Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

These are the latest family-centred books curated by the Readgrad team.

The Mighty Miss Malone

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Chances are good that your kids will read one of Christopher Paul Curtis’s books in school. Still, his moving, history-rooted, character-driven stories are perfect for reading aloud and discussing at home. In The Mighty Miss Malone, Deza Malone and her family are forced to take to the road as many families were during the Great Depression. While any story about hard times and poverty will have its darker pages, Curtis gives us powerful and hopeful lead characters to light the way. When you read Deza’s reflective and heartfelt words aloud, her resilience and strength come through loud and clear.

The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin

Beloved for over thirty-five years, The Westing Game spins a web of illusions and intrigue. When the odd, game-loving millionaire Samuel Westing passes away, he leaves his fortunes to a total stranger — who might also be a murderer. Sixteen people attended the unpredictable reading of Westing’s will, and things, let’s just say, unravel from there. Author Ellen Raskin was also an incredible designer. Her original design work and bonus content are on full display in this special anniversary edition, adding a crucial layer to the mystery and taking your read-aloud to the next level.

Two Roads

by Joseph Bruchac

Things have been unstable for twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop after losing their farm during the Great Depression. Still, Cal loves living on the road with his dad. But one day, Pop tells Cal that he’s going alone to Washington D.C. to march with fellow veterans for their missing checks. As for Cal, he’s going to Oklahoma to live at a government boarding school for Native Americans because — and this is news, too — he and Pop are part of the Creek Indian tribe. It’s there that Cal learns about his people’s history, customs, and language, and also that friendship can be another sort of family.

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