book Recommendations For All Ages, which mentions a book for
"advanced fourth graders and up."

Adding a link to the the thread Non-fiction audio book recommendations, for a 10-year-old child.

How about the Doctor Who series' books,from their TV episodes?

1. Flora and Ulysses--Kate DiCamillo https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flora_%26_Ulysses
2.Boys Without Names--Kashmira Sheth https://www.harpercollins.com/9780061857607/boys-without-names
3. The Awakening--Robin Wasserman--not to be confused with the author's other series, which is called Cold Awakening. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38988.Awakening

4. The Wish Giver--Bill Brittain. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3638.The_Wish_Giver?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true

And has anyone mentioned The Hobbit?
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-hobbit

Thank you for the recommendation of Flora and Ulysses- my dd hates reading 90 percent of the time, but she is loving this book😀

Glad to hear it!

DD recently had a reading binge (did not go the school due to severe illness). By far and away her favourite was A Study In Charlotte.

Charlotte Holmes is quite a clever young lady - a flawed but real role model potentially.

Trigger Warning:
Touches some borderline mature (mentions sex) issues but never in any great or graphic detail apparently - not that I expect our 11 year old to really know what that is LOL

And for the more reluctant readers, try the I Funny series.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14781201-i-funny?from_new_nav=true&ac=1&from_search=true

Adding a link to this related thread: Book Recommendation: Orientation, by Allis Wade, which mentions a 10 year old reader.

Adding a link to this thread, Book recommendations: Appropriate adult fiction, which requests suggestions for an 11-year-old reader.

Adding a link to this thread, Book review for appropriate content?, which asks about appropriate content for a 9-year-old reader.

Adding a link to this thread, Classics for 10 yo, in the General Discussion forum.

Adding a link to the thread Bios, history poetry or political/social science.

Adding a link to the thread Books for 10yo who's read it all, in the General Discussion forum.

We liked "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin.

Also, The Princess Bride is a good movie and (I'm guessing) a good book. I'm not sure what age group would like it, but the site in the link says ten and up.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-princess-bride

While The Princess Bride is indeed a good book (and movie), I would recommend that a parent read it before handing it over to a child. The book includes a "meta-story" that is not in the movie, that discusses some unpleasant frank opinions about the author's kid. I'm sure it would either blow by or be funny to many kids and teens, but I wouldn't want to hand it to a sensitive 9-year-old without knowing what's in it.

Marie Lu Legend Trilogy series:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4342215.Marie_Lu

True I posted here before actually starting the book, and I did notice that...

Another suggestion is the Dear America series. I own the Titanic one, but there are many others...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_on_the_Great_Titanic

Also "A Christmas Carol".
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/bo...n-prose-being-a-ghost-story-of-christmas
Sorry for all these suggestions, I just can't help but want to share book recommendations! :p

Oh, and the original Hundred and One Dalmatians? I haven't read it yet, but it seems like it's right for this age level.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hundred_and_One_Dalmatians

One more for now: the Warriors books. They can be violent or sad, but they're really quite good.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/warriors-series

I just remembered The Two Thousand Pound Goldfish. I think it was sad, but funny, but that was a few years ago--I'm not sure how it would hold up.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/327270.The_Two_Thousand_Pound_Goldfish

The One Left Behind.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/one-left-behind#cart/cleanup

And for the older range of this age group, Sounder.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounder

One more for today...Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key.
http://www.jackgantos.com/books/joey-pigza-swallowed-the-key

My DD (11) has been getting into the Klaatu Diskos trilogy. She just finished The Obsidian Blade and now has the other two checked out from our local library.

Time travel using technology left out there by a future race...

someone has probably already mentioned 'unfortunately the milk' by Neil Gaiman, but just in case, my daughter really enjoyed that one, very funny, and not scary. (on the lower end of the age range of 9-12, I would think - but I read it myself and chucked throughout).

Anyone have recommendations for books or documentaries for age 11 that look at "communism" and explains pros and cons? I just need DS to be able to think critically about this. DS thinks communism sounds like a good idea.

Animal Farm? Bonus points for being classic literature.

Oh yes! I didn't even think of that. I found a book called "Under a Red Sky" which is probably around the right level, but whether it's any good or not, I don't know.

Agreed. More bonus point for the availability of Cliffs Notes, Spark Notes, and other study guides to facilitate at-home conversation on this important topic.

Another idea, if your child enjoys history, may be to read about the actual implementations of communist theory and see what level of success/distress was created.

This 2007-2008 report on Communism, from a project at Stanford University, outlines basic information:
- History and Background of Communism
- Censorship and Freedom of Speech
The report includes other clickable links such as:
- Privacy under Communism,
- Intellectual Property,
- Work Ethic,
- and more.

Yes, that would be great if you can PM it. He is transfixed by almost any documentary, esp. if it has to do with history of any kind.

There's also Communism for Kids. It sounds like it presents pros and cons (or why this sounds like a good idea, and why it keeps not working out that way).

Ok, thanks. I saw that one but wasn't sure if it was promoting communism, which I don't want to do.

blackcat, those were my thoughts exactly after reading the description.

