books for ages nine and ten
ZardoZi
ZardoZi by Debasmita Dasgupta is a gentle, deceptively simple book. In just a few words, accompanied by powerful pictures, it tells a rich story–one that, as the subtitle says, is stitched with love. ZardoZi…
Trouble in the Tea Gardens
When I started reading Trouble in the Tea Gardens by Mitali Perkins, I was struck by how similar several elements were to Tiger Boy. An intelligent small-town child capable of winning a scholarship to…
The Impossible Pet
The Impossible Pet by Jane De Suza is such a fun book! I laughed out loud more than once as the hapless Tarun tries one thing after another to get a pet of his…
Top 3 Chapter Books – 2025
I read dozens of chapter books each year, both because publishers send me review copies and because of my book clubs. Somehow, though, only three books really stood out to me! I’ve introduced all…
The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone
The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone
A few months ago, when I read The Mystery of the Disappearing Drone, I knew I would eventually introduce this AKA Mystery to my book clubbers. Some of them have read The Mystery of the Missing…
A Boy Called Bat
What does it mean to be autistic? What exactly does the word inclusive mean? I think these are conversations we must keep having, and the earlier we have them with children, the more likely…
Tiger Boy
Sometimes, it takes a while to get to a book, even though you come across it everywhere. Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins was like that for me. I knew it was set in the Sunderbans, and…
Sneaker Paati
Kittu is delighted to discover that he has a cool Paati, the kind he can boast about! She does headstands, and is even willing to teach him to do them! Soon enough, Kittu discovers…
The Wall Friends Club
The Wall Friends Club won the Crossword Book Award 2025! I’m so excited to be introducing this book of mine to young readers! In this book, Anandi, a soon-to-be 10-year-old leaves a letter in a…
Frindle
We’re rereading Frindle at my book club! I read it quite a long time ago, and it’s EXACTLY my kind of book. Nick Allen isn’t really a troublemaker. He just likes to have fun.…
