Pakistani Readers discussion

Middle Grade Book Recommendations

the secret garden

diary of a wimpy kid (this is a favourite of most kids)

Harry Potter

Ella Enchanted

Betty and Veronica series

Basically anything and everything on my read list.

Though my favorites blue the lines between Middle Grade and let us say , more complex genres.

Off the top of my head

Sci-fi:
1) Enders Game . One of the best sci-fi novels I've read to date. God awful sequels. That's going to be a theme on this list me thinks.
Oh and the PLOT TWISTS. I skreeeeem.
2) The Planet Thieves. Quite possibly my favourite sci fi book. A page turner from start to end. Plus it tickled my particular niche , which is warfare and science-y descriptions. Shame it also suffers from SSS : Shitty Sequel Syndrome ( not to be confused with the Nazi paramilitary group Waffen SS ).
3) SteelHeart. A premise that was refreshingly new. Well at least for me. Welp. Sort of like if The Justice League were evil. Imagine the supes from the TV show The Boys except they don't care about their image anymore. Anarchy. It was done real well too. Oftentimes you get an interesting idea but horrid execution , not here no sir. Likewise it also scratched my particular itch for , how to say? Details? Details on guns. On the way powers functioned , in more science-y stuff.
Oh and again. Terrible , terrible sequels.

Fantasy :

1) Toby Alone. Very unique. Takes a bit getting used to but totally worth it.

2) The Skulduggery Pleasant series. Books 1-11. We don't speak about the newer books. Thank me later.

3)The Beyonders and Five Kingdoms series
Now these are proper middle grade but that doesn't necessarily mean childish.
The themes in Beyonders are actually dystopian I'd say. And Brandon Mull has a knack for suspending disbelief. Unlike the other books I've named which made me feel like I was reading about a foreign world.
The world's of Lyrian and Outskirts felt real. They simply made sense , no matter how outlandish the contents.

In fact

This whole website was an honest to God goldmine in my early teens

https://imaginationsoup.net/historica...

@this site is pretty good! :D thanks for sharing

Np :P

This coupled with our old book finding thread made me an unstoppable 12 year old lmao.

It's where I got most of my tbr shelf from. I maintain to this day that Goodreads recommendations are wonky at best. I'd either get recommended books for children or sci-fi novels meant for sixty year olds.

Anyways the site itself is still great. The 13+ section is expansive and borders on Y.A. Except actual Y.A is more vulgar.

I agree.

When I was 12-13 Goodreads was unhelpful in giving recommendations, hence I haven't read that many contemporary children's books. Mostly children's classics.

Goodreads recommended rated R books to me.

I was 13 and reading 18+ books and the worst kinds too where the focal point is obviously the sex apeal. Apart from some general lists like the 1001 books etc. most of the stuff goodreads recommended was awful.

I've discovered wonderful authors/books on Goodreads!

I join groups catering to genres I like and initiate recommendation requests, specifying my requirements. I usually get a pretty good response from the members. 

Plus, I scour "who are your favourite authors/books?" threads and check out the ones that interest me. Especially if I see someone has listed some of my favourites as theirs then I make sure to check out the others on their list.

I also make it a point to visit the "what book are you reading?" and "what book did you just finish?" threads on every group. Members sometimes share their opinions on the books which can be very helpful.

Going through Listopia has also helped at times.

Guess I've been lucky :-)

I am talking about the general book recommendations goodreads gives for each genre on your homepage.

I don't really have to look for books anymore. there's hundreds I want to read, it will take a while to go through them all.

Bilal wrote: "I am talking about the general book recommendations goodreads gives for each genre on your homepage.

I don't really have to look for books anymore. there's hundreds I want to read, it will take a..."

Oh. I don't think I ever checked those. Lol.

