ADVANCED NEW FAVES READER BOOKS (Ages 10-12)
The titles in this category are the most complex in the Kids Reads area and are suggested for readers with advanced skills. Many of these books are coming-of-age stories that deal with family difficulties, responsibility, character and the onset of adolescence. Not all of them are serious tomes, however — there’s plenty of fun and great storytelling to be found. Other coming-of-age works with more adult themes and writing can be found in our teen site, The Book Bag on AOL/Teenreads.com.
See if you agree with our selections. See if you don't. Share your opinions with us at: [email protected]. Your very own favorites may just end up on future versions of this list.
NEW FAVES
A Kids Reads new fave is a recently published book that has already proved a hit with kids, parents and booksellers. These books have the potential to become classics.
1. THE BAD BEGINNING (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)
by Lemony Snicket
HarperCollins, 1999
ISBN: 0064407667
Fourteen-year-old Violet Baudelaire, her 12-year-old brother Klaus and their baby sibling, Sunny, are the orphan stars of this wildly fun and mysterious book. Watch out for suspenseful plot twists, gargoyles and a new guardian named Count Olaf who is after the Baudelaire's inheritance. And don't miss the other books in this growing series, which include THE REPTILE ROOM and THE AUSTERE ACADEMY.
2. THE FOLK KEEPER
by Franny Billingsley
Atheneum, 1999
ISBN: 0689828764
Corinna is a folk keeper --- in charge of keeping the wild Folk who live beneath the human world under control. Even though she has a good sense of what she is, Corinna can't quite figure out WHO she is. Come along as she discovers where she --- and her unusual powers --- came from.
3. ESPERANZA RISING
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Scholastic, 2000
ISBN: 0439120411
Everything changes when Esperanza and Mama are forced to leave their very comfortable life in Mexico (servants and all) to work in a farm labor camp in California during the Great Depression. Esperanza must find a way to embrace the good in her new situation.
4. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA
by Jennifer L. Holm
HarperCollins 1999, Paperback 2001
ISBN: 0064408566
Spunky 12-year-old May Amelia and her family are building a life in the wildness of Washington State in 1859. She's a tomboy, brave and right-at-home in the great outdoors. But since she has six older brothers, what Amelia wants most is a baby sister. Find out if she gets one, and how her family deals with the elements as well as the expanding West in this exciting novel.
5. BUD, NOT BUDDY
by Christopher Paul Thomas
Delacorte, 1999
ISBN: 0385323069
In this novel set during the Depression, 10-year-old orphan Bud is tired of being passed from foster home to foster home. He decides to run away and find the man he believes to be his father, a jazz musician named Herman Calloway.
6. KING OF SHADOWS
by Susan Cooper
Simon & Scuster/McElderry, 1999; Aladdin Paperback 2001
ISBN: 068984445X
An American boy named Nathan is thrilled to be chosen to act in a Shakespearean play at London's famous Globe Theatre. But during rehearsals something strange happens --- Nathan falls ill and then wakes up in 1599. History, fantasy theater, and adventure are all rolled into one swell book.
7. HOMELESS BIRD
by Gloria Whelan
HarperCollins, 2000
ISBN: 0060284544
Koly, a 13-year-old girl in India, is getting married. Her family has followed tradition and chosen her husband. But Koly's groom is a very sickly boy, and soon after the wedding day he dies, leaving Koly a widow. Now, with only her talent for reading and embroidery, she must find a way to make a new life for herself in a society that does not encourage independent women.
8. A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO
by Richard Peck
Dial, 1998, Puffin Paperback, 2000
ISBN: 0141303522
In seven short stories, an elderly man remembers the Great Depression and the childhood summer trips he and his sister took from Chicago to rural Illinois to visit their wild Grandma Dowdel --- a real firecracker. Grandma Dowdel tells lies, brews her own beer and outsmarts the local sheriff, for starters. And while you're having a good laugh over these big and bright tales, you'll also find out more about life in the early 1930s when banks shut down, prohibition kicked in and so many people fell on hard times.
9. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY
by Jack Gantos
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1998; HarperCollins Paperback, 2000
ISBN: 0064408337
Joey, a disruptive kid from a dysfunctional home, finally discovers what is partly causing his behavioral problems: Joey has Attention Deficit Disorder. Readers learn more about how he copes with this condition and how he deals with the other complicated situations in his life in this excellently written novel that contains moments poignant and humorous.
10. GETTING NEAR TO BABY
by Audrey Couloumbis
Putnam, 1999
ISBN: 039923389X
Twelve-year-old Willa Jo and Little Sister know their family will never be the same. After their baby sister dies suddenly, the two girls are sent to stay with their Aunt Patty, a woman not very used to having kids around. The author writes crisply, and with good doses of humor, about how Willa Jo and Little Sister come together, moreso than ever before, to deal with their grief.
11. WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN
by Kimberly Willis Holt
Young Yearling, 2001
ISBN: 0440229049
The tiny town of Antler, Texas is never the same after a trailer carrying "The World's Largest Boy" makes the scene. Best friends Toby and Cal are as curious as everyone else at first, but discover there is more to the "Largest Boy" than just his girth. As summer swelters on, the boys also learn a few things about the value of friendship and the importance of family.
12. ELLA ENCHANTED
by Gail Carson Levine
HarperCollins, 1997; Trophy Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0064407055
When Ella is born she receives a magical gift from a fairy named Lucinda. Lucinda gives Ella the gift of obedience, meaning she must obey any command given to her. But the "gift" turns out to be a curse as Ella struggles through difficult times with her mean stepmother and rotten stepsisters who have monopolized Ella's father since her mother died. Now Ella is on a mission to find Lucinda and undo her curse. A spunky, entertaining fantasy.
13. THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY
by E.L. Konigsburg
Atheneum, 1996, Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0689817215
Competing in an academic quiz bowl against 7th and 8th graders might not seem like such a big deal. But for a group of competitive 6th graders, the task seems paramount to climbing Kilmanjaro. Somehow they manage to find inner strength, and discover this is the most important prize. This book won the 1997 Newbery Medal.
14. MICK HARTE WAS HERE
by Barbara Park
Knopf, 1995
ISBN: 0679882030
With heartfelt emotion and humor, Phoebe remembers her brother Mick, who was recently killed in a bicycling accident. Park delivers a strong message of healing --- and a forceful statement in support of wearing bicycle helments.
15. REDWALL
by Brian Jacques
Putnam, 1987, Avon Paperback, 1991
ISBN: 0380708272
Brian Jacques has created an astounding forest subculture where rodents reign and other natural creatures must dodge and dream to determine their own fates. Thousands of young readers eat, sleep and dream Redwall. Yours just might join in the fun.
16. MANIAC MAGEE
by Jerry Spinelli
Little Brown & Co, 1990, HarperTrophy, Paperback, 1992
ISBN: 0064404242
Orphaned Jeffrey Lionel Magee makes a legendary name for himself as an athlete in Two Mills, Pennsylvania, a "Maniac" of activity, so they say. But in time, he must use his inner strength to square off against great challenges including racism and social injustice. This book won the 1991 Newbery Medal.
17. THE MUSIC OF DOLPHINS
by Karen Hesse
Scholastic 1996, Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0590897985
Kids will be fascinated by this novel about a girl raised by dolphins and studied by scientists.
18. THE GIVER
by Lois Lowry
Laureleaf, 1994
ISBN: 0440219078
Lois Lowry won the Newbery Award for her futurist look at life in a society so ordered, so worry-free, a child's destiny is decided even before they mature. She makes even reluctant readers eager to discover exactly how her free thinking protagonist deals with thoughts apart from the norm.
19. WALK TWO MOONS
by Sharon Creech
HarperCollins, 1995
ISBN: 0064405176
Growing up is never easy. Ohio native Sharon Creech explores just how hard it can be in WALK TWO MOONS, the story of a Native American girl who was abandoned by her mother and is struggling with who she is.
20. THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM: 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Yearling, 1996
ISBN: 0440414121
Ten-year-old Kenny Watson describes his family's journey from Michigan to Alabama. They set out to deliver Kenny's older brother to Grandma for an attitude adjustment, and wind up witnessing a black page of American history --- the church bombings in Birmingham.
21. JULIE'S WOLF PACK
by Jean Craighead George
HarperCollins, 1997
ISBN: 0060274069
So many young readers wrote to Jean Craighead George begging for a sequel to JULIE OF THE WOLVES, the story of a girl raised by a wolf pack, she had to break down and respond --- twice, with JULIE and then with the 1997 release of JULIE'S WOLF PACK.
22. BELLE PRATER’S BOY
by Ruth White
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1996, Dell Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0440413729
Two cousins become best friends and help each other cope with their problems, including the mysterious disappearance of one of their mothers, Belle Prater. Set during the 1950s in West Virginia.
23. A GIRL NAMED DISASTER
by Nancy Farmer
Viking, 1996, Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0140386351
A bold heroine stars in this memorable survival tale set in Africa.
24. TUCKET'S RIDE
by Gary Paulsen
Delacorte, 1997; Yearling Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0440411475
Francis and his new family ride the Oregon Trail and also experience the Mexican War in this novel, the third in the Tucket series.
25. MISSING MAY
by Cynthia Rylant
Orchard, 1992; BDD, 1993
ISBN: 0440408652
When her Aunt May dies, Summer grows closer to her Uncle Ob as they both try to grieve and go on living. A heart-wrenching, unforgettable read.
26. SUN & SPOON
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow, 1997
ISBN: 0141300957
When 10-year-old Spoon's grandmother dies, he searches for a special memento of her.
27. LILY'S CROSSING
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Delacorte, 1997
ISBN: 0385321422
In 1944, Lily's father is called to service in WWII and she must deal with her feelings of anxiety and frustration back at home in New York City.
28. HOLES
by Louis Sachar
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN: 0374332657
A hilarious, suspenseful and clever novel full of surprises. It received the 1999 Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award, and the 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, so you know it's a winner.
The titles in this category are the most complex in the Kids Reads area and are suggested for readers with advanced skills. Many of these books are coming-of-age stories that deal with family difficulties, responsibility, character and the onset of adolescence. Not all of them are serious tomes, however — there’s plenty of fun and great storytelling to be found. Other coming-of-age works with more adult themes and writing can be found in our teen site, The Book Bag on AOL/Teenreads.com.
See if you agree with our selections. See if you don't. Share your opinions with us at: [email protected]. Your very own favorites may just end up on future versions of this list.
NEW FAVES
A Kids Reads new fave is a recently published book that has already proved a hit with kids, parents and booksellers. These books have the potential to become classics.
1. THE BAD BEGINNING (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)
by Lemony Snicket
HarperCollins, 1999
ISBN: 0064407667
Fourteen-year-old Violet Baudelaire, her 12-year-old brother Klaus and their baby sibling, Sunny, are the orphan stars of this wildly fun and mysterious book. Watch out for suspenseful plot twists, gargoyles and a new guardian named Count Olaf who is after the Baudelaire's inheritance. And don't miss the other books in this growing series, which include THE REPTILE ROOM and THE AUSTERE ACADEMY.
2. THE FOLK KEEPER
by Franny Billingsley
Atheneum, 1999
ISBN: 0689828764
Corinna is a folk keeper --- in charge of keeping the wild Folk who live beneath the human world under control. Even though she has a good sense of what she is, Corinna can't quite figure out WHO she is. Come along as she discovers where she --- and her unusual powers --- came from.
3. ESPERANZA RISING
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Scholastic, 2000
ISBN: 0439120411
Everything changes when Esperanza and Mama are forced to leave their very comfortable life in Mexico (servants and all) to work in a farm labor camp in California during the Great Depression. Esperanza must find a way to embrace the good in her new situation.
4. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA
by Jennifer L. Holm
HarperCollins 1999, Paperback 2001
ISBN: 0064408566
Spunky 12-year-old May Amelia and her family are building a life in the wildness of Washington State in 1859. She's a tomboy, brave and right-at-home in the great outdoors. But since she has six older brothers, what Amelia wants most is a baby sister. Find out if she gets one, and how her family deals with the elements as well as the expanding West in this exciting novel.
5. BUD, NOT BUDDY
by Christopher Paul Thomas
Delacorte, 1999
ISBN: 0385323069
In this novel set during the Depression, 10-year-old orphan Bud is tired of being passed from foster home to foster home. He decides to run away and find the man he believes to be his father, a jazz musician named Herman Calloway.
6. KING OF SHADOWS
by Susan Cooper
Simon & Scuster/McElderry, 1999; Aladdin Paperback 2001
ISBN: 068984445X
An American boy named Nathan is thrilled to be chosen to act in a Shakespearean play at London's famous Globe Theatre. But during rehearsals something strange happens --- Nathan falls ill and then wakes up in 1599. History, fantasy theater, and adventure are all rolled into one swell book.
7. HOMELESS BIRD
by Gloria Whelan
HarperCollins, 2000
ISBN: 0060284544
Koly, a 13-year-old girl in India, is getting married. Her family has followed tradition and chosen her husband. But Koly's groom is a very sickly boy, and soon after the wedding day he dies, leaving Koly a widow. Now, with only her talent for reading and embroidery, she must find a way to make a new life for herself in a society that does not encourage independent women.
8. A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO
by Richard Peck
Dial, 1998, Puffin Paperback, 2000
ISBN: 0141303522
In seven short stories, an elderly man remembers the Great Depression and the childhood summer trips he and his sister took from Chicago to rural Illinois to visit their wild Grandma Dowdel --- a real firecracker. Grandma Dowdel tells lies, brews her own beer and outsmarts the local sheriff, for starters. And while you're having a good laugh over these big and bright tales, you'll also find out more about life in the early 1930s when banks shut down, prohibition kicked in and so many people fell on hard times.
9. JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY
by Jack Gantos
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1998; HarperCollins Paperback, 2000
ISBN: 0064408337
Joey, a disruptive kid from a dysfunctional home, finally discovers what is partly causing his behavioral problems: Joey has Attention Deficit Disorder. Readers learn more about how he copes with this condition and how he deals with the other complicated situations in his life in this excellently written novel that contains moments poignant and humorous.
10. GETTING NEAR TO BABY
by Audrey Couloumbis
Putnam, 1999
ISBN: 039923389X
Twelve-year-old Willa Jo and Little Sister know their family will never be the same. After their baby sister dies suddenly, the two girls are sent to stay with their Aunt Patty, a woman not very used to having kids around. The author writes crisply, and with good doses of humor, about how Willa Jo and Little Sister come together, moreso than ever before, to deal with their grief.
11. WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN
by Kimberly Willis Holt
Young Yearling, 2001
ISBN: 0440229049
The tiny town of Antler, Texas is never the same after a trailer carrying "The World's Largest Boy" makes the scene. Best friends Toby and Cal are as curious as everyone else at first, but discover there is more to the "Largest Boy" than just his girth. As summer swelters on, the boys also learn a few things about the value of friendship and the importance of family.
12. ELLA ENCHANTED
by Gail Carson Levine
HarperCollins, 1997; Trophy Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0064407055
When Ella is born she receives a magical gift from a fairy named Lucinda. Lucinda gives Ella the gift of obedience, meaning she must obey any command given to her. But the "gift" turns out to be a curse as Ella struggles through difficult times with her mean stepmother and rotten stepsisters who have monopolized Ella's father since her mother died. Now Ella is on a mission to find Lucinda and undo her curse. A spunky, entertaining fantasy.
13. THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY
by E.L. Konigsburg
Atheneum, 1996, Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0689817215
Competing in an academic quiz bowl against 7th and 8th graders might not seem like such a big deal. But for a group of competitive 6th graders, the task seems paramount to climbing Kilmanjaro. Somehow they manage to find inner strength, and discover this is the most important prize. This book won the 1997 Newbery Medal.
