Books for Young Readers Pre Teens and Tweens: Ages 9-12
Pre Teens, tweens, and middle grade readers (books for ages nine and up) begin to soar with well-developed fantastical worlds, a gentle increase in the complexities of social and emotional plot developments, smaller fonts, and more pages.
With maturity developing and a wide range of reading abilities among preteens and tweens, middle grade novels launch readers into incredible worlds, a gentle increase in the complexities of social and emotional plot developments, smaller fonts, and more pages.
While kids used to read books featuring characters around their age, preteens and tweens begin to “read up”–they often like to read about characters older than themselves while also reserving the right to “read down” at any moment in time. We believe that our job here at The Children’s Book Review is to select excellent middle grade books that cover the many interests, maturity levels and varying ranges of emotional readiness of kids ages 9-12.
Our middle grade book reviews and book lists cover everything from the fun and enjoyable to stories that begin to raise difficult questions. You’ll find fantasy novels, mystery books, historical fiction, graphic novels (books formatted in comic book style), and much, much more.
Here Are a Few Middle Grade Book Lists to Get You Started:
5 Gorgeous Animal Adventure Novels for Middle Grade Readers
5 Laugh-Out-Loud and Reach-for-the-Kleenex Middle Grade Novels
What to Read Next If You Love the Ramona Books
5 Middle Grade Books That I’ll Never Lend Out to Anyone Ever
If you’re a huge fan of middle grade novels and a socialite, digitally speaking, and feel that we must know about one of your favorite books for ages 9-12, then you can send us suggestions on books for preteens and tweens through our Twitter handle, and share your most distinguished books on Instagram or Facebook with #thechildrensbookreview. We’re looking forward to connecting with our fellow bookworms!
Buy recent books and ebooks for preteens and tweens in our Book Shop powered by Amazon.
Books For Kids Ages 9, 10, 11, 12 and Up
Join us for a conversation with Rick Williams, Sr. about the inspiration, imagination, and family collaboration behind the Dragon & Dinosaur Chronicles series.
If you’re building your 2026 middle grade TBR—or stocking classroom and library shelves—Macmillan’s publicity team has you covered.
A young Haitian boy uses the universal language of football and a heartfelt poem to transform a message of personal loss into a global call for peace.
In this sequel, readers will find out what happens after Mo, Dax, Cody, and Nacho survive their first brush with underworld bad guys and rescue Mo’s dad.
Join us for an action-packed conversation with A. Y. Chan about friendship, martial arts, and the heart behind The Legendary Mo Seto: Martial Arts Star.
In this episode, Philip C. Stead shares the inspirations behind A Potion, a Powder, a Little Bit of Magic, his leap into imaginative middle grade fiction.
Here’s a collection of outstanding titles to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution—stories that open up history for children and adults!
Pocket Bear is perfect for readers who treasure their toys, think deeply about love, and have the good sense to trust cats.
A moon vacation becomes a race against time when a young explorer must solve deadly mazes to stop a rogue comet and save Lunaris.
From near-future NASA missions to intergalactic portals, these middle grade reads take young readers on journeys beyond Earth.