Books for Tweens

I have added this page about books for tweens because kids in this age group have such varying interests in what they want to read in their spare time.

Remember, the grade levels are a guideline; if a book interests your child, let them read it -- if it turns out to be too easy or too difficult, they don't have to finish reading it.

If your child enjoys reading books above their grade level, you should make sure your child is mature enough for the subject matter. A couple of ways to decide this is to read the book yourself first or read the book with your child and discuss the issues brought up in the story.

On this books for tweens page, you'll find suggested reading list for fourth through eighth grade. Some of these books would also make a great read aloud for kids in lower grades.

As I find suggested reading lists for high school, I will review them and add pages to this site.

Biographies and autobiographies are books written about the author by the author or books written about someone else's life by someone who know that person or researched their life.

This list of books for tweens could be read either for research or just to find out more about a person.

Through My Eyes by R. Bridges

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by E. Coerr

Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women by C. Harness

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, messes (and what the neighbors thought) by K. Krull

Books for Fourth Grade

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien

Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Ancient Egypt by Joanna Cole & Bruce Degen

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel by Dav Pilkey

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

Martin’s Big Words: The Life if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

by Doreen Rappaport

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Robin Hood – Prince of Outlaws by Bernard Miles

The Secret of the Eagle Feathers by Maura Elizabeth Keleher McKinley

The White Mountains by John Christopher

Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

This is the time in a reader’s life when they start to appreciate literature on their own. They will notice if there are glitches in the plot or if a story is not written well.

They will be making the decisions more and more about what they read and whether or not to keep reading the book.

When they find an author they really like, they will read everything ever written by that author!

Like the nonfiction books for younger readers, these books must be well written, and well researched.

At this grade level, the reader is looking for more detailed information, but not a lot of unnecessary or outdated information.

To clarify the subject matter, these books must include excellent pictures and be designed well to keep the reader’s interest.

Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Jackie Robinson: Baseball’s Civil Rights Legend

by Karen Mueller Coombs

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Baseball in April and Other Stories by Gary Soto

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher

Emily in Love by Susan Goldman Rubin

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

One Night by Marsha Qualey

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Click here to suggest more books for tweens!

These books for tweens would be perfect for making a board game!

Click here to visit the Joy of Reading Book Shop!