14. MICK HARTE WAS HERE
by Barbara Park
Knopf, 1995
ISBN: 0679882030
With heartfelt emotion and humor, Phoebe remembers her brother Mick, who was recently killed in a bicycling accident. Park delivers a strong message of healing --- and a forceful statement in support of wearing bicycle helments.
15. REDWALL
by Brian Jacques
Putnam, 1987, Avon Paperback, 1991
ISBN: 0380708272
Brian Jacques has created an astounding forest subculture where rodents reign and other natural creatures must dodge and dream to determine their own fates. Thousands of young readers eat, sleep and dream Redwall. Yours just might join in the fun.
16. MANIAC MAGEE
by Jerry Spinelli
Little Brown & Co, 1990, HarperTrophy, Paperback, 1992
ISBN: 0064404242
Orphaned Jeffrey Lionel Magee makes a legendary name for himself as an athlete in Two Mills, Pennsylvania, a "Maniac" of activity, so they say. But in time, he must use his inner strength to square off against great challenges including racism and social injustice. This book won the 1991 Newbery Medal.
17. THE MUSIC OF DOLPHINS
by Karen Hesse
Scholastic 1996, Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0590897985
Kids will be fascinated by this novel about a girl raised by dolphins and studied by scientists.
18. THE GIVER
by Lois Lowry
Laureleaf, 1994
ISBN: 0440219078
Lois Lowry won the Newbery Award for her futurist look at life in a society so ordered, so worry-free, a child's destiny is decided even before they mature. She makes even reluctant readers eager to discover exactly how her free thinking protagonist deals with thoughts apart from the norm.
19. WALK TWO MOONS
by Sharon Creech
HarperCollins, 1995
ISBN: 0064405176
Growing up is never easy. Ohio native Sharon Creech explores just how hard it can be in WALK TWO MOONS, the story of a Native American girl who was abandoned by her mother and is struggling with who she is.
20. THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM: 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Yearling, 1996
ISBN: 0440414121
Ten-year-old Kenny Watson describes his family's journey from Michigan to Alabama. They set out to deliver Kenny's older brother to Grandma for an attitude adjustment, and wind up witnessing a black page of American history --- the church bombings in Birmingham.
21. JULIE'S WOLF PACK
by Jean Craighead George
HarperCollins, 1997
ISBN: 0060274069
So many young readers wrote to Jean Craighead George begging for a sequel to JULIE OF THE WOLVES, the story of a girl raised by a wolf pack, she had to break down and respond --- twice, with JULIE and then with the 1997 release of JULIE'S WOLF PACK.
22. BELLE PRATER’S BOY
by Ruth White
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1996, Dell Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0440413729
Two cousins become best friends and help each other cope with their problems, including the mysterious disappearance of one of their mothers, Belle Prater. Set during the 1950s in West Virginia.
23. A GIRL NAMED DISASTER
by Nancy Farmer
Viking, 1996, Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0140386351
A bold heroine stars in this memorable survival tale set in Africa.
24. TUCKET'S RIDE
by Gary Paulsen
Delacorte, 1997; Yearling Paperback, 1998
ISBN: 0440411475
Francis and his new family ride the Oregon Trail and also experience the Mexican War in this novel, the third in the Tucket series.
25. MISSING MAY
by Cynthia Rylant
Orchard, 1992; BDD, 1993
ISBN: 0440408652
When her Aunt May dies, Summer grows closer to her Uncle Ob as they both try to grieve and go on living. A heart-wrenching, unforgettable read.
26. SUN & SPOON
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow, 1997
ISBN: 0141300957
When 10-year-old Spoon's grandmother dies, he searches for a special memento of her.
27. LILY'S CROSSING
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Delacorte, 1997
ISBN: 0385321422
In 1944, Lily's father is called to service in WWII and she must deal with her feelings of anxiety and frustration back at home in New York City.
28. HOLES
by Louis Sachar
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN: 0374332657
A hilarious, suspenseful and clever novel full of surprises. It received the 1999 Newbery Medal, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award, and the 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, so you know it's a winner.