Here are your personalized book recommendations for your readers! Happy reading!
*I use affiliate links to share products with you. If you use the link to make a purchase, the cost of the book doesn’t go up for you. However, I will receive a commission and I do appreciate your support.
Recommendations for your 11-year-old
Adventure & Fantasy
- The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood — a classic-feeling fantasy with brave rabbits, folklore, and themes of hope and resilience. After reading the first book with my students (5th grade), I read all of them in the series. They really draw you in!
- The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson — adventurous fantasy, deep themes of identity, courage, and family. A highly rated series that I think would quickly become his favorite. This one might also be a good fit for your youngest.
- Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger — fantasy, loyalty, and moral dilemmas.
- Peter Nimble series by Jonathan Auxier – I just finished the third book in the series and really liked it! Auxier is one of my favorite children’s book authors.
Historical/Nonfiction
- The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose — true story of teens resisting Nazi rule.
- Survivors by David Long — real-life adventure and survival tales.
- Bomb by Steve Sheinkin — gripping nonfiction about the race to build (and steal) the atomic bomb. The book can be a little tedious on the science/chemistry side of things, but he might really enjoy it because of the history aspect. I listened to the audio version of this one and liked it!
- The Boy and the Spy by Felice Arena – This one is from my PaperPie shop. It is part of a series of historical fiction stories that are well loved!
Big Feelings/Role Models
- Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick — powerful, moving story about an unexpected friendship and standing up for what’s right. A classic and one of my favorites from childhood.
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander — novel-in-verse about basketball and growing up. Check the content on this one (only you know your child best), but I found this book to be a perfect segue into reading poetry for kids. The story deals with grief and family conflict, which also goes with the big feelings theme you were looking for.
- The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt — historical fiction, humor, and unexpected depth with a boy protagonist navigating big feelings. (Also part of a series.)
Recommendations for your 7-year-old
Adventure & Fantasy
- Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland — epic dragon series. My students loved these books. They are also available in graphic novel format if he would prefer.
- How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell — hilarious and heartfelt.
- Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend — magical and exciting, easier than Narnia.
Big Feelings/Role Models
- The Wild Robot by Peter Brown — adventure meets empathy and belonging. Recently made into a movie.
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker — beautiful, emotional story of a boy and his fox.
- Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater — a classic with humor, heart, and gentle lessons. I actually just started reading this with my son yesterday!
Cross-Referencing / World-Building
- Fantastic Beasts: The Illustrated Edition — fun extra for the Harry Potter world.
- The Dragon in the Library by Louie Stowell — shorter, fast-paced fantasy adventure.
Great Read-Aloud Books
- The Green Ember series by S.D. Smith — such a hopeful story. Full of noble characters, sacrifice, and adventure.
- The Moffats by Eleanor Estes — wholesome, funny family stories that nurture empathy.
- The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser — warm, family-centered, with strong role models. Another fantastic series! All of the books are equally great.
Regarding your question about poetry. I’d love for you to check out this blog post I wrote about the benefits of sharing poetry with your kids. There’s also a list of my favorite books of poetry (organized by age) at the end of the post. Definitely check out Joyful Noise! These are poems written for two voices and they are so much fun to practice – my students used to laugh themselves silly reading these. 🙂
