Hi Forum!

I have something of an odd request maybe. You see, I work in a smallish bookstore, and our resident Kid Section Guru has moved on to greener pastures. I've decided to step into her empty shoes, but the problem is I haven't read that many kids books.

So, I was wondering if you guys had some suggestions! I'd like to read 200 of these by December 1 2013 so the more the better!

Keep in mind that I have ALREADY read Harry Potter. So many times Harry Potter. Haha


I've started the list with a few ideas, but I'd love to add your's!

The books should be within the age range of 9-12. So, no picture books. AND NO TEEN BOOKS PLEASE. We already have two staffers who love the 13+ section. I don't need to be knowledgeable of those.


THE LIST
The titles in indigo colour font I've just finished reading.

By Author Cressida Cowell
1.How to Train Your Dragon
2.How to Be a Pirate
3.How to Speak Dragonese
4.How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse
5.How to Twist a Dragon's Tail
6.A Heroes Guide to Deadly Dragons
7.How to Ride a Dragon's Storm
8.How to Break a Dragon's Heart
9.How to Steal a Dragon's Sword
10.How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel

By Author Erin Hunter
11.Warriors-Into the Wild
12.Warriors-Fire and Ice
13.Warriors-Forest of Secrets
14.Warriors-Rising Storm
15.Warriors-A Dangerous Path
16.Warriors-Darkest Hour
17.Hunters-The Empty City

By Author Anoine De Saint-Exupery
18.The Little Prince

By Author Terry Dreary
19-21: Fire Thief Trilogy

By Author Brian Jaques
22: Redwall

By Author Beverly Cleary
23:Ramona Quimby, Age
24:Ramona the Brave

By Author James Howe
25: Bunnicula

By Author Roald Dahl
26: James and the Giant Peach
27:Fantastic Mr Fox
28:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
29:The BFG
30:Matilda
31: Danny, Champion of the World
32:The Twits
33:Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

By Terry Deary: I'd reccomend the Fire Thief trilogy. I don't remember the titles of the books right now. (Yes, this is the author of Horrible Histories, and the trilogy is excellent.)

By Tamora Pierce: The Protector of the Small and Song of the Lioness Quartets are really good books for the age group you've mentioned.

The Hobbit (J.R.R Tolkien, obviously.) Not everyone thinks of this, but it is a children's book. A lot of people read it at around 8-10 years old.

I have more floating in my brain, but they aren't popping out right now. Anyway, there are 12 books on this list, so that's something at least. (Though you've probably read The Hobbit already if you work in a bookshop?)

I've already read the Hobbit, but it's never not a great one to suggest to people. Hehe

Totes look into the Fire Theif Trilogy.

In my store Tamora Pierce is shelved with the teen books, so I'm not going to add it to the list, but I've gotten more than a few recommendations for it, so I'll probably read it for myself some time. :)

Thanks for the suggestions!

OH! Also, the Redwall series by Brian Jaques is awesome. It was the one series with talking animals that I could ever stand.

Speaking of animals actually, Animorphs. I don't remember the author, but you should be able to find it easily enough.

+1 for the Redwall Series (though I would honestly consider that one to be for young adults due to combat and death and such..)

Hmm, my suggestions seem to be less modern. Perhaps I'm dating myself here but these were the most-loved essentials in my elementary school bookworm education :3

I suggest:
The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Or if you only want to read a few, make it Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, Farmer Boy)

Beverly Cleary:
The Ramona Quimby Series (Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona the Brave, if you wanna keep it minimal)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
(omigoodness.. just.. everything by Beverly Cleary okay <3)

Cynthia Rylant:
Gooseberry Park, The Islander, and the Henry and Mudge Series (that series might be kinda a transitional bridge from picture books to text books.. honestly I don't remember that well.)

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Homer Price by Robert McClosky

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes

Bunnicula by James Howe (the sequels were great too. Loved em! These are the "vampire" books *I* grew up readin'!)

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr (this one changed my life forever)

Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Felix Salten (has quite a bit of content the movie didn't deal with. Honestly I remember how this one made me feel and it was dreadful as a kid. So sad. So maybe it's better for the upper end of the age group you're reading for.)

@Bearzy - I've had customers looking for Rewall in my store before. Most of the books are "out of print" at the moment, but the library might have some...

@Lokinta - I've read Sadako (total life changer); we have Bunnicula and the Ramona series in store, so those go right onto the list. I'll have to look into the others.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, and the Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle spring to mind, as far as series go. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and anything by Lois Lowry are also basically compulsory for anyone in that age range. Less well known, but one that really stuck with me from that period is The Thief of Always by Clive Barker.

(Forgive me if you would class any of these as "teen books." I read them all when I was 9-12 and found them appropriate, and I believe they were in the older kids section of the store, too.)

Originally Posted by Cherry Who?

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, and the Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle spring to mind, as far as series go. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and anything by Lois Lowry are also basically compulsory for anyone in that age range. Less well known, but one that really stuck with me from that period is The Thief of Always by Clive Barker.

(Forgive me if you would class any of these as "teen books." I read them all when I was 9-12 and found them appropriate, and I believe they were in the older kids section of the store, too.)