Yes, I know! My tbr list is huge and constantly growing. Yet I can't stop searching for more authors/books to add to my list. Guess it's an addiction. Lol. I don't think I'll ever be able to read them all, but at least I don't have to worry about running out of good books to read. This comforts me a lot :-)

PS: I'm not sure how these official GR recommendations work, but if they're based on books you've read and want to read, they wouldn't have worked for me anyway. I hardly ever update my GR bookshelves. My blog is comparatively more up to date. But I keep my full lists only on my computer/phone/emails.

Hi,
I went to the GR homepage, and I think I now understand which lists you guys were talking about.

Goodreads Choice Awards lists, right?

Well, I never paid much attention to them. Which, going by everyone's experience here, is probably a good thing. Lol.

I occasionally check out lists on GR Listopia. The books are ranked according to the members votes, and I've managed to discover some good ones there :-)

Here's one that's relevant to Middle Grade:

Favorite books from my childhood

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Here's another:

Middle Grade Historical Fiction of 2022

Historical fiction written for middle graders, initially published in 2022.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

They've also given links to the previous years publications (from 2011 to 2021).

Hope this helps :-)

Uzair wrote: "In fact

This whole website was an honest to God goldmine in my early teens

https://imaginationsoup.net/historica..."

This website is really good :-) I'll see if I can find some of these books in German translation for my daughter. Thank you :-)

@Uzair: this website is really adorable there are plenty of good recommendation on historical fiction i like this genre and surely gonna try some books,
:D

@Hifza' would you like to tell me about the secret garden because i am going to read it in july and i will be glad if you hint a little:D

Batool✨ wrote: "@Hifza' would you like to tell me about the secret garden because i am going to read it in july and i will be glad if you hint a little:D"

@Batool

I know you asked Hifza, but I hope it's okay if I share my opinion as well :-)

The Secret Garden is a lovely book. Enjoyable and contains positive messages. I read it when I was somewhere between 10 to 13 years old. It's definitely worth reading :-)

I also read Heidi, The Railway Children, Lassie Come-Home, Black Beauty, and many others during that period. All are worth reading.

Lassie Come-Home was—still is—a particular favourite :-)

And of course, how can I not mention Enid Blyton's books?

Secret Seven Series
The Faraway Tree Series
The Five Find-Outers and Dog Series
Famous Five Series
The Secret Series
The Adventure Series
The Mystery Series
The Circus Series
Malory Towers Series
St. Clare's Series

I loved them all, but my absolute favourite is The Five Find-Outers and Dog Series. I've reread—and enjoyed—these books even as an adult :-)

Also read—and enjoyed—What Katy Did Series by Susan Coolidge.

I also loved Anne of Green Gables Series and Little Women Series. I read them when I was a little older. I think during my mid-teens? I've reread Anne of Green Gables books several times over the years. Enjoyed them every single time :-)

I recommended both series in the Young Adult section as well. The characters journey span from when they are children to later adulthood, so I wasn't sure exactly where to place them.

I also loved The Harry Potter Series. I recommended it in the Young Adult section because I think the later books might be a bit too complicated for children to follow. But of course, it can vary from person to person. The first few books can definitely be read at Middle Grade level.

I'm sure I'm missing lots of other books. I'll try to add them here when I remember them :-)

@Ramla: your ideas are so mind blowing, i like tour recommendations even though you like romance but your classical taste is adorable,

i was asking because I'm going to read the secret garden I've ordered it so i was just curious because i picked it in a random way,
but i think I'm going to enjoy it because your and mine classic taste is a bit same.
:D

now i am going to read peter rabbit book series of 23 or 25 books they are pretty adorable little illustrated with great humor it's children literature,

i still like children literature i don't know why but they are tinny adorable,

does roald dahl count as childrens literature? I have a whole collection and find myself reading his short stories every now and then. Horrid henry was also very fun growing up.

@Bilal: yeah most of his work is known in children literature like his book matlida, enormous crocodile, and many others, they all are so great stories but are known in children literature.

Batool✨ wrote: "@Ramla: your ideas are so mind blowing, i like tour recommendations even though you like romance but your classical taste is adorable..."

