Books to read aloud to ages 9 and 10

Supercharge your brain with an incredible fact for every day of the year. With fun illustrations and fascinating information, this is a really engaging non-fiction text. 

Can Josephine and her friends solve a local mystery, and help someone? A pacy mystery with true heart. 

Set against the backdrop of a climate catastrophe, this gripping dystopian thriller is oppressively atmospheric as it depicts a reality where if you can’t pay, you can’t breathe. 

Mallory Vayle makes a bizarre pact with a 500-year-old skull: help to free her parents’ ghosts from an evil spirit in exchange for a blonde wig and the lifting of an ancient curse. A scream of a comic horror story. 

Could Tilbury Twitch-Whiskers really be the rat hero to return the legendary diamond and break its curse? A thrilling adventure with a classic feel, set in a richly drawn world of rats.

A funny, informative collection of inventions, both useful and failed, across the centuries from a best-selling author and illustrator pair. 

This very silly but utterly irresistible fantasy adventure is packed with implausible characters and unbelievable plot twists but also has a subliminal message about the futility of war and discovering empathy. 

Adam is a boy living in London, but not as we know it. In this alternate universe slavery was never abolished, which has left the UK in a sorry state with rich overlords ruling over a sprawling poor and people with origins anywhere apart from the UK particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. That includes Adam’s family of shopkeepers. Then Adam meets an awe inspiring talking tiger, called Tyger and experiences mysterious powers.

From pandemics to war, world news can sometimes seem rather bleak, leaving many children feeling anxious and despondent. This superb, upbeat book redresses the balance, highlighting amazing news stories from around the globe.

A quirky fantasy adventure in which a human boy and a Greek goddess accidentally release an immortal supervillain who is determined to take over the world – and maybe even the universe.

Rebel the dog must track down his friend Tom before Tom and his rebel friends clash with the King’s army. A thrilling adventure for all animal lovers, told in Rebel’s voice. 

Fast-moving, very funny, and gleefully mining the comic potential of the superhero genre, this is an inventive story about Luke: superhero expert and comic-lover.

A collection of 80 John Agard’s poems for younger children taken from eight previous books. 

This is a beautifully written tale of an exceptional friendship which survives beyond the boundaries of culture and language.

There’s been a rather shocking murder at Deepdean School for Girls – but luckily, young detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are on the case!

Can Nic and her friends find the mysterious Msaidizi in time to save her dad? A cracking action-packed magical adventure – highly recommended.