New Chapter Books to Keep Your Kids Reading (Ages 9 – 12)

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Affiliate Links 150 2Are your kids psyched to read this summer? Or reluctant?

Either way, it always helps to get good books — so Here are recently published chapter books that your kids will LOVE!

Bot Wars
Bot Wars
by J.V. Kade (sci-fi / adventure)
Trout’s dad disappeared in The Bot Wars. When Trout makes a plea for his missing dad on a vid that goes viral, things go crazy FAST. Like the government trying to kidnap him. What to they know that he doesn’t know? A fast-paced, excellent adventure!

Petrified Man
P.K. Pinkerton and the Petrified Man
by Carolinen Lawrence (historical fiction / mystery)
12-year old P.K., a private-eye, lives in the wild west and is a brilliant individual who is hired to solve the murder. P.K.’s characteristics will make adults think of Aspergers – brilliant, prefers to be alone, collects cigars. It’s an entertaining mystery with a fun historical bent.


Chapter Books
Saige
by Jessie Hass (realistic fiction)
Saige (besides being the American Girl Doll of 2013) lives in the balloon capitol of America – Albequerque,New Mexico. She loves horses and art, and is fortunate to have a grandmother who is a professional artist and who owns her own horses, a special breed, Spanish Barbs. Saige faces challenges to overcome with not just friends and family but also with trying to convince her school to bring back art classes. A delightful, inspiring book!

The School for Good and Evil
The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (fantasy)
If you’re going to read a book with or to your kids, this would be perfect. The theme is a good one: are people all good or all evil? I loved it  it really made me think! The School for Good and Evil trains kids to be either heroes of villains. When the next two children are forcefully taken to attend the school, Sophie, a beautiful (yet stuck-up) princess-type, can’t wait to go to the School for Good and tells the other girl, Agatha, a black-wearing, drab classmate, that Agatha is Evil. Only that’s not what happens. Sophie is put in the School for Evil while Agatha goes to the School for Good. Now Sophie spends all her time trying to get into the School for Evil and enlists Agatha’s help. Even if it means manipulation. Or worse. EXCELLENT!

sasquatch-escape
The Sasquatch Escape
 by Suzanne Selfors (fantasy)
Ben doesn’t think his summer could be any more boring. Until the baby dragon. When Ben and Pearl Petal discover a veterinarian for imaginary creatures, instead of helping the dragon, they accidentally let a sasquatch escape. Big whoops. Now the pair must lure him back to the vets. (Easier said than done.) Lots of fun!


The Last Dogs Dark Waters
by Christopher Holt (sci-fi)
The second book in one of my new favorite series, Dark Waters continues where The Vanishing left off. The dogs continue their journey to find the missing humans. But in this adventure, they discover just what happened — science to increase animal’s intelligence turned deadly. Will the super-smart pig and elephant at the zoo help the dogs or try to infect them with the virus? Very well written and action-packed!

The Menagerie
The Menagerie
by Tui Sutherland (fantasy)
Stuck in a small town in Wyoming just after his mother disappeared, Logan’s life gets even more strange when he finds a griffin under his bed. Which he learns is connected to Zoe Kahn, a very strange girl in his class at school. Who tells him about their family’s menagerie for the protection of magical creatures. Soon the duo realize that the griffins didn’t escape, they were let out. Now they must find the culprit fast before the menagerie is shut down. A quick, fun read!

Wells Bequest
The Wells Bequest
by Polly Shulman (adventure – science fiction)
I just started this book and can already tell that would be a good book for kids who love science and adventure. The hero, Leo, loves science and is researching for a school report (in a magical library of objects) when he stumbles on robots and other inventions from science fiction novels. It is up to him to journey through time to warn scientist Nikola Tesla about a dangerous invention. Second in The Grimm Legacy series.


The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Michael Vey #1)
by Richard Paul Evans (sci-fi, adventure)
Not new but a fantastic read about a boy with electrical powers, and an evil group who wants to control him and others like him.


The Genius Files
by Dan Gutman (realistic, adventure)
I didn’t love this series but lots of people do so you might check out the latest book, #3. It’s about genius twins who are meant to save the world.

Chapter Books that Look Great & Get Good Reviews (on my nightstand)


Rump
by Liesel Shurltiff (fantasy)


Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Librar
y by Chris Grabenstein (realistic)


Story’s End
by Marissa Burt (fairy tale)
We just finished reading aloud Story Bound (LOVE!!) and can’t wait to start the sequel.


Spy Camp
by Stuart Gibbs (realistic, adventure)


Because of Mr. Terupt
by Rob Buyea (realistic)


Out of My Mind
by Sharon Draper (realistic)


The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet: An Origami Yoda Book
by Tom Angleberger (realistic, sort of)


Jinx
by Sage Blackwell (fantasy)


The Cupcake Diaries
collection by Coco Simon (both my girls liked these books – realistic)


Lisa Papedemetriou’s Confectionately Yours books (11 year old loved these books – realistic)


The Teashop Girls
by Laura Schaefer (realistic)

Books That Didn’t Make This List (because they weren’t that great)

The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis

Black Helicopters by Blythe Woolston

Loki’s Wolves by K.L. Armstrong

House of Secrets by Chris Columbus

What are you reading this summer that you can recommend to us?

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Also, don’t miss this: 26 books for kids who like Harry Potter, books for kids who like Diary of a Wimpy Kidbooks for kids who like Junie B. Jones and best chapter books series that kids will love

I’ve added each of these books to my new master book lists by age.

Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest and Facebook for more ideas!

Summer Reading Book Lists

Picture Book List for Pre-Readers

1st Grade Reading List (age 6 – 7)

2nd Grade Reading List (age 7 – 8)

3rd Grade Reading List (age 8 – 9)

4th Grade Reading List (age 9 – 10)

5th Grade Reading List (age 10 – 11)

6th Grade Reading List (age 11 – 12)

7th Grade Reading List (age 12 – 13)

8th Grade Reading List (age 13 and up / teen)

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7 Comments

  1. My youngest son (8) LOVED Escape for Mr. Lemoncello’s Library!! We took turns reading it aloud but it was an easy enough read he could have managed it himself. Although, he is my child who read the hobbit at barely 7 years old because he wanted to see the movie, so it may be a bit tougher for a newer reader? My daughter (barely 14) loved Out of My Mind, and is currently obsessed with The Fault in Our Stars. I guess we’ll be at a theatre at midnight around this time next week…
    My middle son’s favorites weren’t on your list, but I wanted to share them. He’s my child who HATES to read, so I don’t take his recommendations lightly. He loved Roar (& its sequel Whisper), the Legend series (3 books), and Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation (2 books out, the 3rd might be also by now).
    Thanks for compiling these reading lists! It always helps to have reviews in mind when I head to the library with my children, all of whom would read the same book over and over and never pick anything else if I left them to their own devices! 😉

  2. I just finished reading Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill and loved it. Right now, I’m reading Pie by Sarah Weeks.

  3. We are really enjoying Timmy Failure and while it’s very Diary of a Wimpy Kid-like it has GREAT vocabulary snuck in!

  4. I have a 9 year old boy who is not into magic or mystery, but loves the Origami Yoda series and can’t wait to get his hands on the 4th book! If anyone has other suggestions for him please let me know.