By Jaclyn M.
Hello! If you are looking for your next book, this list is for you! I have compiled a list of my favorite books from about 4th grade and up. Note: I purposely left out the most popular ones (i.e. Magic Treehouse, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter…) so I could have more room for the less known, yet just as good, books! Here we go!
1. The One and Only Ivan
By Katherine Applegate
The One and Only Ivan is about an ape named Ivan who was captured to live in a mall. It gets a little sad when someone dies, but overall it’s an inspiring story that highlights animal activism.
2. Girl Meets Ghost
By Lauren Barnholdt
Girl Meets Ghost is about a girl who can see ghosts; it’s her job to figure out what the ghost’s unfinished business is and resolve it. It is a three book series (the other books are Ghost of A Chance and The Harder the Fall).
3. Magic in the Mix
By Annie Barrows
I read this a long time ago when I was about nine. It’s about two girls, Molly and Miri. Molly is from the 1930s but was sent through magic to the modern day to live with Miri as her twin. Everyone remembers Molly as always being Miri’s twin, only the girls themselves have two sets of memories: from their time as sisters and from before. In the book, their house takes them back in time and they have to save their brothers when they get captured during the Civil War. I remember being a little scared at times. So I would recommend it for ages 12+.
4. The Secret Cookie Club
By Martha Freeman
This is a really sweet story about four girls who meet at summer camp and decide to stay friends by mailing letters (and cookies!) to each other throughout the year. I really loved this! And if you like it, too, there are two more books! (“Campfire Cookies” and “P.S. Send More Cookies”).
5. Dance Divas
By Sheryl Berk
This is a series about a group of 10yr old dancers who perform at shows and competitions. The first book is “Showtime!” But there are 3 other books too! (“Two to Tango,” “Step it Up,” and “Let’s Rock!”)
6. Bella’s Birthday Unicorn
By Jessica Burkhart
Bella gets a unicorn on her 8th birthday. But there’s a catch, her aunt, Queen Fire shows up, ruining her birthday. Despite the title, this is actually a thrilling book! If you read this, you will be rushing to order the next!
7. The Vanderbeekers of 141 Street
By Karina Van Glaser
This is one of my all time favorite books! It’s a good read aloud, but also a great book to read to yourself. It’s about a family with five kids: Isa and Jessie (12 year old twins), Oliver (9 years old), Hyacinth (6 years old), and Lanie (4 3/4 years old). Plus a cat (George Washington), a dog (Franz), and a rabbit (Paganini) who live in Harlem. They get another cat, chicken, and more pets later in the series. Each book features a secret mission that the kids try to hide from their parents (planting a garden, saving their brownstone, ruining their sister’s college application, etc). All with good intentions. You will have so much fun tagging along with the Vanderbeeker kids through all of their good-hearted misfit adventures. Sadly the series finale came out in September 2023. But you can still binge read all seven books!
8. The Babysitters Club
By Ann M. Martin
Okay, so I know it’s not exactly the most popular book right now! But seriously though, it may not be the newest book on the market, (so old that your parents remember reading it!) But the fame is well deserved. It’s so compelling that it kept me on the edge of my seat even though I already knew about some events from the Netflix series. Even if you watch the show, that is not an excuse for skipping the books! The show excludes many main events and scenes; in fact, it leaves out sooooooooo much!
9. The Inside Job
By Jackson Pierce
This is about a boy who grows up inside a secret spy organization. He is told his whole life that the opposing spy group is bad, but when his parents go missing, he is told it is because the opposing spy group took them. He sneaks out to save them, but ends up learning that it’s the other way around. The organization he grew up in has plans to destroy the world, while the other one is good, and his parents found out the truth and are now on the run. The whole book is action-packed, and be sure to catch the sequel “Double Cross!”
10. The Unicorn Quest
By Kamila Benko
This is a heartwarming, yet adventurous (borderline scary?) tale about two sisters. While other kids collect things like rocks and cards, 13 year old Sophie collects experiences. And her 10 year old sister Claire always comes along for the ride. So, when Sophie finds a ladder in the fireplace at a new house, of course she climbs it! With Claire close behind, they see a monster! They go back down and Claire makes Sophie promise not to ever climb it again. Sophie does, however, and goes missing in the process, leaving Claire to embark on a crazy journey through the world of Arden to save Sophie. She ends up freeing the last unicorn, realizing that she and her sister are long lost Gemmer princesses, and coming out of her sister’s shadow by having her own experience that Sophie would be proud of. Make sure you read the full series as the book ends on a cliffhanger!
That’s all I have space for, but here is a list of authors and more books that I HIGHLY urge you to read:
Authors:
Diane Zahler
E.D. Baker
Julia Devillers
Lauren Myracle
Jessica Day George
Books:
Misty Inn
Stella Diaz
Nancy Drew Diaries
Heidi Hecklebeck
Goddess Girls
Piper Reed
Just Grace
Sophie Mountain
Sugar Plum Ballerina
The Pages Between Us
Amelia Bedelia
Anastasia
Puppy Place
Nancy Clancy
The Quirks
Whatever After
Best Wishes
Judy Moody
The Fairy Belle Sisters
Stella Bats
Cupcake Diaries
A-Z Mysteries
Geronimo Stilton
Thea Stilton
Candy Fairies
Boxcar Children
Pip Barrett’s Guide to Sea Monsters
London Art Chase
Sparkle Spa
Hello from Renn Lake
Martha Freeman
Princesses, Inc.
The Invincible Girls’ Club
The Wish List
A Crooked Kind of Perfect
Far From Fair
My Fairy Mom and Me
According to Humphrey
Unicorn Magic
Unicorn Riders
The Genie Scheme
Omg (Oh My, Godmother)
The Rose Legacy
Tuesday at the Castle
Ava and Pip
All the Colors of Magic
Birdie’s Book
Wings
Anne of Green Gables
Heidi
Heidi Grows Up
Mischievous Meg
100 Dresses
Jacky Ha Ha
Amari and the Night Brothers
Nice Blake and the Remarkables
The Memory Thief
The Marvel Wood Magicians
The Penderwicks
Vinzi
And that’s all! Have a good day and happy reading!
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