Great Books Guide 2025-26: for 10 to 11-year-olds

Set in prehistoric Ireland during an endless winter, Fia and her snow deer set out on a perilous adventure to find the Deer Mother and bring warmth and hope back to her people.

This gripping, thrill-packed, time slip adventure whisks readers away to Egypt, both ancient and modern, and is full of fascinating historical detail lived in the first person.  

This insightful, haunting, coming-of-age story is a celebration of friendship, diversity and inclusion that gives readers a glimpse into the mind of someone living with OCD.  

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. 

A marvellous nonfiction resource that showcases nine fascinating cultures, looking at how each empire rose to power, and what its significance was.

Edie is thrust into a world of restless spirits and fearsome Viking warriors in this chilling ghost story that will send shivers down your spine. 

When history obsessed 12-year-old Relic Hamilton accidentally unleashes an evil genie, he is whisked away on a time travelling, action-filled adventure to hunt it down alongside a secret society of tech-savvy genie hunters. 

With exciting and imaginative battle scenes, and an energetic narrative, this fun-packed fantasy adventure is inspired by aspects of Caribbean and African culture and spirituality. 

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. 

An accessible, humanitarian perspective on the Partition of India in 1947, seen through the experiences of three children and their families. 

An interactive book about choice, honesty and control in which the reader helps Fred Timple make decisions that terrify him in order to try and get his own happy ending. 

A practical and empowering guide to navigating the world as a disabled person. Inclusive and warm, this is a read for everyone. 

An exciting magical mystery and adventure story about the Kuri, legendary wildcat of Linger Island. 

11-year-old Vanya is catapulted into a world of magic and monsters when she joins the enchanted school of Auramere. There, she must battle against the forces of the Old Ones and a dark family secret.. 

Hope’s family cafe desperately needs money, but can dressing up as a giant ice cream really save it? Relatable, funny and relevant for all those moving up to secondary school. 

All humans have been plunged into darkness by a pagan god and only Ella Jones and her trusty guide dog can save them. Gripping. 

This companion to Phil Earle’s When the Sky Falls is a heart-stopping thrilling adventure to save a baby ape in London.

When Rafa swaps places with a film star, he embarks on an extraordinary adventure, which takes him all the way to Hollywood on a private jet. Bursting with humour, this larger-than-life tale is a compelling read. 

Can Clem find her dad, leader of the Spider Gang, in London’s criminal underworld? A rollicking mystery adventure set in 1951.

Jen and Father are searching for a new home in a destroyed world. But they have a secret: Father is a human-appearing AI, whom others fear. Thrilling and thought-provoking, this contains much to discuss. 

Get to grips with some of the world’s most puzzling philosophical questions with this thought-provoking and humorous illustrated book. 

Grimstink has arrived on Earth to destroy it, while in exchange Layla’s been zapped to his home planet. Can she find a way to save everyone – and does it really have to involve her annoying younger brother? A hilarious alien adventure. 

Can Anzu defeat the cruel underworld queen? A stunningly original graphic novel.