Best Books for Advanced Readers

When your child reads above their grade level, finding books that are intellectually challenging but emotionally appropriate is a constant puzzle. These books match their reading ability without exposing them to themes they're not ready for.

1,119 books

Sweethearts

Sara Zarr

The ache of losing someone you love takes center stage in this emotional story about moving through deep grief.

Ages 14–18

The Bad Guys #18

Look Who's Talking

Aaron Blabey

They might look like villains, but these wannabe heroes are determined to do good deeds even if the world isn't quite re

Ages 7–10

Shatter Me #1

Shatter Me

Tahereh Mafi

Juliette’s touch is lethal, a power she views as a curse until she is forced to decide if she will be a weapon or a surv

Ages 14–18

The Magic School Bus #2

The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth

Joanna Cole

The class takes the ultimate field trip through the Earth's crust and into the center of a volcano to learn about geolog

Ages 6–9

Cirque Du Freak #9

Killers of the Dawn

Darren Shan

Cornered by an angry mob and the police, Darren and his vampire allies must face a final, bloody confrontation against t

Ages 12–17

The Ape Quartet #1

Endangered

Eliot Schrefer

When a revolution strikes a bonobo sanctuary, a teenager must brave the deep jungle to rescue the animals and find a way

Ages 12–17

Sadie

Courtney Summers

After her sister is found dead, Sadie takes to the road to hunt a killer while a radio personality tracks her trail in a

Ages 14–18

Keeping the Castle #3

Don't You Trust Me?

Patrice Kindl

A blue-eyed girl with an innocent face makes a split-second decision at the airport to swap identities with a crying str

Ages 12–17

Growing Wings

Laurel Winter

Linnet flees to a remote Montana home to find answers and a sense of belonging after mysterious wings begin to sprout fr

Ages 10–14

The Only Thing to Fear #1

Live in Infamy

Caroline Tung Richmond

Eighty years after the Axis powers won the war with super soldiers, a new generation risks everything to reclaim the hop

Ages 12–18

Define "Normal"

Julie Anne Peters

Two girls from very different social worlds are forced together in peer-counseling, only to realize their labels hide th

Ages 12–16

Starbound #3

Their Fractured Light

Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner

The fight against LaRoux Industries reaches a breaking point on the planet Corinth as survivors from across the galaxy c

Ages 12–18

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index

Julie Israel

Sixty-five days after her sister dies, Juniper finds a mysterious breakup letter that leads her on a search for secrets

Ages 12–18

The Bad Guys #17

Let the Games Begin!

Aaron Blabey

The Bad Guys are back for their biggest challenge yet, facing off against the Dread Overlord Splaarghon in a mission tha

Ages 7–10

Hunted #1

Fake ID

Walter Sorrells

Six IDs, a blood-stained car, and only six days to find a missing mother before the foster system—or a deadly stranger—c

Ages 12–17

Edgar & Ellen #7

Hot Air

Charles Ogden

Troublemaking twins Edgar and Ellen scramble to protect a two-hundred-year-old secret while sabotaging the local mayoral

Ages 8–12

Playing for the Commandant

Suzy Zail

For the teen processing the weight of history and the impossible choices of the human heart during times of unimaginable

Ages 14–18

The Candle and the Flame

Nafiza Azad

In a Silk Road city of refuge, a young woman finds herself caught in the middle of a dangerous war between two powerful

Ages 12–18

Wings of Fire #4

The Dark Secret

Tui T. Sutherland

Starflight is kidnapped by his own tribe and must decide whether to stay loyal to the secretive NightWings or risk every

Ages 8–12

Bloodthirsty

Flynn Meaney

Tired of being invisible, pale and sun-allergic Finbar decides to fake being a vampire to win over the girl of his dream

Ages 12–17

The Internet Girls #1

ttyl

Lauren Myracle

Tenth grade unfolds through a series of instant messages as three best friends trade secrets, navigating the daily drama

Ages 14–18

CHERUB #5

Divine Madness

Robert Muchamore

Teen spy James Adams goes undercover in the Australian outback to infiltrate a religious cult and must fight to resist t

Ages 12–17

Alienated #1

Alienated

Melissa Landers

High school senior Cara Sweeney enters a world of unexpected danger and romance when she joins Earth’s first intergalact

Ages 14–18

Each Little Bird that Sings

Deborah Wiles

Growing up in a family-run funeral home, ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger thinks she knows everything about death until l

Ages 8–12