Many amazing books have been published for young readers aged between nine and twelve in 2021. We’ve been privileged to read some brilliant stories, both local and international, funny and serious, thrilling real life adventures and those set in fantasy lands. Here are ten of Readings’ staff favourites:

The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel by Nicki Greenberg

This book is a classic whodunnit mystery set aboard a grand ocean liner in the 1920s.

With first-class glitz and glamour and a deliciously plotted intrigue featuring an uppity stage star, a missing diamond, a leopard and a loveable cast of child sleuths, The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel is an exciting romp on the high seas, perfect for fans of Murder Most Unladylike and The Good Thieves.

Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.

The Right Way to Rock by Nat Amoore

Without music, the world is just blah. That’s my take on life, anyway. Mum says rock is the only music worth listening to, but I think everyone should find their own beat.

When I hear that Principal Keiren plans to cut all of the arts classes at Watterson Primary, there’s no way me and my new mate Flynn are gonna let that happen. We’re dragging our secret Broadway appreciation society into the spotlight. It’s time for Watterson - The Musical!

Suitable for readers aged 8 and up.

Are you there, Buddha? by Pip Harry

Bridget ‘Bee’ Ballentine is 12 and starting her first year of high school. Still reeling from the departure of her mother for an ashram in India, Bee talks to Buddha and begs for her first period not to arrive. She’s not ready to become a woman yet, whatever that means.

Over one blistering summer, set against the backdrop of bushfires, smoke haze and water restrictions, Bee will grow up, show up, and make a name for herself.

Suitable for readers aged 11 and up.

Pax: Journey Home by Sara Pennypacker

It’s been a year since Peter and his pet fox, Pax, have seen each other. Once inseparable, they now lead very different lives. Pax must protect his litter of kits in a dangerous world. Meanwhile Peter, orphaned after the war, has left his adopted home and joined the Water Warriors, a group determined to heal the land from the scars of the war.

When one of Pax’s kits falls desperately ill, he turns to the one human he knows he can trust. And no matter how hard Peter tries to harden his broken heart, love keeps finding a way in. Now both boy and fox find themselves on journeys toward home, healing - and each other. A breathtaking novel about chosen families and the healing power of love.

The first book in this duology can be found here.

Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.

The Edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman

Clem Timmins can’t wait to see her best friends after being apart all summer holidays. But when they get back together, Bridge is boy-crazy and acting like a different person. Ellie is wearing a bra and having a real-life romance. Clem feels left behind. When she makes friends with Tom, suddenly everyone’s gossiping about whether they’re going to be a couple. Clem’s got no interest in having a boyfriend. Or does she?

This story of fitting in and falling out perfectly captures how it feels to balance on the edge of who you are and who you want to be.

Suitable for readers aged 11 and up.

Welcome to Consent by Yumi Stynes & Melissa Kang

An inclusive, frank and funny guide to navigating consent for tweens and teens of all genders. Whether you’re a curious 11 to 14-year-old, or the parent of someone with a bunch of questions from navigating consent at the doctors office to kissing, this book is reassuring, interesting, and full of the info you need!

Suitable for readers aged 11 and up.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood City low-income housing projects. When he mysteriously goes missing, his younger sister, Amari Peters, can’t understand why it’s not a bigger deal.

Then Amari discovers a ticking briefcase in her brother’s closet. A briefcase meant for her eyes only. He’s left her a nomination for a tryout at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Amari is certain the answer to finding out what happened to him lies there - if only she can get her head around the idea of mermaids, dwarfs, aliens and magicians all being real. A gripping, fun, heartfelt new fantasy.

Suitable for readers aged 10 and up.

Lion Above the Door by Onjali Q. Rauf

Leo and his best friend Sangeeta are the odd ones out in their school. Leo’s dad is always telling him, it’s because they’re special. But how come they never see anyone who looks like them in their school history books? Then, on a class trip to a nearby cathedral, Leo’s attention is drawn to a large marble slab high above the doors of the hall. Right there, bang in the middle of a list of war heroes, Leo finds himself staring at something incredible: his own name.

Desperate to know who this other Leo was, the two friends embark on a search. And together, they begin to uncover missing stories from the past.

Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.

The School between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett

Twelve-year-old Autumn is a beastkeeper at Inglenook School for Magicians, which she secretly dreams of attending as a student. Instead, she must care for Inglenook’s menagerie of dangerous creatures so the king’s future monster hunters can study them. Autumn also searches for clues about her twin brother’s mysterious disappearance. Everyone else thinks that he was devoured by the terrifying Hollow Dragon, but Autumn isn’t so sure.

Enter Cai Morrigan, the famous young magician prophesied to one day destroy the Hollow Dragon. Together they uncover the dark truth that lies at the heart of Inglenook School - because every school has its secrets…

Suitable for readers aged 10 and up.

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo

In a time of war, a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing. Gentle Brother Edik finds the girl, Beatryce, curled in a stall, wracked with fever and holding fast to the ear of Answelica the recalcitrant goat. As the monk nurses Beatryce to health, he uncovers her dangerous secret - one that imperils them all.

And so it is that a girl with a head full of stories must venture into a dark wood in search of the castle of a king who wishes her dead.

Suitable for readers aged 9 and up.