Books for 9 year olds

[hobish]

This list has been a great inspiration for books to buy for a 10 year old.   

[Nightboomfer]

It's been a while, but I think Superfudge (and its predecessor, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing) are pretty fun books for that age level.

[nolechica]

It's been a while, but I think Superfudge (and its predecessor, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing) are pretty fun books for that age level.

True, but books with grades in the title were always more fun to read in that grade...for me at least.

[Kendo_Bunny]

Betsy~Tacy- Maud Hart Lovelace- it's a growing series, with each book getting progressively longer and more complicated. It takes place in turn-of-the-century Minnesota, with the final books taking her through European travel and marriage at the eve of WWI.
Caddie Woodlawn- Carol Ryrie Brink. Great for anyone who loves the Little House books. Caddie's much more tomboyish than Laura, though both are really great fun.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer- Mark Twain. Classic, and my absolute favorite book at 8, so she may enjoy it.
101 Dalmatians- Dodie Smith. The movies are based on this book, but they are nowhere near as charming.
The Wizard of Oz series- L. Frank Baum. My favorite of these was The Road to Oz, all about Ozma's birthday party.
Matilda- Roald Dahl. Great for any child who loves reading. Actually, any books by Roald Dahl are good except the adult ones (My Uncle Oswald, Kiss Kiss, and Switch *word for woman that rhymes with switch*). I particularly suggest Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Danny, Champion of the World.
The All-of-a-Kind Family- Sydney Taylor. Details the lives of a Jewish family on the East Side of New York in the early 1900's with humor and warmth. Has a full series, if you can find it.
Alice in Wonderland and Her Adventures Through the Looking-Glass- Lewis Carroll. Even if she can't understand the political satire now, she'll probably enjoy the whimsy.
Catherine Called Birdy- Karen Cushman. Fiesty mideval lady and a lot of fun all around.
Young Joan- Barbara Dana. The story of the life of young Joan of Arc. I loved this around that age, but it depends on whether you want to buy her religious books.


Some other books I loved- Peter Pan, Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Little Women, Star Wars books (though those are a bit specific...), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, books on Greek mythology- my favorite being D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, Tanglewood Tales, Number the Stars, The Indian in the Cupboard, the Little House series, and books by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

And those are just the ones I have on my shelves I also have A Series of Unfortunate Events and Harry Potter, but these are ones I read somewhere around the same age. Of course, ever since I was 2, I've been reading everything I could get my hands on. I absolutely loved The Hiding Place and Pilgrim's Progress, but those might be a little heavy for her. My favorite book at 10 was Catch-22, and my favorite at 11 was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but again, I was a really weird kid.

[momto3daughters]

I got an Angel from our Angel Tree this year who's 9 years old.  It's a girl, and she wants books.  I need help with some ideas on what to get, as it's been a couple of years since I was 9.

I'd really like to get some classics rather than "pop" stuff now.  What would be good?  Probably every girl needs some "Nancy Drew", right?  Would this be age-appropriate for a 9 year old?

What else fits that age group that "every little girl needs in her library"?

As a mom to a 9 year old may I suggest Animal Ark Series. Its a huge series all about animals, teaches about responsibility and gives them a lesson.

Also something You MAY want to do is give a book and then a gift card, I know my daughter (the oldest one) who loves books enjoys nothing more in the world than shopping for her own books.

[momto3daughters]

Just as an aside, my daughter is 7 and in second grade and she and most of her friends have already outgrown Junie B and are on their way out of Magic Treehouse.  A 9 year old (especially if she is an avid reader) may find those books too young for them.

Yeah, I was gonna say. Junie B. Jones is WAY young for a 9-year-old. I would have been reading those books in kindergarten - but I wouldn't go by my reading level, because I was reading in 2 languages by the age of 4 and at a college level by the age of 9.

My daughters were reading Junie B Jones in third grade, they were struggling readers but if you look at the JBJ series in the AR reading they are classified older second grader and third grade reading level.

I agree. My son is in kindergarten and reading Junie B. My daughter is in 2nd grade and has read all of her Junie B. books several times and has moved past them now. I just gave her a stack of my old Nancy Drew books, which are more challenging for her (not only for their outdated language, but also just because of bigger words she needs to learn from context). I love seeing her read those books as avidly as I did.

I'm starting to feel a little bad about teh Junie B books now.  DD loved them and read all she had several times.  She reads other books, too, and is at a high school reading level.  Perhaps children like the occasion bit of 'fluff' too?  Popular didn't mean best option.    Forgive me.

[RainhaDoTexugo]

Momto3daughters, LOTS of kids like fluff!  So do adults, for that matter!  I read and loved Of Mice and Men in 3rd grade, but I didn't abandon my Sweet Valley Twins books, and I know plenty of intelligent women on this board still read gossip magazines, which may be fun, but don't have much value as "literature."  There's nothing wrong with your DD reading Junie B books, and there's nothing wrong with you suggesting them.

For the record, I've worked with a few third graders who love Junie B.

[extranormal]

Actually, any books by Roald Dahl are good except the adult ones (My Uncle Oswald, Kiss Kiss, and Switch *word for woman that rhymes with switch*).

Pod. I can't wait until my DS is old enough that I can foist Roald's grown-up books on him, as I think many of those stories are magnificent. Every time my husband dawdles when I'm in a hurry, I point out that I will NOT rescue him when he gets trapped in the elevator. And Royal Jelly creeps me out to this day.

[Kendo_Bunny]

Heh, I loved those books, but definitely not for kids.

[lowwinddays]

Diary of Anne Frank.

[nolechica]

I love fluff as a kid, read Baby-Sitters Club and many versions of Sweet Valley (Kids, Twins, High, University) as brain candy.  I never enjoyed classics honestly, and I never read for a challenge, but for enjoyment.  Authors that were paid by the word are not something I ever enjoyed.  Only long book I read as a kid and liked was Gone With The Wind.  Plus, I'm not much of a fiction fan, so many classics were wasted on me.

[DottyG]

Bumping this thread up

[hobish]

Bumping again. This is a really helpful thread!

[DottyG]

Bumping this up in case anyone's in the market for books this Christmas season.

I have another Angel this year.  This one's 8, so I might be able to use the ideas in this thread again this year.

[Zen Angel]

I was a big fan of the Trixie Belden books at that age; I think they are considered "classics" now. I agree with the poster who suggested the "Little House" books as well.