Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spy school

I’m the Keeper of the Lost Cities and City Spies PP and my kid just found the Spy School series and is tearing thorough them.

My 12 year old (who is is not an advanced reader) loves James Ponti so I'll add in his Sherlock Society books and the Framed! series (set in DC!). She's on average for her age, so I assume an advanced 9 year old would be fine, but there is some violence and some boyfriend/girlfriend themes (but at an appropriate for late ES/early MS level).

Anonymous wrote:I liked the Lloyd Alexander Prydain Chronicles and The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. They were popular in the 1970s but are not talked about much anymore.

I haven't read the American Girl Doll books but I think historical fiction is very informative for young readers. I'm familiar with the doll products so I think these might be a fit...a less challenging writing style with a modern historical lens. But still educational.

I have boys. Boys like Warrior Cats, Wings of Fire, and Rick Riordan mythology-based books for this purpose. They are entertaining but not "classic".

My 9 year old daughter likes all of the above. I was not aware that there are separate boy books and girl books.

Grace Lin's trilogy

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Starry River of the Sky
When the Sea Turned to Silver

Holes - Louis Sachar. We just listened to the audiobook in the car and we all enjoyed it (11 yo, 13 yo and adults). Not a new book but i personally didn’t have it my basic/ obvious list and stumbled on it so adding here. Really recommend

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mysterious Benedict Society?

+1. Very well written and enjoyable for older siblings and parents as well. My DD started the series as a 9 yr old and loved them. The audiobook versions are also good for long car rides.

+1 My DD9 loved this series along with the Penderwicks and the Van Derbeekers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
The Wednesday Wars
The Incredible Journey of Coyote Sunrise
The War That Saved My Life
Limoncello library series
The Midnight Children

The Wednesday Wars (and even moreso the sequels) are at an accessible reading level for an advanced 9 year old, but that would be some heavy topics. Late elementary and even middle school are better for dealing with addiction in the family, deaths of best friends, abuse by parents, and stuff like that.

Middle grade authors write about heavy topics in age appropriate ways. Plenty of kids in elementary school are dealing with serious issues in their own lives and middle grade books are a good way to help them realize they aren't alone. I was a 4th grade teacher for many years and all of these books were readily available in the classroom library.

Anonymous wrote:Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
The Wednesday Wars
The Incredible Journey of Coyote Sunrise
The War That Saved My Life
Limoncello library series
The Midnight Children

The Wednesday Wars (and even moreso the sequels) are at an accessible reading level for an advanced 9 year old, but that would be some heavy topics. Late elementary and even middle school are better for dealing with addiction in the family, deaths of best friends, abuse by parents, and stuff like that.

My DD was an advanced reader at that age, here were her favorites:

1. Mysterious Benedict Society (I cannot recommend this one enough! I think every kid should read this! I will never stop sharing this book!)

2. The Unwanteds (A dystopian magical adventure, very whimsical and exciting, my DD loved this one so much!)

3. The Serpents Secret (much more niche, but she loved it growing up, also an adventure story)

4. The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels (clever wordplay and story for clever children, I 100 percent recommend)

5. Nevermoor series (this one is very good for advanced readers of her age, great storyline and fantasy elements)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD isn't too much into fantasy, she's into animal tales, we've found these to be good

- Chronicles of Lizard Nobody (amazing book funny with deeper ideas about diversity)

- Belly Up (series of animal mysteries at a private zoo)

And then for the classics, you could get a compendium of Grimm Fairy Tales, they wrote so so many and so many are very weird

There's Andrew Lang's fairy books if you want weird, but those are very old as opposed to newer.

I read a lot of Andrew Lang as a kid around OP’s child’s age. As a side-note, The Tale of Sigurd in the Crimson Fairy Book was one of JRR Tolkien’s early inspirations…

My child is reading and loving “ The Family Under The Bridge” by Natalie Savage Carlson and loves it.

Ways to Make Sunshine is really sweet and there are sequels.

My 11 yr old daughter loves the Warrior Cat series. She cannot stop reading them.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
The Wednesday Wars
The Incredible Journey of Coyote Sunrise
The War That Saved My Life
Limoncello library series
The Midnight Children

Anonymous wrote:Spy school

I’m the Keeper of the Lost Cities and City Spies PP and my kid just found the Spy School series and is tearing thorough them.

Spy school