For serious readers who like to start a story and keep going…and going…and going…Check out these first books of series especially for tweens!
Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
All Kat Roberts wants is to be normal, or at least to look that way to students at her new school. But her mother is a medium, and not the kind that fits in between small and large; Kat's mom is the kind of medium who sees spirits and communicates with them. And, even worse, Kat has just discovered that she can see spirits too. In this first adventure in the popular Suddenly Supernatural series, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel brings humor and heart to the trials and tribulations of finding out who you are and who you want to be-all while surviving the seventh grade.
Read More View in CatalogThe Colossus Rises
Peter Lerangis
Teens Jack, Marco, Aly, and Cass begin a quest to find seven pieces of Atlantis' power that were hidden long ago and that will, if returned to Atlantis, save them from certain death due to the genetic abnormality that also gives them superior abiliti
View in CatalogLife with Lily
Mary Ann Kinsinger, Suzanne Woods Fisher
Introduces Lily Lapp who, beginning at age five, finds opportunities for blessings, laughter, learning and mischief as she explores her Amish community, welcomes a new baby brother, begins school and spends time with family and friends.
View in CatalogThe Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other)
Geoff Rodkey
Twelve-year-old twins, Claudia and Reese, who couldn't be more different...except in their determination to come out on top in a vicious prank war. But when the competition escalates into an all-out battle that's fought from the cafeteria of their New York City private school all the way to the fictional universe of an online video game, the twins have to decide if their efforts to destroy each other are worth the price.
Read More View in CatalogThe Case of the Missing Marquess
Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother.
View in CatalogIndependence Hall
Roland Smith
Thirteen-year-old Quest (Q) isn't sure he's ready for a new family. For a long time it's just been him and his mom, Blaze. But everything changes when Blaze falls in love with Roger and they start a new rock band called Match. Now they're married, have a hit record, and Match is going out on a year-long driving tour across the country. Q, along with new stepsister Angela, will take a year off from school and travel with the band. For now, home will be a luxury motor coach and homework will be a Web site diary of their travels. Perfect-Q can practice his magic tricks and Angela can read her spy novels. What can go wrong? As Q and Angela settle into their new life and new relationship as siblings, they start to notice that certain coincidences don't seem coincidental. For example, how does a band roadie named Boone find them in the middle of a desert where their coach just happens to break down? Why does a man from their parents' wedding keep showing up in the same cities they stop at? When they reach Philadelphia, Q and Angela realize this tour is definitely not the trip their parents had planned and that the "City of Brotherly Love" is full of mysteries and secrets that could threaten their new life together.
Read More View in CatalogThe Eighth Day
Dianne K. Salerni
When Jax wakes up to a world without any people, he assumes it's the zombie apocalypse. But when he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he's really in the Eighth Day—an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Some people—like Jax and Riley—are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who's been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day. There's a reason Evangeline's hiding. As the descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, her magic is highly sought by corrupt Transitioners who want to use her to destroy the seven-day world. Torn between protecting his new friend and saving the human race from destruction, Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out.
Read More View in CatalogTerrier
Tamora Pierce
BEKA COOPER IS a rookie with the Provost's Guard, and she's been assigned to the Lower City. It's a tough beat, but Beka can hear the voices of the dead on the wings of pigeons, and Beka's birds clue her in to two major murderers on the loose. The rest of the Guard is busy investigating the fire opal killer, so it's up to Beka to nab the Shadow Snake.Tamora Pierce begins a new Tortall trilogy introducing Beka Cooper, a young woman who lived 200 years before Pierce's popular Alanna character. Pierce employs first-person narration, bringing readers even closer to a character that they will love for her unusual talents and tough personality.
Read More View in CatalogEragon
Christopher Paolini
When fifteen-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.
Read More View in CatalogChildren of Exile
Margaret Peterson Haddix
For the past twelve years, adults called "Freds" have raised Rosi, her younger brother Bobo, and the other children of their town, saying it is too dangerous for them to stay with their parents, but now they are all being sent back. Since Rosi is the oldest, all the younger kids are looking to her with questions she doesn't have the answers to. She'd always trusted the Freds completely, but now she's not so sure. And their home is nothing like she'd expected, like nothing the Freds had prepared them for. Will Rosi and the other kids be able to adjust to their new reality?
Read More View in CatalogThe Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable
Dan Gutman
The most exciting road trip in history begins! In this action-packed adventure, twelve-year-old twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald embark on a family vacation you'll have to read to believe. With the real-kid humor that has earned Dan Gutman millions of fans around the world, and featuring weird-but-true American tourist destinations, The Genius Files is a one-of-a-kind mix of geography and fun. As Coke and Pepsi dodge nefarious villains from the Pez museum in California all the way to the Infinity Room in Wisconsin, black-and-white photographs and maps put young readers right into the action.
Read More View in CatalogTheodore Boone, Kid Lawyer
John Grisham
A perfect murder A faceless witness A lone courtroom champion knows the whole truth . . . and he's only thirteen years old Meet Theodore Boone In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he's only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he's one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk--and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom. But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much--maybe too much--he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth. The stakes are high, but Theo won't stop until justice is served.
Read More View in CatalogTunnels
Brian Williams
Fourteen-year-old Will doesn't think he has much in common with his family. Nothing, that is, except a strange passion for digging which he shares with his father. But one day, Will's dad mysteriously vanishes down a tunnel - part of London's vast, labyrinthine underground system. With his friend Chester, Will decides to investigate. But soon the boys find themselves deep in darkness, unearthing a terrifying secret which may cost them their lives... This riveting bestseller oozes the mysterious fascination of the underground and all its hideous possibilities. Creepy, tantalising and original, it's full of thrills to keep you burrowing in!
Read More View in CatalogThe Familiars
Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson
When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn’t expect his life to change. But that’s exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar. Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he’s got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he’s the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn’s street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day!
Read More View in CatalogRevenge of the Witch
Joseph Delaney
Young Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, starts work as an apprentice for the village spook, whose job is to protect ordinary folk from ghouls, boggarts, and all manner of wicked beasties.
View in CatalogPeter and the Starcatchers
Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.
View in CatalogThe Forbidden Stone (The Copernicus Legacy, Book 1)
Tony Abbott
Wade, Lily, Darrell, and Becca fly from Texas to Germany for the funeral of an old family friend. But instead of just paying their respects, they wind up on a dangerous, mind-blowing quest to unlock an ancient, guarded secret that could destroy the fate of the world.
Read More View in CatalogGregor the Overlander
Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats and giant cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. Gregor has a vital role to play in the Underland's uncertain future.
Read More View in CatalogSwindle
Gordon Korman
Ocean's 11 . . . with 11-year-olds, in a super stand-alone heist caper from Gordon Korman! After a mean collector named Swindle cons him out of his most valuable baseball card, Griffin Bing must put together a band of misfits to break into Swindle's compound and recapture the card. There are many things standing in their way -- a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system, a very secret hiding place, and their inability to drive -- but Griffin and his team are going to get back what's rightfully his . . . even if hijinks ensue.
Read More View in CatalogSunny-side Up
Patricia Reilly Giff
Summer for Richard Best, nicknamed Beast, means facing the two ordeals of summer school and losing his best friend, who is moving to a distant state.
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