Great Books for ‘Tweens

These great reads are recommended for kids in grades 5-8 and can be found
in the Teen Scene. Need more recommendations? Ask a librarian! We’re
happy to help! [List updated 2/2011.]

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson.

In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook, separated from her sick
mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to
cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. Historical.

Never Mind!: A Twin Novel by Avi.

Twelve-year-old New York City twins Meg and Edward have nothing in
common, so they are just as shocked as everyone else when Meg's hopes for
popularity and Edward's mischievous schemes coincidentally collide in a
hilarious showdown. Realistic.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.

When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious
Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine
their talents to solve an international art scandal. Mystery.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.

In October, 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hübener, imprisoned for
distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to
dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German
people. Historical.

Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer [Chronicles of Vladimir Todd series].

For thirteen years, Vlad, aided by his aunt and best friend, has kept secret
that he is half-vampire, but when his missing teacher is replaced by a sinister
substitute, he learns that there is more to being a vampire, and to his
parents' deaths, than he could have guessed. Horror.

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements.

When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his
parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his
condition and how to reverse it. Science Fiction.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer [series].

When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by
capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with
magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. Fantasy.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney.

A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her
real identity. Mystery.

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake.

Thirteen-year-old Maleeka, uncomfortable because her skin is extremely
dark, meets a new teacher with a birthmark on her face and makes some
discoveries about how to love who she is and what she looks like. Realistic.

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan [Rangers’ Apprentice series].

When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the
reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting
the kingdom from danger. Fantasy.

Dear Pen Pal by Heather Vogel Frederick.

Four very different friends in Concord, Massachusetts, and their mothers
continue their book club, reading Jean Webster's "Daddy Long-Legs," while
getting to know their own pen pals from Wyoming. Realistic.

Bounce by Natasha Friend.

Thirteen-year-old Evyn's world is turned upside-down when her father,
widowed since she was a toddler, suddenly decides to marry a woman with
six children, move with Ev and her brother from Maine to Boston, and enroll
her in private school. Realistic.

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez.

In 1961 after Castro has come to power in Cuba, fourteen-year-old Lucia and
her seven-year-old brother are sent to the United States when her parents,
who are not in favor of the new regime, fear that the children will be taken
away from them as others have been. Historical.

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

In 1927, at the urging of twenty-one-year-old Harriet, Mrs. Livingston
reluctantly recalls her experiences at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory,
including miserable working conditions that led to a strike, then the fire that
took the lives of her two best friends, when Harriet, the boss's daughter, was
only five years old. Historical.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale.

On her way to marry a prince she's never met, Princess Anidori is betrayed by
her guards and her lady-in-waiting and must become a goose girl to survive
until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim the crown that is rightfully
hers. Fantasy.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale.

While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls
from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected
talents and connections to her homeland. Fantasy.

Shug by Jenny Han.

A twelve-year-old girl learns about friendship, first loves, and self-worth in a
small town in the South. Realistic.

The Clique by Lisi Harrison [series].

Wealthy Massie is determined to exclude middle class Claire, the daughter of
her father's old friend, from her seventh-grade clique at a very exclusive
private school in Westchester, New York, but after Massie steals her only
friend, Claire strikes back. Realistic.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and
their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent
society. Realistic.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz [Alex Rider series].

After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old
Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's
intelligence agency, MI6. Adventure.

Abduction! by Peg Kehret.

Thirteen-year-old Bonnie has a feeling of foreboding on the very day that her
six-year-old brother Matt and their dog Pookie are abducted, and she
becomes involved in a major search effort as well as a frightening adventure.
Adventure.

Alabama Moon by Watt Key.

After the death of his father, ten-year-old Moon leaves their forest shelter
home and is sent to an Alabama institution, becoming entangled in the
outside world he has never known and making good friends, a relentless
enemy, and finally a new life. Adventure.

Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsberg.

When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-
year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able
to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened. Realistic.

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman.

Eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to detention
attending rehearsals of the school play where, in spite of himself, he
becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that
improve not only the play but his life as well. Realistic.

The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the
receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and
discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. Science
Fiction.

Heat by Mike Lupica.

Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being
banned from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is
only twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof. Realistic.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley.

Harry, bored with her sheltered life in the remote orange-growing colony of
Daria, discovers magic in herself when she is kidnapped by a native king with
mysterious powers. Fantasy.

