Best Recommended Reading Books for 12 Year Olds

Amy Wilson’s Snowglobe is a beautifully written, heartfelt fantasy in a convincing world.

Young Clementine is sure that the curious house she finds in the middle of town was never there before. Drawn to look inside, she discovers hundreds of snowglobes each containing trapped magicians, including her classmate Dylan.

Headstrong Clementine bravely ventures into the worlds of the snowglobes on a mission to rescue Dylan and free those trapped by the house’s enchantments. As she struggles against the strange and powerful sisters in charge of the house, Clementine’s own magical identity is awakened as she grapples with her past, present and future.

Gripping and exciting, we loved the complexity of the characters and the strong female lead, the enchanting magical worlds in the snowglobes and the emotive narrative that is gripping from the first page. Snowglobe is simply spellbinding as Amy Wilson spins her own brand of enticing magic and masterfully demonstrates the charm of middle-grade fantasy at its very best.

Fans of Brightstorm will be delighted to see a more challenging offering from Vashti Hardy. I just loved being immersed in the world of Wildspark, with imaginary worlds that are as inventive as they are thrilling.

Prue Haywood is an inventive and curious girl who lives on a remote farm. Her aptitude for engineering gains her entry into the exciting world of Medlock and its secretive guild of inventors – but only because she poses as her brother, who really passed away not too long before. I loved following Prue’s journey on the Gigantrak train into the great metal city of Medlock and I read on with wide eyes, as Prue – a farm girl – acclimatises to the bright amber lights and towering structures of the city and the advanced systems and technologies waiting for her at the guild. With the brightest minds developing ways of placing human spirits into animal-like machines, the work of the guild is completely alluring for budding young inventors like Prue.

Prue is driven by a desire to bring her brother to life again, but it’s her warm nature, natural creativity and loyalty to friends and family that really help her the most as she navigates the complex issues of using technology responsibly. The narrative provides plenty to think about; many of the issues raised will resonate with readers growing up in the current generation that’s used to the pace of technologies advancing faster than the Gigantrak itself. I’m sure the book will raise fascinating discussions in many classrooms.

Artemis Fowl is now an award-winning fantasy series of books and a huge hit with children in the 9-12 age range. The stories mix supernatural action, thrilling adventure and a good sprinkling of humour. The story follows 12-year-old Artemis, a criminal mastermind, as he plans to kidnap a fairy leader for a ransom of fairy gold, only to find the fairies are armed and ready to fight back. Throughout the series, Artemis finds himself involves in kidnappings, heists and dangerous battles with a host of supernatural beings including goblins, pixies, dwarves and trolls, each with their own quirky characteristics. We recommend this entertaining series for children who love fantasy characters, action-charged adventures and the feeling of getting stuck into a gripping series.

This is a beautifully written book with a fascinating story behind it, and an insightful exploration of one girl’s experiences of autism.

The way that the messages of the book about acceptance and self-belief are intertwined with the story of the witches persecuted in Scotland is clever and thought-provoking.

This book will help those children who may feel they are ‘different’, but also challenges all children to think carefully about how they treat those who they see as different to them.

The story has also been televised for CBBC. See our blog interview with author Elle McNicoll for more information.

.The Fox and the White Gazelle is a glorious and inspiring, if sometimes heartbreaking, story of the power of hope, understanding and friendship. Set in Glasgow the story is told from the point of view of the two main characters – Caylin, a school bully who we soon discovering is fighting a battle of her own and Reema, a Syrian refugee who is trying to fit in to a new country with a new language, far from all she has ever known.

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle is a masterful piece of writing which exhibits themes of friendship, belonging, empathy, understanding and, most of all, hope. This is a book that deserves to be read by older primary school children and beyond. It is a book that forces us to look inside ourselves and reassess how we could all be a little bit kinder and a little bit more understanding. Beautifully written and essential reading.

This book follows Eden’s battle to stay true to herself. A battle that I am sure after reading we would not want to find ourselves fighting. Eden finds herself on the wrong side of the Glossies – a vicious trio of girls who use social media to huge effect to assert their authority over their peers.

Eden wakes up to new running trainers on her birthday. She checks the group chat (Woodford Whispers) assuming it is another post about how great Mikki (one of the trio is). In school, utter humiliation by the Glossies follows those victim to it onto the world of social media.

Sports Day sparks a vendetta against Eden as she draws attention to herself (not intended – but being pushed into running the track race will do that to a character). Now on the Glossies’ radar, Eden finds herself presented with a test by them – a test that involves being unkind to one of the other girls – and refuses to undertake it, leading to her being subjected to the unkindness instead. As she is presented with further tests, Eden resolves not to join in with the bullying of others. However, it continues online. Eden begins a battle for survival but holds firm to her values. Hiding is not an option and she holds her own. There is a very clear message that even if you are not directly involved in the bullying, if you sit by and watch it happen without doing anything to counteract it, you are contributing to it – a message that may be painful for some to hear.

