Top 12 books your child should read before they are 12

We asked the Brandon team to recall the books which had affected them as young readers and which they still think about today. In no particular order, here are the books which we read as children and have stayed with us. All of these books have challenging themes but are ultimately rewarding.

These books are not really suitable for most children under the age of nine although you could read some of them together.

1: Little Women – Louisa May Alcott – we still laugh and cry with the March girls who taught us about caring for others.

2: Bridge to Teribithia – Katherine Paterson – friendship enhances us all regardless of our backgrounds.

3: Private Peaceful – Michael Morpurgo – shedding light on an aspect of warfare which is ususally hidden.

4: Charlotte’s Webb – EB White – who thought a spider could be a heroine? This book showed us to look past the surface.

5: Harry Potter – good vs evil and the power of friendship. An all-time winner.

6: The Book Thief – Markus Zusak – a book narrated by death and set in Nazi Germany? Memorable.

7: The Tiffany Aching Series (start with Wee Free Men)- Terry Prachett – a perfectly constructed fantasy universe where the adults don’t always win.

8: Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones – taught us to look past outward appearances and realise that people’s behaviour is often based on their own lack of confidence.

9: The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien – we still shudder when we think of Smeagol/Gollum!

10: The Diary of Ann Frank – now more than ever.

11: The Breadwinner – Deborah Ellis – made us realise how lucky we are to be able to have an amazing level of access to education and opportunities.

12: Goodnight Mister Tom – Michelle Magorian – support comes from unlikely places and is rarely one sided.