If you read great books between the ages of 9 and 13, can you tell me what your favorite book was,and why?

Hello! Interesting question. I regularly review books for that age group and although I enjoy many of them, only a few each year really stand out as "great".

Firstly, I never assume that an older so-called "classic" is truly as great as its reputation might lead you to believe. Often, they were outstanding in their time, but, these days, we are fortunate to be living in a time when contemporary children's literature has never been finer. More often than not, it is our "memory" of an old childhood classic that stands out as great ... not the book itself; when I re-read an older book and truly analyse it in comparison with more contemporary works for that age, their flaws become apparent.

Personally, I like books that are part of a series. When I've invested a certain amount of time in getting to know a group of fictional characters, I usually want to learn more about them once the first book is over. I admire authors that can create and sustian a totally imaginary world - one that is so well portrayed that it isn't a huge leap to immerse yourself in the story and start to believe in it. Undoubtedly, JK Rowling has achieved this; so has Phillip Pulman with his "Dark Materials" series.

Dark Materials: http://www.amazon.co.uk/His-Dark-Materials-Gift-Se...

Interestingly, one of my favourite books for this age range - "Holes" by Louis Sachar, had a sequel that DID disappoint me. I suspect this was because "Holes" was originally intended as a "stand-alone" book - so the sequel felt a bit contrived, whereas books that have been planned as part of a trilogy or series always feel more believable. Good examples are the "Mortal Engines" series by Philip Reeve, and the "Stravaganza" series by Mary Hoffman.

Holes: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Holes-Louis-Sachar/dp/0747...

Mortal Engines: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mortal-Engines-Philip-Reev...

Stravaganza: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stravaganza-City-Masks-Mar...

My favourite most recent book is "Justin Thyme" the first in a new series (The Tartan of Thyme) for readers aged 9 - 13. As with all the above, it offers a great plot and a wonderful cast of characters ... and you're left longing to read more. Interestingly, I discovered this book by reading a review of it in the "Book Trolley" section of the Mugglenet site, thoroughly recommending it to Harry Potter fans.

Justin Thyme: http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/0955357004/ref=s9_a...

Mugglenet: http://www.mugglenet.com/booktrolley/oxridgep-just...

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle. It was a revelation: a book about a girl who was smart and funny and had trouble fitting in; a girl like me! It was also the first book I'd read that could be classified as science fiction, and led me to a whole new realm of great books. My favorite character was Meg, the main character, and there were more books published, both the first 3-4 about the original family, then a lot more that involved Meg's kids, and they were all good.

The one book I've read since that I wish I had read at that age is "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. A beautiful book.

There is so many! When I was nine I started to read the Laura Ingalls Wilder series. The main character was of-course Laura except for one book it was her future husband. They were great I learned a lot about the tie period from them as well as enjoyed reading them. I also read the Babysitter Club which had 4 main characters. I guess I like Claudia and Mary Ann the most. Claudia had a lot of spunk and Mary Ann was reserved and down to earth. Kristy was bossy but had a lot of good ideas. Stacey was like a balance in the group. There is a lot of other good books like Bridge to Terabithia, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Tuck Everlasting, The Narnia Books, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. I could go on and on but I hope this helps.

I was reading some of the other answers and I have to agree Nancy Drew was very good! So are some of the classics other mentioned like Oliver Twist and Treasure Island.

When I was 10, I read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time. I loved it because not only was it the "biggest" book I'd read to that point. It was such a neat story to me. I could imagine the places in the book, and that was especially neat because some of the places are impossible! I still remember the main character Meg--this is 17 years later! What a great book. Good question, too! :)

I'm dating my self here but Where The Red Fern Grows was and still is one of my favorites. Some others were The Tale of the Fourth Grade Nothing series, Of Mice and Men, Beverly Cleary books and the Witch and the Wardrobe.

I'm not going to lie, I loved the HP series when it first came out, but my favorite one was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, I would definitely recommend that one because like the movie, it really shows that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are no longer kids, but now teenagers and soon they'll be adults.

My favorite from HP is and always will be Hermione Granger, because even if the girl is bossy and too smart for own good, she does have heart and feelings like almsot anyother girl and this is for Ron: HERMIONE IS A GIRL, SHE WAS BORN A GIRL, AND IF YOU EVER SAY THAT IN MY FACE, THEN I WOULD HAVE TO HURT YOU!!

That's my favorite book and why I love it so much.

The Wizard of Oz and the other Oz books are really great for people between 9-13.

No one gives the Harry Potter enough credit, but they got my son's reading skills to jump in HUGE increments. He'd read them over and over and over again.

My own favorites from the 70s were the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries. They were wonderful (albeit quite dated now). There were also a bunch of great historical books in my school library that were great at drawing me into the time and understanding history much better. I can honestly credit them for my lifelong love of History.

The book I remember most from between ages 9 and 13 was 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. I loved Scout (Jean Louise Finch) for her toughness and honesty and humour, and Atticus Finch for his courage and compassion. There were no sequels.

British: A Fall of Moondust - Arthur C Clarke American: The Cuckoo's Egg - Clifford Stoll