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Book Club Picks for Kids ages 9-12

	Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips Author: Michael Morpurgo When Boowie reads the diary that his grandmother sends him, he learns of her childhood in World War II England when American and British soldiers practiced for D-Day's invasion in the area of her home, and about her beloved cat, Adolphus Tip, and the cat's namesake.
	Best Bad Luck I Ever Had Author: Kristin Levine In Moundville, Alabama, in 1917, twelve-year-old Dit hopes the new postmaster will have a son his age, but instead he meets Emma, who is black, and their friendship challenges accepted ways of thinking, leading them to save the life of a condemned man.
	Candy Shop War Author: Brandon Mull When fifth-graders Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon meet the owner of the new candy store in town and are given a magical candy that endows them with super powers, they find that along with its benefits there are also dangerous consequences.
	Countdown Author: Deborah Wiles Franny Chapman just wants some peace. But that's hard to get when her best friend is feuding with her, her sister has disappeared, and her uncle is fighting an old war in his head. It's 1962 and it seems the whole country is living in fear, just waiting for a bomb to fall.
	Dragon's child: a story of Angel Island Author: Laurence Yep Ten-year-old Gim Lew leaves his village in China to accompany his father to America, but before they go he must prepare to pass a grueling test--without stuttering--at California's Angel Island, where officials strive to keep out unwanted immigrants. Includes facts about immigration from China and the experiences of the author's family.
	Eager Author: Helen Fox It's the end of the 21st century where technocrats rule and robots take care of humans’ every need. Your house watches you, knows your secrets, and talks to you. And your closest friend can be—a machine?
	Esperanza Rising Author: Pam Munoz Ryan Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
	Every Soul a Star Author: Wendy Mass Brought together to watch a rare solar eclipse at the isolated Moon Shadow Campground, Ally, Bree, and Jack may have arrived as strangers but the experience of what they witness makes them connect with each other in ways they could have never imagined.
	Everything on a Waffle Author: Polly Horvath Eleven-year-old Primrose living in a small fishing village in British Columbia recounts her experiences and all that she learns about human nature and the unpredictability of life in the months after her parents are lost at sea.
	Extra Credit Author: Andrew Clements As letters flow back and forth, between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides, sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.
	Feathers Author: Jacqueline Woodson When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.
	Genie Scheme Author: Kimberly K. Jones When twelve-year-old Janna, who lives in a small house with her single mother, helps a homeless woman who turns out to be a genie, she discovers how interconnected the world really is.
	Great Wall of Lucy Wu Author: Wendy Wan-Long Shang Eleven-year-old aspiring basketball star and interior designer Lucy Wu is excited about finally having her own bedroom, until she learns that her great-aunt is coming to visit and Lucy will have to share a room with her. This shatters her plans for a perfect sixth-grade year.
	Home of the Brave Author: Katherine Applegate Kek, an African refugee, is confronted by many strange things at his Minneapolis home, as well as in his new fifth grade classroom. He longs for his missing mother somewhere in an African refugee camp, but finds a sense of peace and comfort in the company of an American cow and her owner.
	How to Steal a Dog Author: Barbara O’Connor Living in the family car in their small North Carolina town after their father leaves them virtually penniless, Georgina is desperate to improve their situation. She persuades her younger brother to help her in an elaborate scheme to get money by stealing a dog and then claiming the reward.
	Hundred Dresses Author: Eleanor Estes A young immigrant girl is teased about wearing the same faded dress to school every day and telling a fib about owning one hundred dresses results in even more teasing. Suddenly an event takes place teaching them all an important lesson about friendship and compassion.
	Jake Author: Audrey Couloubis Ten-year-old Jake's widowed mother breaks her leg just before Christmas, while her sister and best friend are both away. A grandfather Jake barely remembers comes to Baltimore, Maryland to help a neighbor take care of him.
	Liar and Spy Author: Rebecca Stead Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father's efforts to start a new business, his mother's extra shifts as a nurse, and being picked on at school. He begins helping Safer, a neighbor boy, spy on another resident of their building.
	Lions of Little Rock Author: Kristine Levine In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism.
	Listening For Lions Author: Gloria Whelan Left an orphan after the influenza epidemic in British East Africa in 1918, thirteen-year-old Rachel is tricked into assuming a deceased neighbor's identity to travel to England, where her only dream is to return to Africa and rebuild her parents' mission hospital.
	Long Walk to Water Author: Linda Sue Park When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of a safe haven. Based on the life of Salva Dut, who, after emigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water wells in Sudan.
	Magic Half Author: Annie Barrows Eleven-year-old Miri Gill feels left out in her family, which has two sets of twins and her, until she travels back in time to 1935 and discovers Molly, her own lost twin, and brings her back to the present day.
	May B. Author: Caroline Starr Rose A gripping novel in verse follows the experiences of young May, who is separated from her family when she is sent to help at a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead and who struggles for survival when she is abandoned and left to fend for herself in an isolated, snow-covered sod house.
	Mockingbird Author: Kathryn Erskine In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. She relies on her older brother to explain in-between things until his death forces her to cope with feelings and develop self-reliance.
	Penny Dreadful Author: Laurel Snyder When her father suddenly quits his job, the almost-ten-year-old, friendless Penny and her parents leave their privileged life in the city for a ramshackle property in the eccentric town full of characters and new exciting adventures.
	Phantom Tollbooth Author: Jules Feiffer A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom.
	Princess Academy Author: 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.
	Red Scarf Girl Author: Ji-li Jiang In 1966 Ji-li Jian was 12 years old. And outstanding student and a leader of her class, she had a shining future in Chairman Mao's New China. Told with simplicity, innocence and grace, this unforgettable memoir gives a child's-eye view of the Chinese Revolution and of one family's indomitable courage under fire.
	Riding Freedom Author: Pam Munoz Ryan A fictionalized account based on a true story of Charley (Charlotte) Parkhurst who ran away from an orphanage, posed as a boy, moved to California, and fooled everyone by her appearance as a cowboy.
	Shredderman Secret Identity Author: Wendelin Van Draanen Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity--Shredderman!
	Three Times Lucky Author: Sheila Turnage Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a café and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.
	Walk Two Moons Author: Sharon Creech After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.
	Wonder Author: R.J. Palacio Auggie Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and being the new kid is going to be extra hard. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?
	Wonderstruck Author: Brian Selznick Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City. There he meets Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.