Thank you @Batool :-)

Basically, I enjoy any genre that focus on the characters, their evolution, and their relationship with other people—family, friends, love-interest. If this combines with a good whodunit then so much the better. Hence my love for Cozy Mystery :-)

When I need something less engaging—in a Mystery my mind tries to solve the crime along with the sleuth—and more relaxing then I go for Contemporary Romance.

There are different types of Romance books out there. I prefer the ones that focus less on sex and more on the romance. I wish to feel the emotional and mental connection between the hero and the heroine. I want to see them evolving as individuals and bonding as a couple. I like to see them learning from their mistakes and finding a better way of handling life and relationship over the course of the story.

Even with Classics, I prefer character-driven stories as opposed to those which focus on complex plotting or intellectual themes.

When I need something exciting, I go for Contemporary Romantic Suspense, which is a combination of Romance, Mystery, and Suspense. It's similar to Crime Thriller, but it gives more attention to character and relationship development.

@batool :) yes the secret garden is a great read. I haven't re-read it so I'm a little rusty on the plot but I do remember feeling scared (in a good way) because there is a little spooky plot point (won't spoil for you). It was spooky to me at 12 years of age not sure if it will be now tho LOL :D

I also made the mistake of watching the movie of the book a few years later. It was...bad xD. I only watched it because it had the same actor of Mr bingly in pride and prejudice movie.

Nevertheless, the book is a fun read. Do share your thoughts on it when you finish :D

On the topic of children's books, I really liked harriet the spy. Harriet's character is very true to what most kids are like in that age, hence it has stuck with me. Also for spooky children books Coraline is a GREAT read. I loved the movie and the book is amazing too.

@Ramla I still haven't found a romance book that I enjoy. They always fail to hit the mark for me. I recently put down "Us" by David Nicholas. The male lead was such a bummer.

Maybe I tried reading it too early in life LOL but I'm still on the hunt for something nice. I was thinking of reading Normal People by Sally Rooney (does that count as romance?)

Hifza wrote: "@Ramla I still haven't found a romance book that I enjoy. They always fail to hit the mark for me..."

@Hifza

Well, as I said there are different types of Romance books out there. I've read some pretty awful ones that might have turned me off the whole genre if I'd started with them. Lol.

Here are some authors I enjoy:

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

1) Georgette Heyer*

Friday's Child

The Convenient Marriage

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

1) Jessie Gussman

An Amish Sanctuary

Always With You (previously titled: What He Wants)

2) Ashlee Mallory

Her Backup Boyfriend

ROMANTIC COMEDY/CHICK-LIT

1) Sophie Kinsella

Twenties Girl

CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

1) Lisa Childs

Explosive Engagement

Bodyguard Daddy

2) Diana Duncan

Survive the Night

Survive the Hunt

3) Tee O'Fallon

Armed 'N' Ready

Trap 'N' Trace

I suggest you start with them. Once you've read them, you can let me know your thoughts—what you liked about them and what you didn't—and then I can recommend more accordingly.

Happy Reading :-)

*Georgette Heyer also wrote Classic Murder Mystery

@Hifza

I checked out the premise of the book you mentioned: Normal People by Sally Rooney. It strikes me as a YA Romance. I don't have much experience with this genre to be honest. I once critiqued a few YA Romance books though, and I found them rather different from Contemporary Romance.

I guess it's because teenage characters are at a different point in their lives than characters in their twenties or thirties. Their issues are different and so are their needs. They have a different concept of love, romance, and relationship. They speak, behave, think, and feel differently. So naturally, their stories, their struggles, and their journey is different as well.

I enjoyed the books I critiqued. But I'm not tempted to read more. Teenage/Student romance doesn't interest me much. I prefer Contemporary Romance, as I can relate better to the characters in that age group.

But hey, that's me. You shouldn't let my preferences stop you from trying out this book. Maybe you'll end up liking the book and this genre :-)

PS: Hifza, I just checked out the description of Normal People on Amazon, and it sounds like it's a Novel. Not a Romance book. Just thought I'd share :-)

PPS: I also checked out Us by David Nicholls on Amazon. That's also a novel. Lol. Genres like YA Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense etc follow a specific format. Just because a book features a love story doesn't means it's a Romance book. If that makes any sense :-)

Bilal wrote: "does roald dahl count as childrens literature? I have a whole collection and find myself reading his short stories every now and then. Horrid henry was also very fun growing up."

