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By age · 9 years

Books for 9 year olds: seven books they'll want to finish

5 min read11 sources7 books

Illustration: illustrated children's novels fanned out, with covers showing a moon, a house and animals

At nine, many children read fast and a lot, or have stopped reading for fun altogether. The right book at this age can make the difference: a series they can't put down, or a long story that pulls them in.

Here's what's going on at this age, seven books with the age BookTrust, Common Sense Media or the publisher gives, and how to help a reluctant reader.

In brief

What's going on at this age

  • Series take over. Common Sense Media rates the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid from nine, and BookTrust gives The Brilliant World of Tom Gates an interest age of nine to eleven.1
  • Screen or paper? A meta-analysis of 54 studies, with readers from primary school to adulthood, found better comprehension on paper, especially under time pressure and for information texts. For stories, it found no difference.2
  • World Book Day. On the first Thursday in March, in the UK and Ireland, schools hand out book tokens: a good moment to choose a book together.3
  • Nine to twelve hours of sleep per day between six and twelve, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.4
Our suggestions

Seven books for a 9 year old

The age comes from BookTrust, Common Sense Media or the publisher. The Irish publisher Little Island sorts its whole catalogue by age band; three of its titles are here.

  1. 01

    Diary of a Wimpy Kid

    Jeff Kinney · Puffin (UK), Amulet Books (US), 2007 · Common Sense Media: age 9+

    Greg's diary of middle school, full of drawings and disasters. Many children who don't like reading read this one, and then the next.

  2. 02

    The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

    Liz Pichon · Scholastic, 2011 · BookTrust: interest age 9 to 11, reading age 9+

    Tom's school life in notes and doodles, with his band on the side. Every page looks like a notebook, which makes long books feel short.

  3. 03

    James and the Giant Peach

    Roald Dahl · Various editions · BookTrust: 9 to 14

    An orphan escapes two dreadful aunts inside a giant peach, with a crew of giant insects. BookTrust gives nine to fourteen.

  4. 04

    The Neverending Story

    Michael Ende · Puffin · reading age 9 to 12, according to the publisher's data

    Bastian reads a book and finds himself inside it. More than five hundred pages in the Puffin edition, for a reader ready for a long journey.

  5. 05

    The Deepest Breath

    Meg Grehan · Little Island · Little Island: 9-11

    A short novel by Meg Grehan from the Irish publisher Little Island, which lists it for nine to eleven.

  6. 06

    The Táin

    The Irish epic, retold · Illustrations: Eoin Coveney · Little Island · Little Island: 4-8 and 9-11

    Ireland's great legend of Queen Medb and the young Cú Chulainn. Little Island lists it for nine to eleven as well as for younger children.

  7. 07

    Oscar Wilde's Stories for Children

    Oscar Wilde · Illustrations: Lauren O'Hara · Little Island · Little Island: 4-8 and 9-11

    Oscar Wilde's stories for children, illustrated by Lauren O'Hara. At nine, children start to notice what's sad and what's clever in them.

In practice

When a nine-year-old doesn't want to read

Any book counts. A diary full of drawings is reading too. The next book will come.

Keep reading aloud. A child who finds reading hard can still enjoy a long story read to them, and hear what books can do.

Choose together. A book token on World Book Day, a trip to the library, a series a friend loves: the choice itself makes a child want to read.

Our page on reading development follows your child up to twelve.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What books are good for a 9 year old?

Series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Tom Gates, classics like James and the Giant Peach or The Neverending Story, and Irish titles like The Deepest Breath or The Táin, each with the age BookTrust, Common Sense Media or the publisher gives.

What age is Diary of a Wimpy Kid for?

Common Sense Media rates the first book from nine.

How do I get my 9 year old to read?

Let them choose, count every kind of book, and keep reading aloud. A series with drawings, like Tom Gates, often gets reluctant readers going.

Is The Neverending Story too long for a 9 year old?

The Puffin edition has 528 pages and gives a reading age of nine to twelve. For a nine-year-old, it can be a book to read together, a chapter at a time.

References

Sources

  1. 1.BookTrust Bookfinder.What it confirms: Books listed with two ages, an interest age and a reading age.
  2. 2.Delgado, Vargas, Ackerman and Salmerón (2018): Don't throw away your printed books, meta-analysis, Educational Research Review.What it confirms: Better comprehension on paper, especially under time pressure and for information texts; no difference for narrative texts; participants from primary school to adulthood.
  3. 3.World Book Day: World Book Day 2027 announcements.What it confirms: World Book Day 2027 on Thursday 4 March in the UK and Ireland; the first Thursday in March, separate from UNESCO's day on 23 April; children dress up, schools hand out book tokens.
  4. 4.American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: Healthy Sleep Habits.What it confirms: Sleep needs per day: 11 to 14 hours at 1 to 2 years, 10 to 13 at 3 to 5, 9 to 12 at 6 to 12.
  5. 5.Common Sense Media: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 1.What it confirms: The rating “age 9+”.
  6. 6.BookTrust Bookfinder: The Brilliant World of Tom Gates.What it confirms: Interest age 9 to 11, reading age 9+; Scholastic, 2011.
  7. 7.BookTrust: Roald Dahl books.What it confirms: The BFG 5 to 14, Matilda 5 to 14, James and the Giant Peach 9 to 14.
  8. 8.Amazon.co.uk, publisher's data for the Puffin edition: The Neverending Story.What it confirms: Reading age 9 to 12; Puffin, 2014, 528 pages; translated by Ralph Manheim.
  9. 9.Little Island: The Deepest Breath.What it confirms: The catalogue category 9-11.
  10. 10.Little Island: The Táin.What it confirms: Listed in the catalogue categories 4-8 and 9-11; illustrated by Eoin Coveney.
  11. 11.Little Island: Oscar Wilde's Stories for Children.What it confirms: Listed in the catalogue categories 4-8 and 9-11; illustrated by Lauren O'Hara.

A word about us

A book they'll want to finish

At nine, a story with their own name in it can bring back a child who has stopped reading for fun.

At Sagalino, your child becomes the hero of a story with their name, in one of our 21 illustration styles. You read the whole story for free, and only pay afterwards.

See what we make
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