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Does anyone have any recommendations for books for 10-12 year olds that are complex but do not have mature themes/sex/violence/suicide?

Does anyone have any recommendations for books for 10-12 year olds that are complex but do not have mature themes/sex/violence/suicide?

Katrina #recommend

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113 Answers

Tania

Anything by rick riordan.. i love his books

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Cindy

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson

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Shannon

https://wordsmatterpublishing.com/chronicles-of-cypuric/

Written by a 13 year old

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Jamie

The Land of Stories!

T.A. Barron’s the Lost years of Merlin saga or The Tree of Avalon series.

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Grayson

Spiderwick Chronicles and the Pendragon series. (Pendragon I will warn is a little dark at times but it never goes over the line)

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Nicole

The Magical Awakening series

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Jennifer

https://www.cassandraclare.com/series/the-magisterium-series/

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LR

@Jennifer I feel like this series gets extremely dark tbh

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Jennifer

@LR this is my 11 year olds absolute favorite series.

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LR

@Jennifer have you read them also? I’ve read the first 4 and man do they get dark

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Jennifer

@LR I always read the books my son reads. He finds enjoyment out of who can read it faster…sometimes I let him win ?
This is a series a step below the shadow hunters series, it’s written more towards younger audiences and doesn’t have as much teen content in it as Clare’s other books.
To ME it’s not real dark, he reads very advanced (think Fahrenheit 451, flowers for algernon or say Tolkien, Jules Verne or Anne mccaffrey) and this series falls in his reading level but doesn’t HVe the mature content as MANY of the books his level. I mean there’s no way my 11 year old has the maturity level for McCaffreys romance, but then again some of my favorite authors are real detailed so maybe I’m skewed?
I do see other people have suggested this series as well.

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LR

As long as everyone is comfortable! I don’t think my ten year old would do well with all the dark themes in Magisterium but I really enjoyed the series

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Aboagyewaa

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

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Erin

The False Prince trilogy by Jennifer A Nielsen.

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Rebecca

@Erin love this series!

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Rebecca

Septimus heap

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Rebecca

John flannigan

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Rebecca

Ranger’s apprentice

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Shelley

Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patrica C Wrede
Chronicles of Narnia
Enid Blyton books
Nevermoore series
Max Einstein by James Patterson
Phyllis Wong series by Geoffrey McSkimming.
The Princess Bride
Jane Doe series by Jeremy Lachlan (only book 1 out so far)

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Olivia

Rangers Apprentice, Percy Jackson, and Skullduggery Pleasant (some violence, but it’s not detailed). Both middle grade, no mature content and fantastic to read.

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Landry

Land of Stories. Series’s gets more complex each book. No sex or suicide. Very very mild violence but later in the series but not a lot. It is set in the land of the different fairytales.

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Tina

Sabriel (The Abhorsen series by garth nix), inkheart by cornelia funke, the Gregor series, lunar chronicles maybe? Definitely spiderwick, artemus fowl, magyk,

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Tamika

The Inheritance cycle is a good one, also anything by Rick Riordan. Wolves of the Beyond is another suggestion i would give

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Heather

@Tamika the inheritance cycle was very violent…

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Tamika

@Heather i dont see a diffrence between eragon shoving a sword into a creepy raz’zac then percy shoving his sword into a gorgon. How is inheritance bad but you dont seem to mind Rick letting his same aged kids doing the same exact thing

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Carolyn

The Belgaried series by David Eddings. Also The Ruby Knight, The diamond throne and the sapphire rose ( depending if they like knights this series is excellent)

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Kate

Nevermore

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Otto

The Dalemark books by Diane Wynne Jones discusses political intrigue without all that stuff.

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Robin

The False Prince is the first book in the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer Nielsen. It’s middle grade and appropriate, and I have a literally never recommended it to anyone that didn’t love it. It’s an amazing, complex book with a super likable main character who keeps you as the reader on your toes

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Hanneke

I second rangers apprentice by John Flanagan, or the Redwall series bij Brian Jacques.

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Angela

Terry Pratchetts Tiffany Aching series, starting with Wee Free Men

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Marisa

Chris Crutcher

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Mariela

A series of Unfortunate Events.

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Terrin

Fable haven!!!!!

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Madeline

Percy Jackson

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Amber

Heartland Harry Potter

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JustParodiez

I suggest the Freiyon Fables Trilogy. The first is called ‘A Tail To Remember.

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Alexandra

Ally Carter Books

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Savindi

Percy Jackson series

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Amy

Knife by r j Anderson.

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Imbesat

Road dahl books

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Athulya

All the books by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson Series
Heroes of Olympus
The Kane Chronicles
Magnus Chase series

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Gabrielle

The Pendragon books

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Tara

Tamora Pierce – several quartets – all in the same world/country, Tortall
“Song of the Lioness” – Alanna switches places with her twin and pretends to be a boy to become a knight.
“The Immortals” – Diane, an orphan who can speak to animals and learns to control her magic and do a LOT more than that
“Protector of the Small” – Keladry, the first girl who openly tries to become a knight since Alanna was revealed as a woman after she was knighted, and the next king (who happened to be her friend and her own ‘knight-master’ decreed that girls could try for knighthood.

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Rebecca

Virals series by Kathy Reiches.

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Mona

Lockwood and Co series
and the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
Alcatraz Vs the Evil Librarians series and The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

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Vicky

Dark materials trilogy by phillip pullman and his Sally Lockhart series too

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A

Tamora Pierce and Diana Wynne Jones.

