Our 12yo is an avid reader and our 10yo is a voracious reader. Here are some less commonly mentioned books and authors that may be of interest to your kids as well. I would appreciate recommendations from you all for books that your children love in the 5th-8th grade level (important because of subject and content).

“Alex Rider” series by Anthony Horowitz
“Pendragon” series by D.J. MacHale
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series or trilogy (two are out so far)

“Stormbreaker”, the first book of the “Alex Rider” series is currently in theaters. We saw it two weekends ago. I thought there would be a line out the door like a Harry Potter movie, but there were only a dozen or so people in the audience. I haven’t read the book, but I loved the movie! It’s not a low budget film and is very well done! I highly recommend it for family night.

Sorry, I forgot to include the author for the Olympians series.

Rick Riordan

I am crazy about books for kids/teens, well, books in general!
Last week our local independent bookstore hosted a midnight madness sale. We were all thrilled.
Some of the interesting books that I have picked up and that were recommended to us :
Sophie's World (A Novel About the History of Philosophy) by Jostein Gaarder (Norwegian)
City of the Beasts and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende - didn't even know that she writes for kids!
If you are not afraid about talking to your kids about death, have them read Oscar and the Lady in Pink by Eric - Emmanuel Schmitt. Kas read it when he was 10 and loved it! It's a tiny book, takes probably less than an hour.
As you can see, I am big on translations.
Will keep you posted about more. Books are my life!
Ania

Ania,
Last night I bought City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende to put under the tree. Thanks for the lead. It looks like one my kids will really like.
Diana

Two books by Blue Balliett:
Chasing Vermeer and The Wright 3.
I read only book #1 and thought it was great, especially great for gifted kids. Ms. Balliett used to be or still is a teacher at the gifted school.
Also, if you have a girl who plays violin, who has some jewish blood in her, get The Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer Wolff. I could not put it down. Even my mathematically gifted middle school age son enjoyed this book. And it made him want to practice violin more! ( a very, very positive bonus I might add)
Ania

My nine year old daughter is really into Shakespeare. Through Scholastic we have purchased Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach. It is a well written mystery that explores (a little) an idea that maybe Shakespeare was not really Shakespeare.
Also available through Scholastic, I really recommend Tales from Shakespeare retold by Tina Packer. Nice edition that retells 10 plays, each illustrated by a different artist.
Candlewick Press has produced Shakespeare's Globe, an interactive pop up theatre - she and her friends love to play with it.
Ania

My YS sons, 13 & 17 don't care much for reading. The older one, however was assigned to read "The Count of Monte Cristo," by Dumas. We all became captivated by this story that involves very little violence, but lots of well thought out revenge. Seventeen yr old says it's the best book he's ever read...tho not in those words...

Just want to say thanks to everyone who lists titles and authors here. Let's keep adding to it!

Ania, I plan to get The Mozart Season for DD12 who plays violin. Thanks for the recommendation.

Some books DD12 recently read and enjoyed:

The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen (sad and powerful)
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
The Goose Girl & Enna Burning, both by Shannon Hale
The Two Princesses of Bamarre, by Gail Carson Levine
Elsewhere* by Gabrielle Zevin

*Elsewhere is interesting for its concept of life after death. A 15-year-old girl dies and goes to "Elsewhere," a place similar to Earth, where people age backward (from whatever age they were when they died on Earth) until they become babies and are reborn again on Earth. DD12 really liked this one. (Parents might want to read this one first for content, as it is geared towards more of a teenage/young adult audience.)

Summer is upon us and books recommendations are again in order :-)
Some of the books that have been recently "inhaled" by our family:

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (part one of a trilogy, it is about a girl but my DS LOVED it. It is followed by Pretties and then, i believe, Perfect.

Pirate's Passage by William Gilkerson . This book picked up Governor General's Literary Award (Canada)

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider author)

Robinson Cruzoe by Daniel Defoe - took DS a while to finish this one but he perserveered. I believe this to be one of the first, if not the first, novels to be written in English.

This school year I hosted a bookclub for grades K-4. Since this was totally my baby, I chose to do children's literature in translation. I picked the books that I knew and enjoed reading as a child:
Pipi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
The Book of Coupons by Susie Morgenstern
The Snow Queen By Andersen
Nicholas by Sempe
Finn Family Moomintrol by Tove Jansson
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Children of Noisy Village again by Lindgren

My DD10 wants to host a booklub for her girl friends over the summer. The first read will be Ann of Green Gables.
Do you have any recommendations for other books that might be enjoyed by 10 year old girls (my daughter reads at 8 grade level but not all of her friends are). Something less main stream would be great!
Thanks, Ania

How about

About a boy, but I loved the book at that age:
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Silly, light, not very difficult:
Bunnicula or anything by James Howe

For fantasy lovers:
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
The Hobbit by Tolkien

Jill