Books for 9yr olds, recommendations please – Xmas not far away…

I’ve two nephews, both really love reading..

Browsing in Waterstones earlier and I’m amazed at the variety and quantity..

With a 9yr old and 7yr old, anyone got any recommendations?

Diary of a Wimpy kid series.

10 year old panthercub no.2 is obsessed with them.

Also .. Horrid Henry series.

Minecraft reference or story books are good if a) they don’t already have then b) they’re into minecraft

Similarly, for the right kids, Star Wars or similar reference books are great (the ones with all the characters and technology for example)

+1 Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Anything Roald Dahl – get a box set?

Lemony Snicket series (may be a bit dark for 7yr old).

My daughter really enjoyed David Walliams books too.

…there’s those Harry Potter books too! More detail than the films. If they’ve only seen the films, they are worth a read.

Jr (nearly 9) loves the Guiness Book of Records.

And any collections of gross jokes 🙄

He enjoyed the Walliams books but they are very undemanding having read all the Potters. He’s currently working through the “Jr” Pratchets (Truckers, Wings, Diggers)

The David Walliams book are very good. My girl (8yrs) is loving them at the moment. Think this generations Roald Dahl.

Skullduggery Pleasant fir the older one and spy dog series for the younger??

Skullduggery Pleasant

thanks for that. Jr will love those. The excerpt on Amazon looks like challenging enough language too.

They’re really good fun, get a bit darker as the series progresses…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicles_of_Ancient_Darkness

All are excellent and aimed at 10 yo’s. A keen reader will lap them up. They may already have them, so best ask first.

my 8 year old is a major bookworm. currently he’s going through the David Walliams series of books and the How to Train Your Dragon books. we’ve also got him a full collection of CS Lewis and Harry Potter books for when he finishes his current books.
he’s read all the Roald Dahl books. in the new year i’m going to start getting him the full Tintin and Asterix collection and also the Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone Fighting Fantasy gamebook collection

My 9 year old loves David Walliams, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Guinness book of records

Cor blimey, brilliant chaps.

Cheers..

Off to Waterstones I go… 8)

The Mr Gum series – made me laugh out loud, bit like Spike Milligan for kids I thought. Totally daft & very random at times!

Any Mr Gum book by Andy Stanton. Brilliant.

The Beast Quest books are good if they like fantasy/dragons etc. My Son (9yrs) loves them.

The Hobbit? My seven year old loved it

book people have the first 9 wimpy kids books in a boxset for £10.

Trouble is 90% of 10 year old boys who read will probably have already read them….

This is the issue I’m worried about with my oldest who is much the same age and likely to finish HP before the end of the year (has already done the complete RD) – so thanks for the suggestions.

Another one for Mr Gum here.

The Septimus Heap series is ideal for a 10 year old.

Artemis Fowl. Good for adults too 😳
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis_Fowl_(series)

Percy Jackson series – my 9 / 10 yr old loves them.

Anything by Anthony Horowitz, Holes, hunger games series, flour babies and plenty more.

Oh yes Percy Jackson also!

My 9 year old loves these Animorphs

Mr Gum. Best kids books ever. I just wish Andy Stanton would hurry up and write some more.

With your background I would have thought a nice set of Arthur Ransome’s books would be a good fit – my daughter loves them. She is also enjoying Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Harry Potters – now thinking of moving onto Philip Pullman.

Mr Gum is fantastic, my kids liked Scream Street which is being made into a tv series apparently.

Go old school, Swallows and Amazons or Professor Brainstawm

Darkmouth series – creatures invading from another dimension sort of thing, but well put together.

Mortal Engines / Fever Crumb series. Dystopian steam punk future with mobile cities, plus the Fever Crumb series are a prequel of sorts. Does get dark, bu my then 8 year old loved them and has re read them alone since. Anything else by Philip Reeve too.

Both series are well written enough for adults to enjoy.

The Hobbit is always good. Artemis Fowl, great, Anthony Horowitz stuff in favour now too.

now thinking of moving onto Philip Pullman.

That is quite a jump! I’m saving those for early tweenage years, they are superb though.

That is quite a jump! I’m saving those for early tweenage years, they are superb though.

She is doing The Firework Maker’s Daughter at school.

I would totally reccomend The ‘rangers apprentice’ series by john flannagan. Great books for 9-10 year olds, especially if they like history!

Right! Before we hit the 12 month black hole of thread destruction…

Stoner Jr, (the one with the voracious appetite for the consumption of literature) has seen Skulduggery Pleasant rise and fall and is looking for new fodder. (by the way, thoroughly loved SP)

I’m excited by Artemis Fowl and Mortal Engines*, and I’ve run them past junior, but he’s not quite up there with the vocab yet. It’s too great a jump, and although he’s up for the fantasy, he’s not ready with the language. He’s 9.

*Previously tipped on other thread I think, though I’ve never read them myself, but what wonderful concepts!

So where am I looking for bridging author? He likes crime solving so I’m thinking a young Sherlock thing?

If your kids like the DOAWK style, then you might also consider the Tom Gates series.

My daughter struggles to read sometimes, but find a book she likes and she’ll rip through it. She’ll finish the Tom Gates i bought her at the weekend sometime tomorrow which is recommendation enough for me.

Lot of love for Walliams on this thread.

I’m reading “The Demon Dentist” to my six year old at the moment, but it does seem pretty dark (breadline poor underprivileged kid, trying to look after his father who is dying of miner’s lung). Got a frog in my throat at a few parts in that.

Might be better suited to nine year olds.

At that age I liked The Lord of the Rings and the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Every home library should have Arthur Ransome’s books, starting with Swallows and Amazons, then there’s Alan Garner’s books, The Owl Service, The Wierdstone Of Brisingamen, The Moon Of Gomrath, Red Shift and Elidor, and a bit more up to date, the YA books by Catherine Webb:
Mirror Dreams (2002)
Mirror Wakes (2003)
Waywalkers (2003)
Timekeepers (2004)
The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle (2006)
The Obsidian Dagger: Being the Further Extraordinary Adventures of Horatio Lyle (2006)
The Doomsday Machine: Another Astounding Adventure of Horatio Lyle (2008)
The Dream Thief: An Extraordinary Horatio Lyle Mystery (2010)
Bear in mind she wrote Mirror Dreams when she was fourteen, and it was published the next year; it’s a remarkably sophisticated story, very reminiscent of Roger Zelazney, one of my all-time favourite writers, who has also written a book that kids of nine or ten upwards would enjoy, A Night In The Lonesome October.

thanks CZ, will go and investigate.

LOTR I think is going to be a stretch.
I have a facsimile of all of ACD’s stuff published in The Strand, but again, I’m not sure it’s entirely approachable for a 9yr old. I’ll have a look.

My just gone 10yr old lad has just started the maximum ride series by James Patterson.
He’s completed the first one and enjoyed it (acid test passed) so looking to continue through all eight.
James Patterson middle school series was good.
Moone Boy rated.
Alex rider box set kept him busy for a while.
Darkmouth as mentioned elsewhere was rated.