Best Family and Home Book Series for 9 and 10 year olds

The tricky 9s and 10s are a time when children become more aware of the intricacies of relationships, and books can be an excellent way to navigate this growing awareness.

Handling family dynamics, new friendships, feelings of jealousy and a sense of comparison is an incredibly hard thing to manage, yet this is all so very normal for children as they reach their tweens or even pre-tweens. So often we find ourselves complaining that there's not much in this space for readers beyond the master in this genre Jacqueline Wilson, but this selection of books (including one by the master herself) is a great resource for parents and children alike during this time too, as they tackle family setups of all kind and the trials and tribulations of friendship within this age group.

Georgina Atwell

Toppsta

2026-03-14

2024-05-27

Best Family and Home Book Series for 9 and 10 year olds

The Vanderbeekers Series

The Vanderbeekers is a brilliant middle-grade series about the importance of family and the beauty of blending cultures, written and illustrated by Karina Yan Glaser. At the core of the books is the Vanderbeeker family, who live in a brownstone apartment in the melting pot that is Harlem, on 141st Street to be exact. This family is made up of a mother, a father, a whopping five children, a cat, a dog and a rabbit, so not a page of these books is boring! Throughout the series, we follow the family's life over the course of two years, as they stick together through thick and thin.

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Iremonger Trilogy Series

This black-and-white illustrated urban fantasy series by Edward Carey is perfect for all lovers of anything eerily morbid and gothic. The Iremonger family live in the Heap House, Foulsham, borough of all London’s filth and waste. If you were to think the Iremonger family were a rather odd bunch living in an equally odd place, you'd be right. This family hides dark, terrible secrets, and there is more to the heaps of rubbish around them than what meets the eye.

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Bigg School Series

This series is funny, relatable and just as full of heart, for readers aged 8+. With each book focussing on a different student at Bigg School, we tackle changing schools, making new friends, losing other friends and annoying siblings, as well as the tougher topics such as parents' health and challenging home life, this is the series we believe all children should read to feel seen, build empathy and simply enjoy brilliant stories.

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The Lost and Found Series

The Lost and Found series by superstar author Cathy Cassidy is one of our top recommendations for books about children who feel a little lost ... and ultimately find themselves. Every story is about a new character who faces their own sets of troubles: we start with Lexie, whose mum has vanished, moving on to Sami, who has been forced to flee his home in Syria for safety in England. Each book is full of heart, capturing the anxieties of tween life together with characters who have encountered quite a bit of hardship in life.

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Chocolate Box Girls Series

The Chocolate Box Girls is a sumptuous series starring sassy sisters, super-cool boys and one of Cathy Cassidy's biggest loves – chocolate. Set in Tanglewood, the book features Cherry, Summer, Skye, Coco and Honey, who all face some tough life challenges in this delicious series. Every sister has a secret to share. Which one will be your favourite?

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Hope Jones Saves The World Series

For the young activists, this black-and-white illustrated series about the determination, grit and courage of one little girl to save the world will be a true inspirational read. Throughout the books, our protagonist Hope Jones is set to save the world in any way she can. She will give up plastic and encourage her local supermarket to do the same, turn veggie to help the animals, and so much more to fight for what she believes is right.

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A Girl Called Joy Series

We would recommend all readers aged 9+ check out this sparkling series about family, friends and finding the joy in life, with main character Joy, a ten-year-old girl with a knack for finding the silver lining in even the darkest of rainclouds. In each book, she is faced with a new problem only her endless positivity can lighten. From helping a friend to finding an important cause to dedicate herself to even when her own mood is down in he dumps, she always finds a way to bring sunshine wherever she goes.

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Front Desk Series

We love this middle grade series for its inclusive cast of characters, fun adventures and never-take-no-for-an-answer heroine, and we think it can help children aged 8+ develop empathy and understanding of children that might not have their same childhood experiences. Protagonist Mia Tang has moved away from China to the United States with her parents, and what we really love is that although the American Dream hasn't quite come to fruition for them yet, Mia has big ideas of her own. She wants to become a writer, and throughout the books in the series, she works towards that goal, while also helping her parents hide immigrants in the motel they live in.

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Sunshine Simpson Series

Sunshine Simpson is a sweet and heartwarming series that will make readers aged 9+ feel like they've found a forever friend they can always count on. Sunshine Simpson's larger-than-life Grandad is always telling her to get out and find her own adventures, but unfortunately BAD LUCK has a habit of coming her way. Frenemies, haircut disasters, changing schools ... all these things can be so nerve-racking. Throughout the series, Sunshine will have to come into her own, finding her own voice, setting plans to help those around her and even becoming a wedding planner when the need arises!

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Tracy Beaker Series

Written by award-winning author Dame Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt, the Tracy Beaker series explores the issues of fostering, adoption and being in care. All written as seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Tracy who lives in a children's home due to neglect from her own mother. Her feisty but funny nature sees her regularly breaking the rules and putting her wild imagination to use, resulting in her often making as many enemies as she does friends.

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Emmie & Friends Series

Emmie & Friends is funny and delightful illustrated series about navigating middle school and emotions. In each book we meet a new set of characters who are often opposites. Each character faces a challenge of their own, from feeling invisible and struggling to focus, to not liking being at the centre of attention and even being made fun of. As we read each endearing and relatable story, we learn that things aren't always what they may look like from the outside, as well as the power of being true to ourselves and letting our uniqueness shine bright.

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More to Explore

A Jess Jackson Book by Catherine Wilkins and Katie Abey (Nosy Crow)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (Various publishers)

Alone by Megan E. Freeman (Simon & Schuster)

Café Chaos by Catherine Wilkins and Katie Abey (Nosy Crow)

The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. by Jen Carney (Puffin)

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson and Elisa Paganelli (Usborne)

The Unfamous Diaries of Daisy Brewster by Jenny Valentine and Hannah McCaffery (Simon & Schuster)

Georgina Atwell

Toppsta

2026-03-14