Oftentimes children's literature or middle grade can be more complex , enjoyable and have more heart than more 'mature' literature.

I've read a few sci-fi books over the years and oftentimes they seem so. . . Dead.
Ripe with vulgarity , uninteresting , the writing just doesn't seem very passionate.

The few two sci-fi books I've loved were often geared towards teens or pre teens.

Heck the protagonist of The Planet Thieves is 12 but dear God the book's action was more intense than the blood and guts from "Old Man's War".
It was funny , emotionally animated and the writing had that passion to it. You could feel the determination , the desperation oozing from the characters
I got goosebumps reading at times. Especially when the enemy (view spoiler)[f**king stole Earth (hide spoiler)]

An excerpt from that scene :
(view spoiler)[
Still the gate moved: a spinning hoop they only saw because the Egypt so helpfully highlighted it for them. The nonsentient computer on the bridge painted the gate a brilliant red color, not unlike fresh blood. According to the numbers scrolling on the dome, the gate was thinner than a strand of hair.
Engage, engage, voices on the com yelled. Do something, fire, fire everything, fire what you have: the orders from the com had devolved into pleas. Please help us, they said.

****

When the gate finally reached Earth, their view of the blue planet disappeared from one instant to the next. The gate spun faster, the computer told them, faster and faster, and then it folded space, and through the hoop they saw new stars. Stars the computer didn’t recognize. There was a sun blazing inside the hoop now, a smallish yellow thing that didn’t look too different from the sun in the center of Mason’s solar system.
The gate moved over the Earth faster than he thought possible. Absurdly, it made him think of something he saw once, something terrible, when he was watching an Earth lore video about the twentieth century. It was about a phenomenon called bullfighting. Men would taunt bulls with colorful blankets. The bulls would run at the blankets instead of the men, and the men would sweep them over their faces, quickly, and then reset as the bulls turned around. It was quick. That’s how quick the gate was now. The gate swept over the Earth, spinning faster than ever, and then it powered down, and the stars he knew returned, but the Earth was gone. (hide spoiler)]

Hifza wrote: "@Ramla I still haven't found a romance book that I enjoy. They always fail to hit the mark for me. I recently put down "Us" by David Nicholas. The male lead was such a bummer.

Maybe I tried readi..."
@Ramla is our resident Romance expert but as someone who hasn't read much romance either

A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks was a pleasant read.

Have you read that one @Ramla

I remember enjoying A court of thorns and roses but when I went through a quick read recently while cleaning my bookshelf. I realized how weird some of the themes were. romance just isn't my thing apparently lol. Also I guess Divergent is also somewhat of a romance?

@Uzair

I haven't read A Walk to Remember, but I have read a couple of books by Nicholas Sparks. They were okay, but I wasn't tempted to read more of his work. There were too many depressing moments in his stories. I felt the same messages could have been provided in a happier way. A fellow GR member once said someone always dies in his books, so she stopped reading them. Lol. In any case, I read this genre to relax and unwind, and I prefer a more feel-good type of Romance. But I can see why a guy might prefer his books. A lot of women enjoy his books too. They're just not for me :-)

@Bilal

I haven't read either of these books, but from what I know, A Court of Thorns and Roses is Fantasy and Divergent is Science Fiction. Maybe the stories contain a Romantic subplot, but they definitely can't be called Romance books :-)

If you want to get an idea of the format of a typical Contemporary Romance then check out the plots of these two books: An Amish Sanctuary and Her Backup Boyfriend.

