20+ Amazing Books for 9 Year Olds

Ava loves nature and wishes she could spend more time in the woods instead of her family’s Manhattan apartment. Fortune seems to smile on her when her auntie Raven, who is estranged from her mom, allows her to come spend the summer in the Adirondacks with her. A summer stay turns into a year-long stay with Ava’s parent’s permission. However, a miscommunication leads to Ava being stuck at the cottage in the winter and having to survive on her own before help comes. This is a riveting survival story with major appeal for upper elementary and younger middle schoolers who love survival stories like Hatchet and Alone. Ages 9+

William “Scoob” Lamar is hoping to make a clean getaway with his white G-ma. Especially because his dad is mad at him after an unpleasant school incident and subsequent suspension. At first he’s happy to be spending time with this G-ma, but soon, he realizes that this isn’t quite the trip he expected. As Scoob and G-ma travel through the US South, G-ma lets him into family history: his grandfather’s life, G-ma’s misdeeds and what life was like when Black people needed the Green Book to move through the US. This is a fast-paced, clever story full of twists and a sense of adventure.

This is an engaging survival story about three cousins–two sisters and their cousin, Owen–who get separated from their parents when an earthquake strikes during a hiking trip. The three kids are dealing with individual challenges in their lives, and as they try to hike a long route to reconnect with their families, they also make time for healing together. I love how much this book celebrates nature while being appropriate for younger middle grade readers, and maintaining a strong sense of adventure. Also, one of the kids loves cooking, and I just adored all the foodie scenes on the trail. Hand to kids who loved Downing’s Just Keep Walking and Lang’s Out of Range. Grades 4-7

This book by comedian Kate McKinnon is a delightful riot. Set in a quirky world where a group of girls get invited to join a school of etiquette that is really a training school for female mad scientists who will save the world, this book took me on the most fun rollercoaster plot and the audiobook is EXCELLENT!

Yumi, the book’s young heroine, wants to be a stand-up comic, but her immigrant Korean parents want a different path for her. When Yumi ends up in a comedy camp as a result of mistaken identity, she grabs the opportunity with both hands. This book is funny and relatable and features stand-up comedy, so if you have any young wannabe comedians, it will be extra appealing. 

Dee is excited about middle school until her best friend stops talking to her and starts hanging out with the popular crowd. It doesn’t help that Dee’s mom is a bit… quirky. Quirky, like she fell in school and accidentally showed her underwear to all the kids, making Dee the subject of teasing. But things start to look up for Dee when she gives some good advice to a kid in distress in the school bathroom. Soon more kids start coming to her for advice, but her friend and family woes aren’t far behind — especially when her mom starts dating her P.E. teacher. I liked this book a lot, even though it is a bit quirky and far-fetched. It’s a relatable fish-out-of-water story about a girl who figures out how to embrace everything she is and appreciate her strengths. I’d hand it to new middle schoolers trying to find their feet (especially with friend drama).

Maya enjoys playing soccer, but especially so because it makes her sports-obsessed dad happy. She’s convinced herself that to be a great soccer player and be picked by a junior league, she needs to stop focusing on the other thing she loves (but won’t admit to loving as much): playing her flute. But when her parents tell her they’re separating and friendship with her bestie starts to evolve with the addition of a third friend, Maya begins to feel really lost and it’s tough to figure out what she wants. Thankfully, she has a trusty wheel of fortunes she made from fortune cookie fortunes she’s collected over time. This is a great addition to stories about families experiencing parental separation, kids trying to find their passions, and separating one’s goals from external validation.

Willow (Lolo) Weaver’s summer is not going well. Her grandfather has recently died, her grandma isn’t herself, and she’s given away her grandfather’s foster dog, Hank. Lolo’s mother is heavily pregnant, and Lolo is in summer school because she didn’t do too well in her last exams. On top of that, their lake town isn’t a lake town anymore because the lake’s been drained and smells awful now. Lolo wants to help her grandmother feel better, and she’s convinced that getting back her grandfather’s dog will do the trick. The only problem is that the dog now belongs to someone else. So Lolo gets on Pop’s boat to steal Hank back—only to run into her summer school classmate, Noah (who’s the new dog owner). Lolo Weaver Swims Upstream is a charming story about persistence, unlikely friendships, and the enduring love for a grandparent despite the odds. 

After she and her dad move from Brooklyn to Florida, Bree is excited for her first day in middle school. But also, she’s super anxious about whether she’ll make friends and fit in. Thankfully, she makes a new friend in the housing complex where they live. Unfortunately, when Bree goes to choose her math club elective, it’s fully booked. As a math lover who can’t swim, she’s crushed to hear that the only elective left is swim 101. At first, Bree avoids getting in the water, but after a near-drowning in her housing complex, an elderly neighbor (who used to be part of her swim team) decides to coach Bree. Bree gets so good that she joins her swim team, but can the team get past the drama and win? This is a highly engaging graphic novel about swimming, Black history (and why many Blacks don’t swim), and friendship.

When his family moves in the middle of the school year, Stanley wishes he could be invisible because being the new kid is too hard. Then he’s caught in a spill during the science fair and his wish comes true: he’s invisible. There’s only one problem: the kid who made the potion is not pleased! Can Stanley escape his wrath? This is such a fun sci-fi graphic novel for kids who love funny books with plenty of hijinks. Ages 8+

This is a hilarious graphic novel for fans of Squished and The Vanderbeekers about a girl who is sick of her little siblings but gets stuck at home with them when they all get chickenpox. Set in Indonesia and roughly based on Lai’s own experiences but written from her older sister’s perspective, this book will sing to firstborns but also to any sibling in a large family who’s trying to find their voice and see the gift their siblings are to them. I loved the funny depictions of life with chickenpox, the tween angst and gossip as Abby navigates her friend group and friendships that may or may not be crushes. While there is some sibling angst, this one has a lovely, heartwarming resolution and will appeal to kids between the ages of 8 and 12.

