Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie is a poor kid living with his parents and both sets of very old grandparents.  For his birthday, all he gets is a chocolate bar from the nearby chocolate factory belonging to the mysterious Mr. Willy Wonka.  When Charlie and his Grandpa Joe are invited to the visit the chocolate factory with four other children (all horrid in their own ways), they find that the factory, while wondrous and magical, can also be extremely dangerous!

Author: Roald Dahl
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s): boy
Part of a series: yes
Where: England
When: present

The Witches

A boy and his Norwegian grandmother take on The Grand High Witch Of All The World and the eighty-plus witches living in England! As with many of Roald Dahl’s books, some of the characters end up with very unhappy endings, which can be funny, crazy and scary.  For example, here is Norwegian Grandmother’s take on a boy whose gluttony gets him turned into a mouse: “…over in Norway where I come from, we are quite used to these sorts of happenings. We have learnt to accept them as part of everyday life.”

Author: Roald Dahl
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s): Boy
Part of a series: no
Where: England
When: present day

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Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator

Charlie, Mr. Wonka and Grandpa Joe take on space aliens and hopelessly useless government officials!  Some of Roald Dahl’s very best rhymes are in Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator.  Laugh out loud funny!

Author: Roald Dahl
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Boy
Part of a series:  yes
Where: England and outer space
When: present day

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Heidi

The story of Heidi is over a hundred years old, but still is a fun read, especially for kids who like books about special grandparents.  Heidi’s grandfather is reserved at first, but her cheerfulness wins him over.  The two really learn how much they love each other when Heidi is taken away from him and the Alps to live in the city.

Author: Johanna Spyri
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Girl
Part of a series:  yes
Where: Switzerland
When: long ago

Heidi is a free ebook you can download from Gutenberg.org

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The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Calpurnia Tate (known as Callie Vee by her family) can’t figure out how to get a hold of a copy of Darwin’s scientific book Origin of Species.  It’s Texas in the late 1900’s and the book was thought to be an argument against God, which upset the religious communities.  Imagine Callie’s surprise to learn that not only does her own grandfather own a copy, but it’s signed, which means her grandfather knew Mr. Darwin himself!  Grandfather Tate is a gruff, distant character, but Callie earns his respect and the two even create their own unique brand of fun in the hunt for a brand new species.

Author: Jacqueline Kelly
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Girl
Part of a series:  yes
Where: Texas
When: 1899

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The Children Of Green Knowe

Tolly’s great-grandmother is very old, but she and Tolly understand each other right away when he goes to visit her on a school holiday.  And as Tolly discovers more friendly family members in their castle home (ones who died 400 years before!), he is excited to learn that his Granny knows about them too.  And, interestingly, they have a Granny who, in an old family portrait, looks just like Tolly’s Granny.  Hmmm!

Author: L.M. Boston
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Boy
Part of a series:  yes
Where: England
When: present day

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Listening For Lions

When Rachel’s missionary parents die in Africa, greedy neighbors take her in and force her to impersonate their own daughter, who also died.  They send her to England to the wealthy grandfather, hoping he will leave his money to them.  Rachel is afraid to tell the truth because the grandfather would have every right to throw her out and she has no friends or relatives in England.  She feels even worse about the deception as she and the grandfather become close, given their shared interest in birds.  What will Rachel do to make the grandfather happy yet somehow return to her beloved Africa?

Author: Gloria Whelan
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Girl
Part of a series: no
Where: Africa & England
When: 1930

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Ruby Holler

Tiller and Sarey, a retired couple, wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into when they take Dallas and Florida, the 13-year-old “trouble twins” into their home.  After years of foster care, Dallas and Florida find it hard to believe that adults truly trust them, want to make them happy, and see mistakes as a way to learn.  Throughout the book, the two plan to run away, but some misadventures befall Tiller and Sarey and the twins keep postponing their escape. Have they found a place where they’re not just wanted but needed?

Author: Sharon Creech
Ages: 9 – 12
Main character(s):  Boy and Girl
Part of a series:  no
Where: US, maybe in the South
When: present day

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