11 great books for 10 year olds

11 great books for 10-year-olds

  • Danger is Everywhere

    by David O’Doherty and Chris Judge, illustrated by Chris Judge 

    2014 5 to 14 years 

    • Funny

    Just like this book says, danger is everywhere. Don’t worry, though, because Docter Noel Zone (yes, Docter) is an experienced Dangerologist and is here to help you in this fun and very funny book.

  • The Lost Diary of Sami Star

    by Karen McCombie 

    2018 5 to 14 years 

    • Autistic spectrum conditions
    • Dyslexia

    Hannah’s parents seem to have forgotten her, preoccupied by current quarrels with her older sister. School isn’t much better – Hannah’s noticing a rift with her two so-called best friends, who seem wholly concerned with boys and whether other people are wearing the right’ jeans. Then she finds a journal in the park. Hannah is fascinated by its creator, Sami, whose quirky photos and drawings appear in the diary.

  • The Boy at the Back of the Class

    by Onjali Q Raúf 

    2018 5 to 14 years 

    • Adventure
    • Chapter books

    This is the story about how four classmates have a massive impact on the life of Ahmet, a boy that comes to their school as a refugee from Syria. An inspiring and sweet tale that should help children be the best they can be and realise the power of kindness.

  • Survivors

    by David Long, illustrated by Kerry Hyndman 

    2016 5 to 14 years 

    • Adventure
    • Around the world
    • Non-fiction

    An anthology to inspire and help children understand how far self-belief and guts took adventurers from the past – and to wonder how far these qualities could take them too. Includes stunning illustrations.

  • The Wizards of Once

    by Cressida Cowell 

    2017 9 to 14 years 

    • Adventure
    • Chapter books
    • Fantasy

    Wish is a girl from a warrior tribe and Xar is a boy from a wizard tribe, living in a world loosely based on Ancient Britain at the beginning of the Iron Age, but where magic is real. A fabulously imaginative, funny and unpredictable adventure. 

  • Little Badman and the Invasion of the Killer Aunties

    by Humza Arshad and Henry White, illustrated by Aleksei Bitskoff 

    2019 9 to 14 years 

    • Funny

    Humza Khan is an 11-year-old who devotes most of his energy into trying to be a cool rapper, AKA Little Badman. A perfect read for Tom Gates fans: prepare for big belly laughs and great advice on how to be yourself.

  • No Ballet Shoes in Syria

    by Catherine Bruton 

    2019 9 to 14 years 

    Aya is a Syrian asylum seeker, looking after her mother and baby brother in the cold, unfamiliar city of Manchester – but she is also a talented ballet dancer. Children who love stories of performance and friendship will enjoy this book. 

  • Runaway Robot

    by Frank Cottrell-Boyce, illustrated by Steven Lenton 

    2019 9 to 14 years 

    • Adventure
    • Funny

    Alfie has one hand; Eric has one leg. Can a small boy and a giant, police car-crushing robot ever be friends? And do bad things in your past have to destroy your future? Hilarious, complex and hugely satisfying.

  • Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

    by Jessica Townsend 

    2017 0 to years 

    • Adventure
    • Fantasy
  • The House With Chicken Legs

    by Sophie Anderson 

    2018 9 to 14 years 

    • Adventure
    • Coming-of-age
    • Myths and legends

    A story of death, magic and the afterlife told by Marinka, who is desperate not to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and wants to find her own destiny. Loosely based on the Slavic myth of Baba Yaga, this story is delightfully macabre and utterly engrossing.

  • The Clockwork Crow

    by Catherine Fisher 

    2018 9 to 14 years 

    • Adventure
    • Fantasy