Popular Series for 11-13 Year Olds

Be aware that there is a wide array of reading abilities across this age. Look throughout the below suggestions and select those that match the reading level and interests of your child. Don’t limit your child to books he or she can read—explore the books together! 

• Sister’s Grimm
• Redwall
• Underland Chronicles 
• Chronicles of Narnia
• Disney After Dark
• Dragonriders of Pern
• Percy Jackson 
• The Black Stallion
• Bone 
• Anne of Green Gables
• The Last Dragon Chronicles 
• Hunger Games: http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/
• The Indigo Notebook
• Remnants http://www.scholastic.com/remnants/
• Mysterious Benedict Society
• The Care & Keeping of You series
• Song of the Lioness
• A Smart Girl’s Guide to... series
• Goosebumps Hall of Horrors http://www.scholastic.com/Goosebumps/Horrorland/ or http://www.scholastic.com/goosebumpsgraphix/makeyourown/index.htm
• Lord of the Rings
• Alice series
• Bluford High series
• Brian’s Saga series
• Pigman series
• Online classics illustrated comic books: Moby Dick, Great Expectations, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, etc.: http://www.tkinter.smig.net/ClassicsIllustrated/index.htm
• His Dark Materials
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians
• Royal Diaries http://www.scholastic.com/dearamerica/. Go further and explore the various periods on the timeline: http://www.scholastic.com/teachdearamerica/colonial_artscrafts.htm
• Children of the Red King http://www.scholastic.com/charliebone/
• Young Merlin Series
• The Land of Elyon http://www.scholastic.com/elyon/ 
• Circle of Magic http://www.scholastic.com/kids/tamorapierce/games/index.htm
• Guardians of Gasohol http://www.scholastic.com/gahoole/
• Wolves of the Beyond http://www.scholastic.com/wolvesofthebeyond/
• Ink Heart series
• Barron's Graphic Classics (e.g., Odyssey, Julius Ceaser, Oliver Twist)
• Circle of Magic
• Artemis Fowl
• Olympians (Hera, Hades, Athena, Zeus)
• The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
• Alex Rider
• Everest http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/everestbeyond/game/game.html; http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/edmund-hillary-conquers-mount-everest
• Island http://www.scholastic.com/titles/island/index.htm
• Dive

Other Great Titles for this Age Group: 

• Swiss Family Robinson
• Hoot http://www.scholastic.com/hoot/index.htm
• The Book Thief
• I Survived
• Dealing with Dragons
• How I Survived Middle School http://www.scholastic.com/kids/middleschoolsurvival/
• Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself 
• Maxine Anderson
• Esperanza Rising http://www.scholastic.com/esperanza/index.htm 
• Planet Middle School
• The Boys’/Girls’ Book: How to be the best at everything
• Phantom Tollbooth
• Wrinkle in Time
• The Grave Robber’s Apprentice
• Get to Work Hercules
• White Fang
• One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! by      Eric Yoder
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (a true story) 
• Tales of Beetle the Bard
• My Brother Sam is Dead
• Ella Enchanted
• Call of the Wild
• Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming: http://www.scholastic.com/downtoearth/
• Witch of Blackbird Pond
• A Wrinkle in Time
• Paint the Wind
• What in the Wild/Where in the Wild/Where Else in the Wild: Mysteries of Nature Concealed – and Revealed 
• Beat the Turtle Drum
• The End
• Elijah Of Buxton
• Bridge to Terabithia
• Becoming Naomi León 
• The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
• Love, Ruby Lavender
• The Princess Academy
• Al Capone Does My Shirts
• Little Women
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
• Island of the Blue Dolphins
• The Humming Room
• The Giver
• Maniac McGee
• Jacob Have I Loved
• Biography Who? 29 Figures Comic biography stories: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/who-comics-29-great-figures/id455194764?mt=8
• Find a range of informational and entertaining titles for your advancing reader: http://www.scholastic.com/resources/booklist/nonfiction-for-middle-schoolers/

Authors Who “Get” This Age Group: 

• Gary Paulsen
• C.S. Lewis
• Kathryn Lasky
• Trenton Lee Stewart
• Erin Hunter
• Brian Selznick
• Elizabeth George Speare
• Tamara Pierce
• Suzanne Collins
• Jack London
• Gail Carson Levine
• Katherine Paterson
• Kate Camilla
• Natalie Babbitt
• Roahl Dahl http://www.scholastic.com/resources/booklist/the-fantastic-mr-dahl/
• Avi
• Scott O'Dell
• Louis Sachar
• E. L. Konigsburg
• E. B. White
• Madeleine L'Engle
• Sharon Creech
• Karen Hesse
• Natalie Babbitt
• Jerry Spinelli
• Christopher Paul Curtis
• David Wiesner
• Peter Reynolds

Magazines: Magazines are a wonderful way to gain knowledge and expertise in a topic of interest or to extend reading to new genres or venues. Some great ones to choose from:

• http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/ 
• http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/
• http://www.digonsite.com/
• http://www.cicadamag.com/
• http://www.musemagkids.com/
• http://www.sikids.com/
• http://www.timeforkids.com/
• http://www.newmoon.com/
• http://www.odysseymagazine.com/
• http://www.yummymath.com/
• http://optimistworld.com/
• http://tweentribune.com/frontpage