Booklist: Tween Time (Timely)
Current Mood: thankful
Current Song: Return to Me score music
In March 2007, someone asked me for a list of recently published or coming soon tween titles. My recommendations were as follows (though I've since added a few, mostly updating the listings for continuing series)
General Fiction (alphabetical by title)
Being Bindy by Alyssa Brugman
The Book of One Hundred Truths by Julie Schumacher
Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade) by Denise Vega (+ forthcoming sequel)
Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M. M. Blume
The Fruit Bowl Project by Sarah Durkee
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown (verse novel)
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life by Barbara Dee
Just for You to Know by Cheryl Harness
Mercy On These Teenage Chimps by Gary Soto
My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (+ sequel)
Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm
Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (verse novel)
The Rising Star of Rusty Nail by Lesley M. M. Blume
Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans (verse novel)
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Runaround by Helen Hemphill
Shug by Jenny Han
Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me by Lisa Papademetriou
Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson
Series or Sequences
The Steps books by Rachel Cohn (blended and extended families)
- The Steps by Rachel Cohn
- Two Steps Forward by Rachel Cohn
The Wedding Planner's Daughter books by Coleen Murtagh Paratore (highly recommended)
- The Wedding Planner's Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
- The Cupid Chronicles by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
- Willa at Heart by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
- Forget-Me-Not by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
The Gallagher Girls books by Ally Carter (spy school/romantic comedies)
- I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
- Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
- Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
- Fourth book to come
Zibby Payne books by Alison Bell (realistic fiction)
- Zibby Payne and the Wonderful, Terrible Tomboy Experiment by Alison Bell
- Zibby Payne and the Drama Trauma by Alison Bell
- Zibby Payne and the Party Problem by Alison Bell
- Zibby Payne and the Trio Trouble by Alison Bell
- Zibby Payne and the Red Carpet Revolt by Alison Bell
Percy Jackson & The Olympians quintet by Rick Riordan (fantasy/action-adventure)
- The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
- The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
- The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
- The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
- The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
The May Bird trilogy by Jodi Lynn Anderson (fantasy/action-adventure)
- May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson
- May Bird Among the Stars by Jodi Lynn Anderson
- May Bird, Warrior Princess by Jodi Lynn Anderson
The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels (combining the original text/plotlines by Ann M. Martin with adorable new art by Raina Telgemeier)
- Kristy's Great Idea
- The Truth About Stacey
- Mary Anne Saves the Day
- Claudia and Mean Janine
Magic in Manhattan series by Sarah Mlynowski (fantasy/comedy)
- Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
- Frogs & French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski
- Spells & Sleeping Bags by Sarah Mlynowski
- Parties & Potions by Sarah Mlynowski
- Fifth book to come
Billy Hooten, Owlboy series by Tom Sniegoski (fantasy/action-adventure/comedy)
- Billy Hooten, Owlboy by Tom Sniegoski
- Billy Hooten, Owlboy: The Girl with the Destructo Touch by Tom Sniegoski
- Billy Hooten, Owlboy: Tremble at the Terror of Zis-Boom-Bah by Tom Sniegoski
- Billy Hooten, Owlboy: The Flock of Fury by Tom Sniegoski
The Hollywood Sisters by Mary Wilcox (mystery)
- Backstage Pass by Mary Wilcox
- On Location by Mary Wilcox
- Caught on Tape by Mary Wilcox
- Star Quality by Mary Wilcox
- Truth or Dare by Mary Wilcox
The Royal Ballet Diaries by Alexandra Moss (multiple titles, numbered series)
Also check out the Candy Apple imprint from Scholastic, filled with the drama (and melodrama!) of middle school.
Related Booklists: Books for Early Teens, Comedies for Tweens and Teens, If Then for Middle School, and Middle School Selections
for this list. I'm going to forward it to my wife, who is the book finder of the family. My daughter is a voracious reader, going into 6th grade this year. She is animal crazy, one of her favorite series is the Warriors. We've told her she has to wait for the new one to come out in paperback, so on her birthday, she is going to be very happily surprised! :-)
Do you have any animal book lists?