Also, it's perfectly fine if you're not into this genre. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences. There are so many areas in our life we have to be flexible about. Which is okay. But reading shouldn't be one of them. I'm myself very particular about this. I like what I like. I read what I Iike :-)

@everyone Eid Mubrook <3

@Ramla Yes that totally makes sense. I was putting all books with a romantic plot/subplot in the romance category :D my bad. I'll make sure to check your recommendations out.

Yes, as a teen becoming a tween soon I found the themes in "Us" beyond my level of comprehension. They felt flat and...sad. I related more with the only young character in that book LOL. My experience might be biased since I went into it thinking it was a romance book.

I, too like feel good books Ramla. I run in the opposite direction from books that have a reputation for making people cry. Very recently I finally bit the bullet and read "the kite runner" lol. I steered clear from Hosseini's books after I dropped "a thousand splendid suns" because in just 150 pages I had cried over 5 times or more xD! might never read "a little life" either :( xD

@Uzair I'll check out Nicholas sparks soon :D

Happy blessed Eid ◉‿◉

Hifza wrote: "@everyone Eid Mubrook <3

@Ramla Yes that totally makes sense. I was putting all books with a romantic plot/subplot in the romance category :D my bad. I'll make sure to check your recommendations ..."

No worries @Hifza :-) Many books nowadays have Romantic subplot, so it can get pretty confusing. Plus, there are so many different types of Romance books, it's difficult to find the right one for yourself.

I hope my recommendations help you and you find something to your liking. If there are some premises/plots that sounds better to you than others then let me know. I'll try to recommend more books with similar storylines if you wish :-)

Hifza wrote: "I, too like feel good books Ramla. I run in the opposite direction from books that have a reputation for making people cry." 

Lol. Same here :-) It's okay if I get a little teary while reading a book but not to an extent that I start feeling depressed. I can watch the news for that. Lol.

By the way, I looked up the Nicholas Sparks books I read. They're The Choice and The Rescue. From what I gathered, they're supposed to be among his "happier" books. Yet there were times I got depressed while reading them. Didn't cry. Just felt down. There were also some good moments though, and both books had a happy ending. So that's something. From what I heard, not all his books end in a HEA.

@Everyone

EID MUBARAK :-)

@Hifza

You can check out the following books too if you like:

1) Julie James

Just the Sexiest Man Alive*

2) Jennifer Shirk

Fiance by Fate

Happy Reading :-)

*Please don't go by the title. I nearly didn't read the book because of it, lol, but I'm glad I did :-)

Uzair wrote: "Oftentimes children's literature or middle grade can be more complex , enjoyable and have more heart than more 'mature' literature."

I've experienced this with children's movies. I watched some with my daughter, and I was impressed. They were a lot more fun than most adult movies I've seen plus they contained solid plotting and character development, and conveyed positive messages :-)

For example: Hotel Transylvania (I especially enjoyed the first three parts), Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness, The Sea Beast, and some others.

Speaking of children's literature, here's a recommendation for 7+ kids:

Sherlock Holmes Children Collection

My daughter read the ones that were translated in German and enjoyed them a lot :-)

Children reading sherlock holmes?!?!? your daughter must be very smart mashallah. I searched the childrens collection and from the pictures it still seems hard for a 9-13 year old to understand assuming that's her age range. I actually ordered the original 9 books yesterday from an online shop but might get them later since eid holidays. The valley of fear which I read in school is one of my favorite books to this day. That and a very old copy of the hound of baskerville I found in afghanistan in a book cart. so I had to buy the original 9 AC doyle books.

Bilal wrote: "Children reading sherlock holmes?!?!? your daughter must be very smart mashallah. I searched the childrens collection and from the pictures it still seems hard for a 9-13 year old to understand ass..."

Thank you :-) She read them during the ages of 8 to 9. (She's 10 now). Read them aloud to me and explained them to me in Urdu. Maybe I've been underestimating her. Lol. The books are categorised as 7+ on Amazon though. They probably look harder in the pictures than they actually are. Because I've seen the books (the German edition), and I think a child of 8 years old can read them. Or maybe there are different levels of books in the children collection (7+, 8+, 9+ and so on) and you saw the pictures of the advanced children level.

