Best Books for 9-11 year olds
In 2015, we put together a list of the 100 best books for children from the last 100 years.
The books below are ones suitable for children aged 9-11.
See our best books for other age groups
Please note: This list was published in 2015. We are currently working on a revised and more up-to-date list which more adequately reflects the brilliant diversity of children's literature over the last 100 years. Please take a look at Books We Love for our reviews of current brilliant books.
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Flour Babies
Author: Anne Fine
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Flour Babies
Author: Anne Fine
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
A classic, touching and very funny coming-of-age story about an unusual science project that teaches the boys in 4C so much more t…
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Private Peaceful
Author: Sir Michael Morpurgo
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
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Private Peaceful
Author: Sir Michael Morpurgo
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
Set during World War I, Private Peaceful charts eight hours in the life of Tommo, a young soldier at the Front.
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Journey to the River Sea
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
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Journey to the River Sea
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
Orphan Maia is thrilled to learn she is to live with relatives in South America and cannot wait to experience the sights, sounds a…
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Millions
Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce Illustrator: Steven Lenton
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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Millions
Author: Frank Cottrell Boyce Illustrator: Steven Lenton
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
One night, a bag containing £229,370 falls from the sky and flattens the hermitage. Damian is convinced it is a gift from Go…
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The Story of Tracy Beaker
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
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The Story of Tracy Beaker
Author: Jacqueline Wilson Illustrator: Nick Sharratt
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
Tracy lives in a children's home but constantly hopes that her absent, glamorous Mum will come and take her away.
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Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
Interest level: 8-12
Reading age: 10+
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Artemis Fowl
Author: Eoin Colfer
Interest level: 8-12
Reading age: 10+
Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl hatches an ingenious plot to steal all the gold in fairy land.
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Carrie's War
Author: Nina Bawden
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
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Carrie's War
Author: Nina Bawden
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
Inspired by Nina Bawden's own experiences of living as an evacuee in a Welsh mining valley as a child, Carrie's War is n…
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J K Rowling
Interest level: 8-13
Reading age: 10+
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J K Rowling
Interest level: 8-13
Reading age: 10+
After the misery of life with his ghastly aunt and uncle, Harry Potter is delighted to have the chance to embark on an exciting ne…
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Goodnight Mister Tom
Author: Michelle Magorian
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
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Goodnight Mister Tom
Author: Michelle Magorian
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 10+
Willie Beech, a lonely and deprived child, is evacuated to a tiny English village just before the Second World War, and find…
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The Borrowers
Author: Mary Norton
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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The Borrowers
Author: Mary Norton
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
The Borrowers are tiny people who live in the secret places of old houses - behind the mantlepiece, inside the harpsichord, under …
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The Hobbit
Author: JRR Tolkein
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 10+
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The Hobbit
Author: JRR Tolkein
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 10+
This well-loved fantasy story has delighed readers ever since its first publication in 1937.
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Stig of the Dump
Author: Clive King
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
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Stig of the Dump
Author: Clive King
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
Exploring an old chalk pit, Barney meets a strange boy who wears a rabbit skin and speaks in grunts.
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The Adventures of Tintin
Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 9+
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The Adventures of Tintin
Author: Hergé Translator: Michael Turner and Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper
Interest level: 7+
Reading age: 9+
Resourceful junior reporter Tintin embarks on a series of exciting international adventures, accompanied by his faithful dog Snowy…
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Swallows and Amazons
Author: Arthur Ransome
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 9+
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Swallows and Amazons
Author: Arthur Ransome
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 9+
It's the summer holidays, and the Walker children are excited to set sail on their boat Swallow and camp on Wild Cat Island.
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Ballet Shoes
Author: Noel Streatfeild
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 9+
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Ballet Shoes
Author: Noel Streatfeild
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 9+
First published in the 1930s, this classic story of three very different girls who work hard to master their talents has captivate…
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The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
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The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery Translator: Katherine Woods
Interest level: 8+
Reading age: 8+
An air pilot makes a forced landing deep in the Sahara Desert. There, he makes a mysterious Little Prince, who tells him a series …
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C S Lewis
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C S Lewis
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - step through a wardrobe door in the strange country house where they are staying, they find t…
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The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Author: Joan Aiken
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Author: Joan Aiken
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
There are wolves outside the walls of Willoughby Chase, but for cousins Bonnie and Sylvia, the real danger lies inside.
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The Witches
Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
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The Witches
Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Interest level: 9+
Reading age: 9+
Real witches disguise themselves as lovely ladies, when secretly they want to squish and squelch all the wretched children they de…
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A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness (From an idea by Siobhan Dowd) Illustrator: Jim Kay
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 10+
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A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness (From an idea by Siobhan Dowd) Illustrator: Jim Kay
Interest level: 11-14
Reading age: 10+
Connor's mum has cancer and life is changing. There is the nightmare, then there is school, where people avoid him, or persecute h…
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