The author and translators are pretty emphatic that it isn't actually a kids book, just written in language anyone can understand. (Which makes it fair game around here.) They also call it a critique of communism. I think the author is definitely anti-capitalist, but falls into more of a love/hate relationship with communism.

Here's the author being interviewed by one of the translators.

I wanted to add two magazine recommendations. AQUILA and Muse

AQUILA is pricey but DS10 really enjoys it.

Written by a professor of economics, Thomas J. DiLorenzo, the book The Problem with Socialism (2016) may be of interest for a gifted 11-year-old.

As a separate resource, there is a 72-page report (free downloadable PDF) dated October 2018, and titled "The Opportunity Costs of Socialism."

For future readers of this thread, adding a link to Books for 10yo who's read it all, in the General Discussion forum.

The Tuttle Twins series of books by Connor Boyack are intended for children ages 5-11 and include
The Tuttle Twins and the Search for Altas (2017) and The Tuttle Twins and the Road to Surfdom (2016).

These books are made available through the Mises Institute, which carries on the work of Austrian Economist Ludwig von Mises (1881-1973).

Several of Boyack's books are also available on Amazon, which provides customer reviews.

For future readers of this thread, adding a link to nonfiction books for middle schooler, in the General Discussion forum.

I think it is great that you are helping your son find resources to learn about this topic. The survey results at this link may be of interest. The annual poll (by YouGov, UK) basically asks Americans how much they know about socialism, communism, collectivism, Marxist ideology... and how favorably they view socialism, communism, collectivism, Marxist ideology:
1) https://victimsofcommunism.org/annual-poll/
2) 2017 - https://victimsofcommunism.org/annual-poll/2017-annual-poll/
3) 2018 - https://victimsofcommunism.org/annual-poll/2018-annual-poll/
4) 2019 - https://victimsofcommunism.org/annual-poll/2019-annual-poll/
It appears that the less one knows about socialism and communism, the more attractive these ideas are.
A free, 146-page curriculum is available on the VOC website and can be downloaded by clicking on "Programs" / "Education," and supplying your email address. The curriculum is titled, "Communism: Its Ideology, Its History, and Its Legacy," 2nd edition.

Others have recommended:
- the movie version of Dr. Zhivago, although both its length and adult themes may be somewhat of a distraction from observing the impacts of the Russian Revolution. Therefore even an 11-year-old who is quite gifted may benefit from watching with an adult who would provide guidance.
- the book "Tumbleweed," by Eddie Doherty, a biography of his wife, Catherine deHueck Doherty, who escaped communism.
- the book "Confucius Never Said," by Helen Raleigh (2014), "A four-generation family journey from repression and poverty to freedom and prosperity."

A friend has recently sent me a link to the website of Manning Johnson (1908-1959), a former Communist and author of Color, Communism, and Common Sense (1958). In addition to the 2009 Web Version which can be accessed free online, reprints of the 1958 edition are available for purchase at book stores and online at Amazon. The website of Manning Johnson also contains his Farewell Address (36:18), in which he discusses many issues which are still at the forefront today, more than 60 years later. An important slice of history.

More recent books by other authors which may be of interest include:
- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism (2011)
- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Communism (2017)
These are available in several formats: paperback, hardcover, audio books.

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UPDATE: As of March 2022, Manning Johnson's website is no longer active, however it has been archived many times over the years.
1) Read his book online, FREE:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220205041255/http://manningjohnson.org/book/CCCS_Contents.html
Reprints of his book are also widely available.

2) Listen to his farewell address posted online:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220206095915/http://manningjohnson.org/speech/Manning_Johnson--Farewell_Address-32k.mp3 (36:18)

3) Follow along with transcript of Manning Johnson's "Farewell Address"
https://web.archive.org/web/20210731144351/http://www.manningjohnson.org/speech/transcript.html
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For those interested in specifically examining economics, The Mises Institute has arranged its offerings to include groupings called "Study Resources," "Young Readers," "For Beginners."

The groups contain titles such as:
- Lessons for the Young Economist,
- An Introduction to Economic Reasoning, which is described as "aimed at teaching the intelligent young reader...,"
- Lessons from a Lemonade Stand, "...the ideas of freedom can heal our world and improve our lives...,"
- Concise Guide to Economics, "... connection between economics and freedom...,"
- Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action. "... modern civilization itself rests on the market economy...".

A capitalist economy is a market economy based on supply-and-demand, in which participants earn money by anticipating and meeting the wants and needs of others. It is very different from a socialist or communist economy, which is a government-controlled economy.

Adding a link to the thread Books for Advanced Reader (12 yo)? (2019)

Dip a toe into the books of Carole Marsh, many of which are mysteries in the historical fiction genre. This author has also curated interesting packets of "Primary Sources" for social studies and history.

Links:
Gallopade - https://www.gallopade.com/
Amazon author page - https://www.amazon.com/Carole-Marsh/e/B000APHM4M

With various reports of controversial adult material available to children through school library systems, especially online digital collections, this website may be of interest for parents who want to be proactive about helping to guide their child in choosing books: Booklooks.org