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski.

After accidentally dropping her cell phone into a fountain at the mall,
fourteen-year-old Devi Banks starts to get phone calls--and an earful of
advice on how to live her life to avoid making disastrous choices--from her
seventeen-year-old self. Realistic (kinda).

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull [series].

When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover
that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good
and evil is looming. Fantasy.

Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

A girl is transformed, through instruction in life at court, determination, and
magic, from sullen, pudgy, graceless Ben into Crown Princess Benevolence, a
fit ruler of the kindgom of Montagne as it faces war with neighboring
Drachensbett. Fantasy.

The Cruisers by Walter Dean Myers.

Friends Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi, caught in the middle of a
mock Civil War at DaVinci Academy, learn the true cost of freedom of speech
when they use their alternative newspaper, The Cruiser, to try to make
peace. Realistic.

Jade Green: A Ghost Story by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

While living with her uncle in a house haunted by the ghost of a young
woman, recently orphaned Judith Sparrow wonders if her one small
transgression causes mysterious happenings. Mystery.

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel [series].

Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl
traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of
mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the
Earth's surface. Fantasy.

East by Edith Pattou.

A young woman journeys to a distant castle on the back of a great white bear
who is the victim of a cruel enchantment. Fantasy.

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver [series].

6,000 years in the past, twelve-year-old Torak and his guide, a wolf cub, set
out on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying
father--to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit seeking a way to destroy
a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans. Fantasy.

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's
struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide
tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Adventure.

My Thirteenth Season by Kristi Roberts.

Already downhearted due to the loss of her mother and her father's
overwhelming grief, thirteen-year-old Fran decides to give up her dream of
becoming the first female in professional baseball after a coach attacks her
just for being a girl. Realistic.

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz.

At the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, eleven-year-old Maud is adopted
by three spinster sisters moonlighting as mediums who take her home and
reveal to her the role she will play in their seances. Historical.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott [series].

While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco,
fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up
in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas
Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book
holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life. Fantasy.

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan [series].

Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter
with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing
choices. Horror.

The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman.

New York high school student Elizabeth gets an after-school job as a page at
the "New-York Circulating Material Repository," and when she gains coveted
access to its Grimm Collection of magical objects, she and the other pages
are drawn into a series of frightening adventures involving mythical creatures
and stolen goods. Fantasy.

Rewind by William Sleator.

Not long after learning that he was adopted, eleven-year-old Peter is hit by a
car and then given several chances to alter events that could lead to his
death. Realistic (kinda).

Zach’s Lie by Roland Smith.

When Jack Osborne is befriended by his school's custodian and a Basque girl,
he begins to adjust to his family’s sudden move to Elko, Nevada, after
entering the Witness Security Program, but the drug cartel against which his
father will testify is determined to track them down. Adventure.

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya
Sones.
A younger sister has a difficult time adjusting to life after her older sister has
a mental breakdown. Realistic.
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.
When his younger brother is diagnosed with leukemia, thirteen-year-old
Steven tries to deal with his complicated emotions, his school life, and his
desire to support his family. Realistic.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and
the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High
School forever. Realistic.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner [series].

Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes
him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious
stone. Fantasy.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen.

In alternating chapters, two teenagers describe how their feelings about
themselves, each other, and their families have changed over the years.
Realistic.

Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief by Wendelin Van Draanen [series].
Thirteen-year-old Sammy’s penchant for speaking her mind gets her in
trouble when she involves herself in the investigation of a robbery at the
"seedy" hotel across the street from the seniors' building where she is living
with her grandmother. Mystery.

Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly.

As the last one to see thirteen-year-old Abby, Emma is determined to
discover the truth about her mysterious disappearance, spurred in part by
her feelings of guilt over ending their friendship in order to ensure popularity
at her new school. Mystery.

So B. It by Sarah Weeks.
After spending her life with her mentally retarded mother and agoraphobic
neighbor, twelve-year-old Heidi sets out from Reno, Nevada, to New York to
find out who she is. Realistic.

Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip.

While serving as co-editors of their school newspaper, middle-schoolers Adam
and Jennifer uncover fraud and corruption in their school and in the city's
government. Mystery.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee.

In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child prodigy Millicent Min
records her struggles to learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with
her grandmother's departure, and make friends over the course of a
tumultuous summer. Realistic.