Best books for 11 year olds (2024)

A Beginner’s Guide to Ruling the Galaxy

David Solomons’ science fiction adventures are laugh-out-loud funny and have won several book awards. In this latest, Gavin finds himself with the fate of the world in his hands. The new girl at school, Niki, is really getting on his nerves, following him everywhere and declaring that she has never seen anyone so cosmically insignificant. He doesn’t believe her assertion that she is a galactic princess, trying to evade her warring, alien despot parents.

However, a series of surreal events including being taken hostage by a talking bounty hunter cat called Cupcake, soon make him change his mind. To avoid Earth being obliterated, Gavin must help Niki’s crew repair her spaceship as well as try and bring her parents together again.

Family and friendship are at the heart of this story. Gavin is fostered but worried that he is about to be moved on again, ousted by the baby he calls the Tiny Horror. Although Niki may seem to live a privileged life as a princess, her parents are fighting, forcing her to choose between them. Despite her annoying behaviour, Gavin realises he will miss Niki if she leaves whilst she has come to understand that families can grow from other relationships.

Hilarious and ultimately heartwarming, with inventive detail, this will appeal to readers in upper KS2.

The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks

The Lottie Brooks books by Katie Kirby are hugely popular with preteen readers. This hilarious illustrated series explores the daily ups and downs of growing up, including facing puberty, navigating friendships, dealing with first crushes and all of the embarrassing moments that come with handling school and family life.

Many readers of the Lottie Brooks series enjoy the laugh-out-humour, the funny doodle-style illustrations and the true-to-life themes covered in the story. Lottie is a relatable character who resonates particularly well with girls in the 9-12 age bracket.

Impossible Creatures

As a lover of Katherine Rundell, I had high hopes for this, and dare I say, I think it may be her best yet!

Full of adventure, mythical creatures and character growth, it is perfect for a school library. The story follows a boy’s adventures when he discovers a cluster of magical islands on which all sorts of mythical creatures are really alive. He teams up with a local girl on a magical quest to save the islands.

The two main characters have a lot of grit and their adventure would be appealing to a lot of readers. It is an emotional journey, but one I think children would enjoy.

The world-building is exceptional, with detailed descriptions of the different creatures and exciting descriptions of the places along the journey, allowing you to picture the settings in your mind. This is the kind of book that feeds children’s imaginations with wonderful and exciting ideas in a way that only the best children’s stories can do.

SCRAP

This is gripping science fiction for a new generation. Guy Bass takes the idea of robots programmed to serve humanity and extrapolates what might happen when some of them revolt. What would be the driving force of a robot society? Would they, could they, ever become indistinguishable from humans?

The action happens on Somewhere 513, a planet prepared for human habitation, but now in the control of robots. Their original Maker is long gone and only her children survive, in hiding, the other humans having fled. So what are Paige and Gnat to do? And how will finding the King of the Robots (K1-NG) help?

Shot through with humour, interspersed with illustrations that could be stills from a film, and brim-full of action, this is a story that zings off the page. I loved the chapter introductions, giving us extracts from ‘Memoir of a Mechanical Major’, or one of the Fargone Corporation’s adverts, or the legally-worded laws (‘suggestions’) governing robot existence. I loved the characterisation too, especially of Mortem the shovel-bot, as well as the way hearts (and cores) are won over, not by force but by kindness and sacrifice. I very much look forward to reading the next instalment and, meantime, will certainly be recommending this to Year 4 upwards.

Tom’s Midnight Garden

This entrancing and magical story is one of the best-loved classic children’s books and is a top choice for Year 6.

Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen chimes the old grandfather clock in the communal hallway of Tom’s Aunt and Uncle’s rented accommodation. Thirteen chimes? Surely this is impossible. What might happen in this magical extra hour? As Tom leaves the flat and explores the old house, he finds himself in an expansive garden full of life. It soon comes to light that this enchanting garden comes alive only in this thirteenth hour. Tom watches people go about their lives, invisible, until a little girl spies him and he finds himself a new companion. How can this be and why does the girl and the garden change every night?

This classic children’s story by Philippa Pearce is being celebrated again due to its recent 65th Anniversary. Having read this story when I was a child, I was excited to reread it and I was not disappointed. The story is full of adventure, mystery, history and emotion. Following Hatty growing up in the garden is such an enjoyable part of the story which is paralleled with Tom’s own life, having to spend the summer holidays away from his immediate family and feeling homesick. The book is hard to put down with chapters leaving you wanting more and wondering where Tom will find himself next.

A must-read classic for upper KS2.

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

Take everything you think you know about unicorns and discard it. They are not the shiny, mythical creatures that you believe you know. They are ferocious, magical and deadly creatures who are very much real. Each year, mainlander children hope to pass the Hatchery exam in order to become unicorn riders. Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith is no different. He wants to be a hero.

When it is finally Skandar’s time to realise his dreams, everything seems to turn against him. The Island’s most powerful unicorn is missing after being stolen by a haunting enemy that has returned with a vengeance and Skandar discovers a secret that could change everything and crush his dreams forever.

It is no surprise that film rights have already been acquired for this book. It is sure to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter. Skandar is an unlikely hero and author A.F. Steadman has written in a way that allows readers to delve deep into the characters’ emotions and motivations.

