Best Books for Tweens: Reading Picks Kids Actually Finish

Finding books for tweens that they will actually read is a different challenge to buying books for younger children. Tweens have strong opinions, they know what they like, and they have roughly fourteen other things competing for their attention at any given moment.

Tween fiction is in a genuinely brilliant place right now. There are series that have kids sneaking a torch under the duvet, authors who make reluctant readers forget they are reading, and formats that suit children who would rather watch YouTube than open a paperback.

The biggest mistake adults make when buying books for tweens is choosing something that sounds educational rather than something the child will genuinely enjoy. A tween who finishes an exciting adventure story is getting far more value from reading than one who abandons a worthy classic after six pages.

Books by age group: ages 8-9 do well with chapter books like the Treehouse series and Roald Dahl. Ages 10-11 are ready for Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Skulduggery Pleasant. Ages 12-14 can handle YA crossover fiction like His Dark Materials and A Good Girl Guide to Murder.

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