This is an important, thought-provoking and contemporary read that will grip ages 11-14.

This best-selling story from acclaimed writer David Almond is a classic choice in Upper KS2.

When Michael moves to his new house, his world begins to unravel. His little sister is born prematurely and is struggling to thrive, his new home and garden are in much need of repair, and his parents have no time, patience or energy for him. Then two chance encounters bring a fresh perspective and focus to his life; Mina, an inquisitive and sometimes outspoken neighbour, and the ‘person’ in the garage.

David Almond’s million-copy bestseller is beautifully brought to life with the soulful addition of Tom De Freston’s artful illustrations. Dark and abstract, they provide a glimpse into the mind’s eye without overtelling the story, enhancing what is already a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking tale and another fabulous source for prediction and discussion.

The story could be challenging for some children and contains mature themes, but if sensitively approached, it is a uniquely memorable narrative that provides a good challenge in Year 6.

First published in 1995, Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ has become a modern classic. Drawing on mythology, philosophy and literature, Pullman offers a deeply satisfying and multi-layered fantasy narrative. With some darker themes, this series is most suitable for the ages of 12 and above.

Lyra Belacqua’s journey through the frozen Arctic in Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights is a thrilling quest filled with magic, mystery, and the fight for freedom. This is a stunning fantasy, packed full of adventure and intrigue and very big family secrets. Who is Lyra’s mother and where has Will’s father gone? Readers will love the TV dramatization just as much as the books.

Brave and utterly gripping, this is an edge-of-your-seat tale of survival that will delight fans of The Boy in the Tower, Orphans of the Tide and Crater Lake. Filled with all of the chills and thrills that you’d expect of Polly Ho-Yen’s dystopian middle-grade stories, the story is also served with a generous helping of emotional poignancy that explores themes of family bonds, mental health, learning to trust and never giving up on those you love.

Sylvia has always taught her son Billy the basic rules of survival; always be prepared, pay attention, trust no-one, master your fears and never stop trying. Sylvia loves taking Billy on outdoor adventures and ensuring that he is as ready as possible for surviving whatever may come their way. But Billy knows that his mum’s behaviour is different from other parents. Her actions become increasingly erratic, and she soon removes Billy from school altogether to prioritise survival lessons. After a crisis weekend when one of their survival lessons goes awry, Sylvia is admitted to hospital for mental health help, and Billy is sent away to live with his Dad in Bristol. Billy knows more than anything how much Sylvia loves him, but now he feels alone, confused, and cross with the grown-ups who do not seem to think that Sylvia is able to look after him well. Among the strangeness of living in a new place, Billy notices other unexpected things starting to happen. Before long, a mysterious virus seems to take hold in the local area, turning people into zombie-like creatures called ‘Greys’. Suddenly, the world appears to change in the blink of an eye, and Billy and his new family embark on a race against time when his survival instincts will be more important than ever.

Like the very best dystopias, Polly Ho-Yen’s sci-fi worlds always feel just the smallest step away from our own and after the past year, reading a virus-themed story feels both daunting and relatable. The fast-paced virus escape scenes are quite frightening in places, but the zombie-esque appearances of the victims helps to maintain a fictional edge that stops the tale becoming too close to home. There’s a well-crafted mirroring between the physical virus taking hold of the community and the mental health crisis that has been gaining a grip on Sylvia’s mind over a number of years. Billy’s character development in the story is beautiful, and by the end of the narrative, he has formed a good set of real-world survival skills of his own that will help him to navigate the ups and downs of growing up and making trusting relationships with others.

This is an exciting thriller that packs an emotional punch and leaves you rooting for the main character. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but is sure to thrill mature readers in KS2 or lower KS3 who love a page-turning plot with a rollercoaster of emotions and a few truly nail-biting scenes to get stuck into.

Adventure in a sci-fi setting ensues with the usual edge-of-your-seat fast pace of a Christopher Edge story. If you liked Escape Room and Maisie Day or Jennifer Killick’s Dreadwood horror series, then you’ll love this.

Five friends find themselves sucked into the screen to become part of the 4D interactive film they were hoping to watch at the Black Hole Cinema club – so-named due to a spelling error.

The friends have to complete a mission to find their way out of the film, but to do that they have to work out what the mission is! Some of the descriptions are thrilling (if a little scary!): ‘… a jet black tidal wave, a tsunami of darkness surging towards us without a sound.‘ and ‘…as the curtains kiss the music stops and the lights go out…‘

The book is beautifully presented and laid out with some bold text, simple line illustrations for items such as the cinema tickets and feature-framed chapter title pages. The text is well-spaced and easy to read, broadening the appeal to a wider range of readers in upper KS2 and lower KS3.

