Thrillers for aged 9 and older
One way to engage children with reading is to give them thrillers where they want to keep turning the pages.
Adventure, high stakes, much peril and non-stop action - what's not to love? The books in this selection have pace, twists and turns and a lot of tension. Some are historical, some are sci-fi or dystopian, but all are very readable, and should grip upper primary and lower secondary readers.
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Rosie Raja: Churchill’s Spy
Author: Sufiya Ahmed
Publisher: Bloomsbury Education
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+In war-torn France, who can Rosie trust? A pacy novel starring a brave Anglo-India heroine.
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Mission Microraptor
Author: Philip Kavvadias
Publisher: Chicken House
Interest age: 9-14
Reading age: 9+A nerve-jangling, but very funny, thriller with exceptionally nasty baddies and interesting moral and ethical dilemmas. Will have wide appeal, especially to fans of Alex Rider who like a few jokes with their jeopardy – and an added tiny dinosaur.
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Dark Flood
Author: Karon Alderman
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+Set in north-east England, this is a gripping, powerful tale of heritage, love, loss, tragedy, kindness and cruelty. An absolute page-turner
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Reek
Author: Alastair Chisholm Illustrator: George Caltsoudas
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+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.
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The Deadlands: Hunted
Author: Skye Melki-Wegner
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 8+A brilliantly imagined thriller in which dinosaurs survived an extinction event and developed the ability to think, speak, make alliances and wage war.
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21% Monster
Author: P. J. Canning
Publisher: Usborne
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 10+Teenage boys Darren and Malek are on the run from a ruthless, secret organisation which transformed them into superhumans and now wants them eliminated. This gripping, action-packed sci-fi tale will have readers on the edge of their seats.
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SkyWake: Invasion
Author: Jamie Russell
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 9-14
Reading age: 10+This exhilarating futuristic adventure, the first in a trilogy, is a fast-paced, thrilling read, perfect for gamers and sci-fi fans.
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Black Hole Cinema Club
Author: Christopher Edge
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Be prepared for a reading experience unlike any other. From a stunningly original beginning, this adrenalin-fuelled sci-fi adventure will have readers on the edge of their seats right to the last page.
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Lunar
Author: Chris Bradford Illustrator: Charlotte Grange
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 7+With a great mix of science fiction and science fact, this nail-biting race-against-time is presented in an accessible format with black and white illustrations.
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Deadlock
Author: Simon Fox
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Archie Blake can pick locks. And when a diamond necklace goes missing and his dad is arrested, it’s down to Archie and his unusual skills to prove his dad’s innocence. An action-packed thriller with many knife-edge moments, this is a real page turner.
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Finding Wonder
Author: Lauren St John Illustrator: Levi Pinfold and Marie-Alice Harel
Publisher: Faber
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Thanks to a lottery win, Roo is suddenly able to buy a horse – but the horse she wants is stolen. Can she solve who is stealing prize horses? Beautifully written and utterly thrilling.
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Murder at Snowfall
Author: Fleur Hitchcock
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Can Ruby and Lucas solve a murder – before the culprit catches up with them? Tense and intriguing, this is ideal for readers who love puzzles and crime-solving.
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Dread Wood
Author: Jennifer Killick
Publisher: Farshore
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+As the fear and dread build up in this tense thriller, a group of misfits is forced to work as a team to defeat the most terrifying of hidden attackers. Not for the faint-hearted, this edge-of-seat horror is hard to put down, with many chapters ending on a cliff-hanger.
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Escape Room
Author: Christopher Edge
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+Twelve year old Ami can’t wait to get started when she arrives at The Escape Room – she loves puzzles, riddles, and all things brain-bending! But the stakes for this particular game are sky-high... can she and her teammates get out in time?
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Bramble Fox
Author: Kathrin Tordasi Transated by Cathrin Wirtz
Publisher: Pushkin Children’s
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+A fantasy thriller to take your breath away. Packed with beautifully imagined details that build a spellbinding world of magic, threat and terrifying danger, it will have you on the edge of your seat right to the last page.
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Swarm Rising
Author: Tim Peake and Steve Cole
Publisher: Hodder
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+An absorbing, exciting, sci-fi adventure based on an ingenious concept, thoughtfully planned and with a strong environmental message.
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Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel
Author: Anthony Horowitz
Publisher: Walker Books
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+The graphic novel adaptation of this well-written and action-packed story of a teenage spy works really well
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The Chestnut Roaster
Author: Eve McDonnell
Publisher: Everything With Words
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+A refreshingly original mystery thriller set in 19th century Paris featuring Piaf; a girl with a unique mind who battles to find missing children and lost memories in the labyrinth below the city.
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The Girl Who Fell To Earth
Author: Patricia Forde
Publisher: Little Island
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+A thought-provoking science fiction thriller that looks at Earth and humanity through alien eyes.
