First Chapter Friday Books

Books intended for 8-12-year-olds

Updated February 23, 2024
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Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone
Keller, Tae
Paper Book
In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal for When You Trap a Tiger, Tae Keller offers a gripping and emotional story about friendship, bullying, and the possiblity that there's more in the universe than just us. Sometimes middle school can make you feel like...
Dinosaurs before dark
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Paper Book
Where did the magic tree house come from? Before Jack and Anie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them back to the prehistoric past. Now can they do it before dark... or will they become a dinosaur's dinner?
Artemis Fowl
Colfer, Eoin
Paper Book
Now an original movie on Disney+, here is the book that started it all, the international bestseller about a teenage criminal mastermind and his siege against dangerous, tech-savvy fairies. Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has discovered...
The mouse and the motorcycle
Cleary, Beverly.
Paper Book
In this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn. When the ever-curious Ralph spots Keith's red toy motorcycle, he vows to...
From the desk of Zoe Washington
Marks, Janae
Paper Book
#1 Kids Indie Next List * Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year * SLJ Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * Junior Library Guild Selection * Edgar Award Nominee * Four Starred Reviews * Bank Street Best...
Charlotte's web
White, E. B.
Paper Book
Don't miss one of America's top 100 most-loved novels, selected by PBS's The Great American Read. This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This hardcover edition includes...
City of ghosts
Schwab, Victoria
Paper Book
From #1 NYT bestselling author Victoria Schwab comes a sweeping, spooky, evocative adventure, perfect for fans of "Stranger Things" and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.A New York Times bestseller!Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown, but she doesn't...
Hot Cocoa Hearts: A Wish Novel
Nelson, Suzanne
Paper Book
A charming and delicious tale of first crushes and hot cocoa, perfect for tween readers.'Tis the season... for heartbreak?Emery Mason is not a fan of the holidays. She's so over the tinsel, the shopping, and all the other trappings of the season. Unfortunately, this year, Em is forced to work -- as...
The Wild Robot
Brown, Peter
Paper Book
Now a DreamWorks movie! This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to survive--and live--in the wilderness....
The Book of Stolen Dreams
Farr, David
Ebook
An exhilarating, wondrous middle grade debut about a brother and sister on a quest that "swoops from thrilling to terrifying to heartwarming and back again" (BookPage) to defeat a tyrannical ruler and protect a magical book. "[W]ill appeal to readers of Kelly Barnhill and Lemony Snicket" (...
Amari and the night brothers
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black in this exhilarating debut middle grade fantasy, the first in a series filled with #blackgirlmagic. Perfect for fans of Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, the Percy Jackson series, and Nevermoor. Amari Peters has...
Maizy Chen's Last Chance
Yee, Lisa
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER . NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST . ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR YOUTH LITERATURE Twelve year-old Maizy discovers her family's Chinese restaurant is full of secrets in this irresistible novel that celebrates food, fortune, and family. NAMED...
The world according to Humphrey
Birney, Betty G.
Paper Book
The first in the series about everyone's favorite classroom pet! You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That's what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy is it true! There are always adventures in the classroom and each weekend he gets to...
Whale Done
Gibbs, Stuart
Paper Book
In the eighth novel in New York Times bestselling Stuart Gibbs's FunJungle series, Teddy Fitzroy returns as FunJungle's resident sleuth to find the culprits behind a blown-up whale and a string of beach sand thefts. After an escaped kangaroo starts a fire that burns down...
The star outside my window
Raúf, Onjali Q.
Paper Book
From the award-winning author of The Boy at the Back of the Class comes a middle grade novel about the power of hope to sustain even when tragedy strikes. Ten-year-old Aniyah and her little brother Noah find themselves living in foster care after the sudden disappearance...
The outsiders
Hinton, S. E.
Paper Book
Now a Broadway musical Inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's iconic film Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read First published in 1967, S. E. Hinton's novel was an...
Lalani of the distant sea
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
"A lush and mysterious fable, full of beauty, full of wonder."--Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly's debut fantasy novel is a gorgeous, literary adventure about bravery, friendship, self-reliance, and the...
Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence
Thomas, Sonja
Paper Book
From the Desk of Zoe Washington meets Ways to Make Sunshine in this "noteworthy" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) middle grade novel about a determined young girl who must rely on her ingenuity and scientific know-how to save her beloved cat. Twelve-year-old...
The Ogress and the Orphans
Barnhill, Kelly
Paper Book
A National Book Award finalist and instant fantasy classic about the power of community, generosity, books, and baked goods, from the author of the beloved Newbery Medal winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon. The town of Stone in the Glen used to be lovely, but it hasn't been so in...
Sit, stay, love
Howard, J. J.
Paper Book
Cecilia Murray has been wishing for a dog for as long as she can remember. And when a cute pug named Potato is brought in to Orphan Paws, the shelter where she volunteers, she knows he is the dog she's been waiting for. There's just one problem: Eric Chung -- a popular, arrogant boy from school --...
Unplugged
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unteachables, Gordon Korman, comes a hilarious middle grade novel about a group of kids forced to "unplug" at a wellness camp--where they instead find intrigue, adventure, and a whole lot of chaos. Perfect for fans of Korman's...
The Field Guide
DiTerlizzi, Tony
Paper Book
The Grace children discover the faerie world is closer than you think in this repackage of the first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick Chronicles. After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they've just moved...
Doll bones
Black, Holly.
Paper Book
Discover the Newbery Honor winner Doll Bones, from Holly Black, the cocreator of the Spiderwick Chronicles. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book. A School Library Journal Best Book. A Booklist Editor's Choice Books for Youth. A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book. A...
The lightning thief
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times Bestseller | Now a series on Disney+ 12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers he is the son of Poseidon in the opener to the hilarious, fast-paced adventure fantasy series for young readers ages 10 and up The hardcover edition of the...
Mr. Popper's penguins
Atwater, Richard.
Paper Book
The classic Newbery Honor book that inspired the hilarious Jim Carrey movie--and a childhood favorite book for generations. Mr. Popper's Penguins is one of the handful of American books for children that has attained the status of a classic. A humble...
Fish in a tree
Hunt, Lynda Mullaly
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller . An emotionally-charged, uplifting novel that will speak to anyone who's ever thought there was something wrong with them because they didn't fit in. "Fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder will appreciate this feel-good story of friendship...
Holes
Sachar, Louis
Paper Book
10th Anniversary Edition Louis Sachar received great recognition for his groundbreaking story of Stanley Yelnats - a boy with a history of bad luck. AsSchool Library Journalpredicted in their starred review of the book when it was first published, "Kids will loveHoles." A...
Skunk and Badger
Timberlake, Amy
Paper Book
A Best Book of 2020: People * Kirkus Reviews * Booklist  * School Library Journal * Publishers Weekly * Shelf Awareness for Readers * New York Public Library * Chicago Public Library * Evanston...
Aru Shah and the end of time
Chokshi, Roshani
Paper Book
Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this fantasy adventure by New York Times best-selling author, Roshani Chokshi, inspired by the great epics she grew up on. Named one of 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time by Time magazine! Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a...
Matilda
Dahl, Roald.
Paper Book
The classic story from Roald Dahl, about an exceptional young girl with extraordinary powers. Adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and a Netflix film! Matilda is a sweet, exceptional young girl, but her parents think she's just a nuisance. She expects school to be...

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