This is the stage where children are becoming more independent as they approach adolescence.  They may decide to give up having a story time with books read aloud, but, if you can continue, books can provide a good way of exploring different emotions, or experiences which your child may not yet have come across.  If you have a reluctant reader, you may find that reading just the first book of a series will inspire your child to find the rest to read himself.  Good series for this are:  the Hardy Boys (Franklin Dixon), Three Investigator (W Carey and others) Chalet School (Elinor M Brent-Dyer), and Nancy Drew (Carolyn Keene) series intended for children of around 10-14.  Note that many older teens - and adults! - enjoy books at this level too.   Some reviews written by my younger son, when he was 12, can be found at Tim's book page.  Check also fiction age 7-11 as many of the books in that section are also suitable for older children; reluctant or non-confident readers may enjoy listening to more adult books (see fiction for teens for a few suggestions) but will want to read for themselves books intended for slightly younger children. This is fine - so long as your child enjoys reading and listening to stories, don't worry even if he reads nothing but Enid Blyton. Sooner or later he will decide to move on to something else.

Below are a few my sons enjoyed from the time they were about 9 or 10, and older. For the list of books I actually read to them at this age, and individual reviews, see the page of books read aloud, 1999-2000. For reviews of more recent books for teenagers, see The Bookbag reviews for teens

Frances Hodgson Burnett - The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Little Lord Fauntleroy

Three more classic novels which have been made into movies.   Although over a century old, the stories are well worth reading. The characters come alive, and the plots are interesting and well-written.

Susan Coolidge - What Katie did, What Katie did at School, What Katie did Next

The first in the series is the story of Katy, motherless and independent oldest child of a long family, who frequently clashes with her aunt.   She suffers a serious accident as a result of some disobedience, then learns a lot of lessons in patience as she recovers from her accident.  Although the plot is a little like an old-fashioned morality tale, and some parts seem almost like preaching, Katy and her siblings are very human.   The sequels are more appropriate to older children and follow Katy’s life in boarding school, then on a trip around Europe.

Susan Cooper - Dark is Rising series

A brilliant sequence of books in which the main theme gradually unfolds: a battle between good and evil, with a tremendous uprising of the evil ‘dark’. The first book, Over Sea and Under Stone features three children who discover an old treasure map and have to find something before their enemies get there.

Madeleine L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time and sequels

Unusual books focussing on a family with brilliant scientist parents and children caught up in unexpected adventures around the galaxy.   Madeleine L'Engle writes with a mixture of exciting fiction, Christian theology, and complex physics concepts.

Elizabeth Goudge -The Little White Horse, Linnets and Valerians

Although most of Elizabeth Goudge’s books are for adults, these two are written specifically for children. There is an air of fantasy in them both, as ordinary events and unusual ones are superimposed in a historical background. The descriptions can be lengthy and  might be off-putting to some children, but they make excellent books for reading aloud.

Brian Jacques - Redwall, Mossflower and others

A superb series about a world of small animals with strong good-over-evil threads as the mice and other peaceful animals battle against marauding stoats and foxes and other wicked creatures who try to destroy their peace.  These books are particularly suited to reading aloud since Brian Jacques manages to write dialect for each type of animal, difficult for reading silently but it  works well out loud.  There is some violence in these books, which might frighten an impressionable child, but it is not gratuitous.

Michelle McGorian - Goodnight Mr Tom

A moving story about a refugee in the war who is billeted with a crusty old man.  They learn slowly to love each other, but the boy’s life is overshadowed by the abuse he has received from his mother. The climax of the story finds him back with his mother, with some scenes that might be distressing for a sensitive child.  Nevertheless the book gives a good picture of the life of children during World War II and the ending is happy.

LM Montgomery  - Anne of Green Gables, Anne of the Island etc

Another series of books which has been televised successfully.  The first book tells of the orphan Anne, adopted by mistake by an elderly brother and sister who wanted a strong boy to help with their gardening.   Anne brings a breath of fresh life to their neighbourhood, with her vivid imagination and knack of saying exactly what she is thinking.  Yet she is loving and kindhearted.  The sequel and subsequent books follow her career at university, as a teacher, then in marriage and motherhood.

Arthur Ransome - Swallows and Amazons etc

Stories about a group of independent children and their adventures in boats.  Although Swallows and Amazons is the first and probably best known, my favourites are Winter Holiday, a story about the same children and a challenge set to them to find an equivalent to the North Pole, and Missee Lee: the children are marooned on a Japanese island and befriended by an eccentric lady who wants them to stay.

Malcolm Saville - Lone Pine series

Twenty adventure books about a group of teenagers who discover strange things happening and set out to solve them.  Mostly set in the Shropshire hills or Rye, on the South Coast of the UK, they give a picture of realistic countryside with possible (if unlikely) plots.  Later books in the series have the teenagers growing older, with very mild love interest developing, but these are balanced by the ten-year-old twin brother and sister of one of the characters who are humorous, resourceful and loyal, and frequently play a major part in the adventures.

Rosemary Sutcliffe - The Shining Company, Eagle of the Ninth etc

Most of Rosemary Sutcliffe's books are written with a realistic historical background, thoroughly researched so that, usually, they could actually have happened.  There is often some violence included, so be careful about reading to easily scared children; however the books are superbly written and usually very exciting.

JRR Tolkien - Hobbit and Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit is a classic adventure story about Bilbo Baggins, a small creature who wants nothing more than peace and quiet in his respectable neighbourhood.  Yet he is caught up in an adventure with Gandalf the wizard and some dwarfs, to kill a dragon. The Lord of the Rings is the sequel, in three books each comprising two volumes; it is a sometimes frightening story of the quest, by Bilbo’s nephew Frodo, to get rid of an evil ring.  Reading aloud can take several months - as we discovered! - but as this book was classed as the best book of the century in a countrywide poll a few years ago, it should surely be part of everyone’s reading experience by the time they are adults.