This is the first book in Philip Reeve’s award-winning sci-fi quartet, Mortal Engines, in which entire cities are motorised on wheels and frequently fight each other for survival.

Set in a distant, dystopian future, the predatory traction city of London is a terrible place, with the richest living in luxury on the top tiers and the poorest living in squalor far down below. But there is another, more hopeful city in Reeve’s book. Batmunkh Gompa is beautiful, carved from rock with tiers of terraces and balconies, sparkling lakes, lush gardens, and brightly coloured taxi balloons. With its slogan ‘we shall make the world green again’, this is the utopian dream – and definitely the one readers would prefer to live in.

This gripping, post-apocalyptic thriller will have young sci-fi lovers in Year 7 and above on the edge of their seats.

A fantastic dog-themed book to satisfy emotionally mature readers in year 6.

A Street Dog Named Pup is a gripping adventure story seen through the eyes of Pup, a dog who is cruelly abandoned by an adult in his family. The story follows Pup as he tries to find his “Boy” again. There are highs and lows, good spells and deeply, deeply unhappy spells in the dog’s life as he tries to be reunited with the boy he loves.

I’ve honestly not read a book like this before. The powerful imagery and raw emotion that you feel reading this are immense. The dogs that Pup meets as he tries to survive on the streets each come with their own stories, which have been beautifully thought out and with which we humans can identify. There is a story about, for example, a small dog who is so old she barely comes out of the handbag she was abandoned in – who also has a threadbare collar with one last jewel hanging on by a thread. Another of Pup’s companions is a French bulldog who is desperate for a snout as he can barely breathe through his flat nose. Another is a hound that has been scarred, physically and mentally, by the fox hunts he worked on before being abandoned.

There are very human qualities to the dogs and the story is so well written that you end up caring what happens to each and every one of them. Will Pup reach his destination and be happy? Will he end up being caught by The Snatchers and go to Dogsdoom, perhaps even end up going through the Door of No Return?

Whatever happens, you will be sure to be caught up in the emotional rollercoaster of his journey. 

This powerful novel from award-winning children’s author Malorie Blackman tells the story of a young boy called Cameron who suffers from heart disease.

The novel deals with the contemporary issue of animal organ transplants and is a gripping read from the first page.

Suitable for upper KS2 and lower KS3.

An absorbing story about bullying and friendship crafted with the right balance of warmth and tension to engage readers in upper KS2. The narrative alternates between the viewpoints of teenagers Alex and Dan. Daily life is a struggle for Alex, plagued by worries caused by his OCD and living in fear of the awful bullying at school. Dan’s life is not straightforward either. Since his older brother left home, everything in Dan’s world feels different. Dan plays out his frustrations at school, messing around in class and finding easy targets at school to bully with his friends. As time goes by, the boys end up working together on a raft-building project and a new empathy begins to develop as their relationship grows. A highly recommended story for KS2 and lower KS3.

Some books you read a few pages or some chapters and park it for the day. Other books, you get so into the story that you just keep turning the pages and lose track of time. This book is the latter. It’s so well written that both bully and his victim got under my skin.

This masterpiece is written by Benjamin Zephaniah, and it delivers a powerful story about what it was like to be part of the Windrush Generation.

Based on real events of the time, this fictional story features Leonard, a boy who was born in Jamaica and grew up in England. The women in Leonard’s life have instilled a deep sense of his Caribbean heritage and history, teaching him the stories that have been handed down through generations… not the history and songs that have been taught in his school.

Looking for a brighter future for them all, his family respond to the post-war plea from Great Britain for workers from the Empire to relocate to rebuild a broken country. In 1958, on a cold April morning, they arrive in Southampton – the reception they receive is frosty, in more ways than one. And so begins Leonard’s life in England, and we see how he is treated at school, at work, socially and in his later years too.

At times, this is a difficult read. How can society continually undervalue people who have given it so much? But it is also an important and powerful read, endorsed by Amnesty International, and would be well-placed in the hands of readers aged 10-14.

A pre-teen graphic novel from a series of graphic novel memoirs about growing up, puberty, navigating peer relationships, tackling school and finding self-confidence.

In this book, American twelve-year-old Raina has a momentary accident that causes injury to her teeth and leads to years of dental treatment. The story follows the ups and downs of her experience of braces, headgear, dental surgery and fake teeth – all at a time of life when self-consciousness is high and a rush of embarrassment comes easily, especially about personal appearance.

Readers will feel empathy with Raina, but will also draw courage from her journey and see that true friendships run deeper than surface appearance.