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Jessica

@Guardians mentions child abuse and has some violence, but not explicit. I would be happy to send you a free ebook copy of book 1, so you could check it out

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Linda

Rangers Apprentice series by John Flanagan.

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Isaro

The chronicles of Narnia

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Jad

Percy Jackson series

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Alicia

My fav books 🙂 – personally I’m obsessed with Francis Hardinge, “The Lie Tree” has done very well – first YA to win the Costa since Pullman’s Amber Spyglass – but my favourite is the rather polarising “Verdigris Deep” (Dark rich modern fairytale – called Well Witched in US)

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Electra

13 Treasures. Can’t recall the author.

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Tiffany

THe LIe Tree, Sal and Gabe Break the universe, Percy Jackson, Maximum Ride, among others.

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Katie

Skulduggery pleasant

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Rikke

Percy Jackson

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Vicki

My daughter who is 10 loves the Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter, she even got her classmates reading them!

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Heather

@Vicki warrior cats is what got my now 16 year old addicted to reading. She now writes her own fan fiction and has quite a following ? it’s crazy what that series has created in our children!

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Vicki

My daughter writes fan fiction too and even draws her own characters and comics! ?

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Vicki

I love the Lunar Chronicles series and heartless by Melissa Meyer, the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the soulmated series by Shaila Patel (this one is my favorite) Genesis Girl by Jennifer Bardsley, if they like mermaids try Mer Chronicles by Tobie Easton, The Untamed series by Madeline Dyer…. to name a few lol

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Sophie

Percy Jackson Series
Septimus Heap Series
Artemis Fowl
Dark is Rising
Eragon
Magesterium Iron trials
Spooks Apprentice
Rangers Apprentice
School for Good and Evil
Chronicles of Narnia

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Stephanie

The Dark Materials!

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Hannah

Land Of Stories by Shannon Messenger.

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Miri

Dawn of Wonder. The Last Unicorn. I’m pretty sure I read all David Eddings stuff at around 11 or 12 and there was nothing too mature.

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Danielle

Crowns of Croswald by D.E.Night
Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend
The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni
The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix
Rowan of Rin or Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda

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Alexandra

Pendragon series by DJ Machale. I read them in middle school.

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Megan

Redwall by Brian Jacques might work well.

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Michele

Percy Jackson

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Agnieszka

Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband by John Flanagan

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Janell

Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter

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Caleb

Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children by Ransom Riggs.

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Cecilia

E.Nesbit, Edward Edgar and Lloyd Alexander are classic fantasy authors

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Tahrea

TAMORA PIERCE!!!

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Shay

Great question bc my son is 12 and loves to read! I’m stealing these answers! ?

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Monica

Warriors by Erin Hunter

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Mandie

Warriors by Erin Hunter, Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, Harry Potter of course!!

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Joyly

I haven’t read them myself but The Percy Jackson series or Harry Potter!

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Mackenzie

Oooohhhh!!!
The Magesterium series by Holly Black and Cadsandra Clare!! I LOVED them! They were seriously so good.

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Gloria

Harry Potter

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Jenna

Lunar Chronicles
Lockwood and co

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Jessica

Alanna, Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. Finshing School series by Gail Carriger.

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Makaila

Gregor the overlander series

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Carrie

F

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Drew

Hmmm. Violence is a broad category. If you mean gore or excessive violence, I recommend the Avatar comic series bound as a book – great life lessons and my kids love them.

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Tabitha

My kids really like Wings of Fire, Percy Jackson, and Red Pyramid

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Dominique

So you want to be a wizard. Sisters Grimm

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Harold

Dragon School by Sarah K L Wilson

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Jessica

Anything by Rick Riordan (especially his newer series: Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase)

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Jessica

Series of Unfortunate Events

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Victoria

@Jessica ^ recommend… Very complex and intriguing

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Wajiha

Diary of a wimpy kid and dork diaries

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Wajiha

Horrid henry

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Rachel

Witch and wizard series, Percy Jackson, maximum ride series,

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Marissa

Harry potter

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Hannah

Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The iron trial, Guardians of Ga’hoole

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Léa

Any book by Rick Riordan

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Beatriz

Children who have read Harry Potter have been proven to be smarter by some studies so ahahah

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Hannah

I know this isn’t fantasy, but good is good:
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. It’s just terrific. Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy is excellent, too, and my daughter is always quick to say, “It’s not about a froufy kind of princess at ALL.”

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Kendra

Fabelhaven by Brandon mull at least as far as I’ve read with my daughter doesnt have any

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Alex

The Books of Beginning by John Stephens

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Lara

The Alora Chronicles

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Hanna

Rangers Apprentice Series!!

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Samantha

Spiderwick

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Lyne

Silverwing! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/857920.Silverwing

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La

Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson

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Ashley

If I remember please correct if I’m wrong maximum ride?

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Rebecca

Weave a circle round 🙂 great book

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Megan

Cogheart by Peter Bunzl is a great read with nothing mature rated in it. The age rating is for around 12 year olds and it’s a good read no matter your age. I’m 17 and thoroughly enjoyed it

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Michelle

The girl who drank the moon

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Paula

Andre Norton has some books for younger children. They are not a series. Dragon Magic, Fur Magic, Lavender Green Magic, Octagon Magic, Red Hart Inn Magic are a few of the titles

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Hayley

Percy Jackson

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Alba

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. It’s so good even an adult can enjoy it.

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