for ages 9-14
These stories will stand the test of time because friendships and finding out about yourself are constant parts of growing up.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (series) - Tom Anglegerger
Sixth-grader Dwight is a total loser. But things start to look up when he begins to dispense eerily good advice from an origami finger puppet of Yoda. When a classmate and his Darth Vader finger puppet become determined to end Dwight, can Yoda save him once more?
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret - Judy Blume
Sixth-grader Margaret Simon talks to God about faith, bras, periods and boys, in between bosom-building exercises and preteen chants of: "I must — I must — I must increase my bust!" Torn between the faiths of her Jewish and Christian families, she finds a relationship with God that is all her own.
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Bratty Mary Lennox, born in India to wealthy and neglectful parents, is sent back to England after a cholera epidemic to live in a rural manor with her uncle. At first rude and angry, Mary is transformed by the kindness of the staff and by her discovery of a neglected garden that once belonged to the late lady of the manor.
The Hundred Dresses - Eleanor Estes
A poignant tale of bullies and bystanders, The Hundred Dresses tells the story of Wanda Petronski, a Polish schoolgirl whose classmates tease her for wearing tattered clothes. The story, which is illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, was inspired by a little girl author Eleanor Estes remembered from her own childhood who was picked on by other kids.
Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet wants to become an author, so she keeps a secret notebook full of thoughts and observations about her classmates and friends. But when she misplaces her notebook and it falls into the wrong hands, Harriet knows she is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
Wonder - R.J. Palacio
Born with a facial deformity that initially prevented his attendance at public school, August "Auggie" Pullman enters the fifth grade at Beecher Prep and struggles with the dynamics of being both new and different in this tale about acceptance, self-esteem and the transformative power of human kindness.
Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Patterson
Jess Aarons is the fastest runner in his class — until a newcomer, the tomboyish Leslie, challenges him. Not only is Leslie a tomboy; she's also an atheist and a misfit at their school. But after that rough beginning, Jess and Leslie become close friends, inventing together the magical forest kingdom of Terabithia. A story of friendship, imagination and learning to deal with tragedy.
Holes - Louis Sachar
When Stanley Yelnats, the unlucky hero of Holes, is wrongfully accused of stealing baseball player Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston's shoes, he is sent to a juvenile detention facility in the desert where the inmates must dig 5-foot holes all day. It doesn't help that Stanley carries a family curse passed down from his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather."
Okay For Now - Gary D. Schmidt
Fourteen-year-old Doug Swieteck has just moved to a new town where he doesn't have any friends. His teachers and the police think of him as a "skinny thug." He finds his way to the library, where he discovers John James Audubon's Birds of America. When he notices that some of the pages are missing, he resolves to track them down.
Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli
Jeffrey Lionel Magee, also known as "Maniac Magee," is an orphan and a runaway. He ends up in a small Pennsylvania town torn apart by racial strife, and astounds everyone with his extraordinary athletic feats as he works to heal the painful divide between the town's black and white citizens.