Anyway, congratulations on buying the books! Hope you enjoy them :-)

By the way, have you read Agatha Christie books? If not then I suggest you give them a try. If you like Sherlock Holmes or Mysteries in general then you might enjoy them. I suggest you start with Hercule Poirot books like Lord Edgware Dies, Evil Under the Sun, or any book whose plot appeals to you :-)

Here's another recommendation (for anyone interested in diaries, memoirs, biographies, history, non-fiction etc):

Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipović

It can be read at Middle Grade level I think though some people might recommend it for Young Adult level. I guess it can vary from one reader to another.

There's also another book that falls under this genre:

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

This is more appropriate for Young Adult level.

Oh yes about Anne frank.

she was trending on Twitter yesterday because some people thought she had white privilege XD. Talk about a bad take lol.

Yes! I loved agatha christie. There was this Japan anime called Case Closed : Detective conan. Once again I would say just like you said it's targeted towards early teen audiences but still one of the best shows adults can watch.

It regularly referenced famous authors and so I ended up reading quite a few of them including AC doyle and christie

I don't know what you think about True Crime since you like Crime mystery. But you should read A fever in the heart by Anne rule.

@Bilal

So glad to meet another fan of Agatha Christie :-)

And now I have to ask, what do you think of Ngaio Marsh, Georgette Heyer, and Dorothy L. Sayers? Have you read any of their books? If not then I suggest you give them a try. People who like Agatha Christie books usually like their work as well :-)

Here are some recommendations:

1) Ngaio Marsh

Inspector Roderick Alleyn Mystery Series

A Man Lay Dead

2) Georgette Heyer

Superintendent Hannasyde Mystery Series

Death in the Stocks

Inspector Hemingway Mystery Series

No Wind of Blame

Other Mystery Books

Why Shoot a Butler?

3) Dorothy L. Sayers

The Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery Series

Whose Body?

I've never read True Crime. I think it might be a bit too scary for me to be honest. Lol. But I did watch a True Crime drama on Netflix. It was called Unbelievable. I ended up enjoying it more than I expected, so I might try out the book you recommended. Maybe I'll end up enjoying it, and then I'll have another genre to add to my preferred genres list :-)

Bilal wrote: "Oh yes about Anne frank.

she was trending on Twitter yesterday because some people thought she had white privilege XD. Talk about a bad take lol."

Wow, the things people say! Anyway, the diary is worth reading in my opinion. You should also check out Zlata's diary. I think her diary deserves to be read as much as Anne's, yet somehow, it doesn't appear to be as widely known.

@bilal Detective Conan takes me back! I used devour the manga series a few years back.

Ramla Zareen wrote: "@Uzair

I haven't read A Walk to Remember, but I have read a couple of books by Nicholas Sparks. They were okay, but I wasn't tempted to read more of his work. There were too many depressing moment..."

You're right about people dying in his books XD.
In a Walk to Remember , (view spoiler)[The female mc is already dying of lukeamia when the story starts. They do get married in the end but she passes not long after. So the male mc , now middle aged remembers that fateful walk. (hide spoiler)]

Very bittersweet I'll give you that but what can I say , I'm a sucker for character deaths.
Nothing gets me emotionally invested like a likeable character dieing in a meaningful way

Also A big plus point for me was that the romance was all very clean.

Bilal wrote: "Children reading sherlock holmes?!?!? your daughter must be very smart mashallah. I searched the childrens collection and from the pictures it still seems hard for a 9-13 year old to understand ass..."

Ahahahahahah Bilal you're telling me McMurdo had a long lasting effect on you? Good memories though . Which teachers class was it?

Hifza wrote: "@bilal Detective Conan takes me back! I used devour the manga series a few years back."

You're in luck.
If Ramla is our resident Romance expert , then Bilal is our resident weeabo expert.

@ozair I never said anything about mcmurdo :p

Bilal wrote: "@ozair I never said anything about mcmurdo :p"

Who
Who was the mc in valley of fear bilal.

Who was it