How did I not think of A Series of Unfortunate Events? That's going on the list! Dark Materials too. I've already read Wrinkle (it was amazing, of course). I've never heard of Where the Red Fern Grows, or The Thief of Always, I'll have to check them out. Paulsen's books do go in the teen section (even though I read the Hatchet when I was 11, haha).

Thanks for the suggestions!

Oh, I came up with another. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. I never actually read this, but I bought a copy of it back in that age range and a lot of my friends liked it. I heard a lot of good things about it.

I will warn you with Where the Red Fern Grows, since you haven't heard of it before, it's really sad at the end. Prepare yourself for that.

Glad I could help! I'll keep this in the back of my mind and see if I can remember any other greats from that period of my reading life.

Originally Posted by Cherry Who?

I will warn you with Where the Red Fern Grows, since you haven't heard of it before, it's really sad at the end. Prepare yourself for that.

Glad I could help! I'll keep this in the back of my mind and see if I can remember any other greats from that period of my reading life.

Are we talking Bridge to Terabithia sad, because that mofo broke my heart! (Also Google chrome spell checks Terabithia as Afterbirth. )

Bridge to Afterbirth.

Well, I never read Bridge to Terabithia, so it's hard to say. I know what happens, but having not experienced it in the book, I couldn't say. It's very sad and even a touch gruesome. I could tell you what happens if you'd prefer it be spoiled so it won't be as much of a surprise if you read it.

Originally Posted by Cherry Who?

Bridge to Afterbirth.

Well, I never read Bridge to Terabithia, so it's hard to say. I know what happens, but having not experienced it in the book, I couldn't say. It's very sad and even a touch gruesome. I could tell you what happens if you'd prefer it be spoiled so it won't be as much of a surprise if you read it.

You don't need to spoil it. I got through Watership Down alright, and that's pretty much the most gruesome children's book I've never heard of. Though there is a new series called Finding Zasha, and Saving Zasha, about a boy who steals a German Shepard puppy from Nazi's that may or may not be hard to get through content wise.

Ooh, that does sound like it could be rough.

I haven't read Watership Down yet, but it's on my list. I'll have to steel myself against sadness when I do get to it.

Originally Posted by Cherry Who?

Ooh, that does sound like it could be rough.

I haven't read Watership Down yet, but it's on my list. I'll have to steel myself against sadness when I do get to it.

It's less sadness, I think, and more horror. It isn't graphic, but it doesn't have to be. These are not cuddly-fuzzy-face bunnies. These rabbits are crazy. It's a lot of fun though.

Well, books are more interesting when everyone's unhinged, right?

Oh! Lionboy! By... dammit, I'm so bad at remembering these things.
My mum's a schoolteacher, and she read it to her class. It's a really good book, and I think it has a sequel too.

Originally Posted by Cherry Who?

Well, books are more interesting when everyone's unhinged, right?

They have psychics, and genocide, and crazy cults with blood thirsty cult leaders. It's mad! Reading it I was really surprised it was a kids book. That's being said, I really enjoyed it!

Likewise, the best children's media is the kind that makes you go "this is for kids?!" I watch a few kid's cartoons, and they all have those moments where my jaw is dropping just because it's for kids.

I know! It's especially shocking (and a bit thrilling) to go back and find cartoons and movies we grew up with that are like this.

One of my favorites for that is the movie Return to Oz. It was one of my favorite movies as a kid, but revisiting it now, holy crap, that movie is dark. It's still a little scary.

As a kid my favourite book of all time was Anne Of Green Gables. Me and my dad use to read it together so I think its worth a mention. Another series I really loved as a kid (this is a younger series) but the Stardust series by Linda Chapman, Wonderful series for young girly girls with a big imagination.

KelseyShroom: Hey! You can't live in Atlantic Canada without reading Anne. I will look into Stardust, though. Thank-you!

Stardust made me think of Neil Gaiman which leads me to suggest Coraline. I personally think it's more eerie and mystical than overtly scary. I think The Graveyard Book might be suitable as well if the reader is comfortable enough with the themes.

Another thought I had was The Pirates! series of books but that's going from having seen the film adaptation of The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists so I'm not sure if the books themselves might be aimed at a younger audience than 9.

Oh, another series of books I'd reccommend are the Septimus Heap books. I think they're great. They're about the 7th son of a 7th son, and all the stuff he gets up to. They're quite thick books, for kids, but it's worth the read.

You have an incorrect title in your list; number 17 should be Survivors: The Empty City- I apologize if someone has already pointed this out.

I would suggest The Underland Chronicles series by Suzanne Collins and the Percy Jackson books by rick Riordan and the Kane Chronicles, also by Rick Riordan.

The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville is fantastic, as in pretty much anything by him.

I agree with Bearzy about Septimus Heap

The Goddess Girls books are fun.

Goosebumps are pretty good.

The Dragon Slippers series.

My eleven year old brother loves Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Seekers by Erin Hunter

The City of Ember series.

The Chronicles of the Red King series and the Magician Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo.

I love the Fairy Realm books by Emily Rodda.

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver.

I hope this list helped you out, as you can see I love to read.

The Book of Lies by James Moloney, the problem with this one is that unless you live in New Zealand or Australia it is very difficult to get your hands on the sequel to this and the third book in the series.