 The Tryout follows young Christina as she tries out for her middle school’s cheerleading team. As one of the few Asians in her small Texas town, Christina and her Iranian-American best friend are nervous about trying out, but determined to give their best. Unfortunately, tryouts quickly lead to heartbreak when Megan decides to partner up with another girl, leaving Christina to fend for herself. Can the girls make it work? This is a fantastic graphic memoir that will appeal to fans of sports stories and books about life as a minority and child of immigrants.

I truly loved this graphic novel about three friends who start a dog-walking business. It feels true to kids (feels like something I would’ve LOVED as a child who adored The Babysitters’ Club), and I enjoyed seeing the ethnic diversity and the parental involvement in this story. If you have kids who love animals or have an entrepreneurial streak, this is the book for them. It’s also delightfully short, and this is a series I totally plan to keep up with since every book is from a different girl’s perspective.

Charlie is the new kid for the umpteenth time, but this time, things will be different. Her dad is no longer in the military, and this is a more permanent home, so she feels more pressure to find and impress some new friends. When she meets a cool group of Black girls with varying interests, she decides to hide her “babyish” style and hobbies to befriend them. But she soon learns that with true friends, you can be your whole self. This is the cute first book in a new graphic novel series about Black hair, girlfriends, fashion, and adjusting to change.

Something terrible is happening in the skies! Rats are eating the MOON! Only one hero can stop them: a cat with a microchip-enhanced brain. Along with the Moon Queen and a toe-clipping robot, the first cat in space has his work cut out for him. This book is bizarre (in the best way) but so entertaining, creative, and cinematic. Tween boys won’t be able to stop flipping the pages.

Best friends Ronny and Jo learn what friendship, community, and kindness mean in this heartwarming, funny story set in the snowy days leading up to the holidays. Jo is a cellist struggling with performance anxiety, while Ronny is reeling from discovering a “final notice” warning among his parents’ stack of bills. Told from alternating perspectives, this story is warm, sweet, and absolutely delightful. Bonus points for ADHD and Latino representation.

Hank Hooperman has been alone with his 3-year-old sister Boo since their mother left the house a week ago. Armed with the name of someone his mother wrote as her emergency contact on his field trip form, Hank takes the bus to Lou Adler’s doorstep. There, he and his sister start to find some sort of normalcy until Hank’s 10th mistake threatens to cost him everything that means something to him. Hank is a character to love and truly one to root for every step of the way!

Set during the holiday season, this is a cute story about twin sisters separated at birth and adopted by different families. Aviva is adopted by a Jewish family. Her father is Black and converted to Judaism to marry her mother, so she has black siblings. Holly was adopted by a single mother who is Christian and lives with her Gramps and mom. The two girls meet at a home for seniors where Aviva’s Bubbe lives, and Holly’s mom hopes to house Gramps, who’s been having some falls lately. They soon hatch a plan to switch houses a la The Parent Trap and learn about each other’s families. This story is a comfortingly cozy, Hallmark channel-y collaboration, with some musings about Hanukkah vs Christmas, being adopted, being Black and Jewish, and stepping out of your comfort zone. Ages 9+

This book is about two Sophies–one preteen and an octogenarian–who are friends, best friends. Older Sophie is losing her memory and is at risk of being moved to a nursing home by her son and younger Sophie is determined to help prove that her friend has still got it. She ends up learning more than she bargained for about life, history, and her friend’s life. Very sweet, very much a classic, touching, and with historical elements that add a healthy heft to the story. Lowry’s writing is gorgeous and thoughtful but also accessible. Darling!

Jillian is a shy fifth grader who is put to the test when her teacher suggests that she join the Mind Bender quiz competition. Her class is also learning about chick development and incubating a few too! As Jillian works to improve her mindset and use her voice, she also has to deal with the grief of losing her grandmother, her mom’s lupus flares, and helping out a friend dealing with his own family challenges. Will Jillian get it right? Just Right Jillian is a sweet young middle grade debut that elementary and middle schoolers alike will love.

Ant isn’t your average 10-year-old. He loves a good game of spades, and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant may like and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying. There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

Simon Hyde and his parents have been moving around the country and creating social media content around their travels for as long as he can remember. Now they’ve moved into the Tangerine Apartments, and Simon is hoping to put down roots for a while. Thanks to a recent accident, his leg is in a cast, so he’s happy when Amaya, a talkative neighbor, actively befriends him with little effort on his part. Just as the two begin to hit it off, a theft in the building puts everyone on edge, and even Simon’s parents begin to contemplate moving away again. This moves Simon to agree with Amaya’s proposal that they solve the mystery together. As the kids unravel the mystery, they also learn plenty about each other, what it means to be a good friend, and their eclectic group of neighbors.

Maizy’s life gets more interesting when a box of Nancy Drew books with an inscription to a girl with the same name as her grandmother (Susie, aka Jacuzzi). There’s also a picture of what appears to be a young Susie. When Jacuzzi denies sending over the box, Maizy reunites with a former neighborhood friend, Nell, to get to the bottom of the mystery. In the process, the girls learn a lot about Jacuzzi and the Nancy Drew books. This is a fantastic middle grade mystery about friendship, Nancy Drew history, intellectual property, and film-making.