Similar to the Percy Jackson series, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has enough magic and fantasy to engage children without it becoming too immature for older children. It would make the perfect read-aloud and could inspire lots of writing, although is most suitable for children in Upper KS2 and beyond with well-developed reading stamina. It would be a great addition to any school or class library, especially for those more confident readers to get their teeth into.

The Stonekeeper

Running Out of Time

Following the journey of Alex and his father across Europe as they attempt to escape a brutal government and seek refuge, Running Out of Time is a unique blend of science fiction and thriller, while also tackling some difficult real-life current events including refugee journeys across Europe.

The story is full of action and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat while showing just a fraction of the emotional toll those fleeing conflict face in their journey to safety. The author states in their afterword that the book is not an attempt to convey all the difficulties that refugees face, however, I believe that the book would be a great way to begin to open up conversations about this topic.

The narrative alternatives between different time perspectives, with each chapter having a title page identifying which time period it is set in.

A five-star read for Y6!

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun

An exciting, edge-of-your-seat adventure.

Onyeka and her best friend, Cheyenne, are both Nigerian living in London. Whilst Cheyenne is confident and not bothered what others think, Onyeka feels like she doesn’t fit in. Her hair in particular causes others to stare. It has a mind of its own and no matter what her hairdresser mum does to it, it’s out of control. Onyeka’s mum doesn’t talk about Nigeria or why they left and least of all, what happened to Onyeka’s dad.

One day, Onyeka’s hair literally has a mind of its own when it glows blue and crackles with electricity when Cheyenne is in trouble. Onyeka’s mum is forced to tell her that she is ‘Solari’ and has inherited this trait from her dad. When Onyeka struggles to control her power and it starts to make her sick, her mum decides it’s finally time to return to Nigeria and try and locate Onyeka’s dad and learn to control her powers. Despite being surrounded by other Solari, Onyeka still feels like she doesn’t belong. The other children have lived with their powers for years, but Onyeka has only just discovered hers. If only her mum could find her dad and maybe she could get some answers!

‘Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun’ is an exciting edge-of-your-seat adventure with interesting and unique characters. I loved the development of the relationships between Onyeka and the other children as she got to know more about them. I became totally lost in Onyeka’s world and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.

This story would make a fantastic read for Upper Key Stage 2 children, particularly for those that are fans of superhero stories and films. Tola Okogwu says in the author’s note in the book that she hopes it will “act as both a mirror and a window” in terms of representation, and I think lots of people will agree that it does. What a wonderful book.

Can You Feel the Noise

Ella on the Outside

The Final Year

This is an extraordinary verse novel about the final year of primary school, told through poetry. The verse captures the character of Year 6 pupil Nate as he navigates issues of school, family illness, emotions, change and friendships. Year 6 is a difficult year for many children and whilst they are unlikely to have it quite as difficult as Nate, the book still captures some of that flavour, including the run-up to SATs, friendship issues and anxiety during a time when a sense of big changes is in the air.

Through his powerful verses, ex-primary school teacher Matt Goodfellow pays testament to the impact of a great teacher in supporting pupils through this time as well as the power of words and writing to help manage big emotions. Joe Todd Stanton’s drawings add to the text, with the simple drawings softening the harshness of the story’s real-world themes. The cover is striking, and I was instantly reminded of Skellig by David Almond, which is referenced throughout the book.

Whilst I read this in one go (I simply couldn’t put it down) it is not an ‘easy’ read in many ways and it is a very emotional story. I also think that it will take a mature child to ‘read between the lines’ and understand the text at a deeper level, even in Year 6. Believe the hype and the praise, this book is every bit as good as everyone is saying.

The Lost Whale

By Ash, Oak and Thorn

The Highland Falcon Thief

A full-steam-ahead adventure that had me hooked from the get-go. The Highland Falcon Thief is a middle-grade mystery story set on a steam train. With a high spirit of adventuring and a good-and-proper mystery that unfolds with clues and red herrings along the course, this is a brilliantly fun story that is sure to be on track to find itself set among the very best in the children’s mystery genre.

Harrison Beck (Hal) ends up aboard the last-ever journey of a famous royal steam train ‘The Highland Falcon’, unwillingly accompanying his travel-writer uncle while his parents are occupied in hospital having a new baby. Hal doesn’t think much of steam trains – and he is even less impressed when he finds there are no other child passengers on board and no electricity to charge his devices. Before long, Hal finds himself caught up with entertainment of a more old-fashioned kind. A mystery begins to unravel among the passengers – with valuable items disappearing including the princess’s diamond necklace – and Hal begins to record what he notices in his sketchbook. What’s more, Hal befriends a secret stowaway girl called Lenny and the pair set to work to solve the mystery before The Highland Falcon reaches the end of its last-ever journey.

Murder Most Unladylike

The Murder Most Unladylike books form a series of children’s murder mystery novels written by Robin Stevens. Popular with children aged 9-12, the stories follow the adventures of two schoolgirls who set up their own detective agency.

Fans of the Murder Most Unladylike series enjoy the stories’ unfolding mysteries told through Hazel’s witty case notes. Readers also love the fast-paced plots with clever twists, the character-centred drama and also the 1930s boarding school setting. The stories deal with important themes like friendship, diversity, loyalty and social class against the backdrop of the murder investigations. Additionally, many children enjoy the collectibility of the series with their rainbow-hued covers and sprayed edges.

Wolf Brother

Secrets of a Sun King

I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast

Human 2.0: A Celebration of Human Bionics