13 Best Books To Read For The Little Teens To-Be

Books open up one's ability to perceive every scenario in a wider canvas. And you find obvious differences in a child who reads, with the one who doesn't. Reading nurtures the little minds with creativity, vivid imagination and sensible thoughts. Thus, make sure your little ones are trained to read instead of moving around with a gadget.As a parent, there arises a confusion on where to start. Also, with so many books and authors piling up around the globe daily, your confusion piles up too. So, we have curated thirteen best books for your little ones to read before they touch their teenage. 

1. Totto Chan by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

       

Japanese writer Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's Totto Chan is a must-read for every parent and children equally. It is the story of a little girl who got expelled from school for being "different" and free-spirited. The story is about how her mother's decision of taking Totto Chan to a new school paves way for an extraordinary friendship between the headmaster and the little girl. The story is penetrated deep inside every reader since it is woven through the eyes of a child.

2. Matilda By Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is one author people of all age groups adore. His "Matilda" is a sweet piece of a story which brightens every type of a reader in you. Quentin Blake's illustrations give life to this story of the charming Matilda.Matilda is that neighbour girl we see every day. She is naughty, loud and exceptionally energetic, but her parents feel she is just a nuisance. Expecting all thigs lovely, she goes to school to meet Miss Trunchbull- the kid-hater headmistress. There she realises her power. She is the greatest joker the world has ever seen.
Then the story unfolds through the hilarious journey of happy Matilda and grumpy Trunchbull.

3. Charlotte's Web by E.B White

E.B Hite passionately writes about the story of a kind friendship of a piglet with a spider in a farmhouse. This heartwarming story is backed by the artistic pen and ink illustrations by Garth Williams. Fern- the little girl's father owns a farmhouse. One day, a pig in her farmhouse gives birth to a dwarf and her father announces that he is going to kill the newborn litter. But after witnessing Fern's devastation on killing the piglet, he promises not to kill the little one if she is ready to take care of it. She falls in love with the little one instantly and names him Wilbur. Wilbur is transferred into a barn of Fern's Uncle when he grew big enough for her dad's farm. There, out of loneliness Wilbur be friends a spider named Charlotte. Then the story of Wilbur and Charlotte traverses a happy path, which children and adults adore alike.

4. Holes by Louis Sachar

     

Louis Sachar is a Newbery award-winning author famous for Holes, the Wayside School books, and the Marvin Redpost series.The story is that of a boy named Stanley Yelnats, who is under a curse that has followed the Yelnats family since generations. The story unveils its mystery when Stanley is sent to a boys' detention centre- Camp Green Lake. The warden asks the boys to dig holes five feet wide and five feet deep to "build character". Stanley realises the warden is looking for something more than just the character improvement of the boys there. Stanley pulls out the truth drenched in corruption, punishment and sanctification.

5. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry     

Lois Lowry is an award-winning writer and photographer based in Cambridge. Her "Number the Stars" is a story of a 10-year old girl Annemarie Johansen. The story is set in the depths of a sea journey from Denmark to Sweden.German troops' "relocation" campaign, pretending her best friend Ellen Rosen to be a part of her family, Danish resistance smuggling the entire Jewish population of Denmark- everything is narrated through the eyes of that 10-year old.

6. Wonder by R.J Palacio

       

Palacio's August Pullman is a 10-year old with a good sense of humour. His world revolves around Star Wars and his dog. The boy was born with a craniofacial abnormality- a genetic defect causing severe facial deformities, which never let him lead a "normal" life.This heart-melting tale flows through his paths when he is taken to a private school in 5th grade and the deeper insights into human perceptions through the journey of those bunch of children.

7. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

       

Jerry Spinelli conveys that facts are different from truths in this lovely story of Maniac Magee, for which he received the Newbery Medal.It is the story of Jeffrey Lionel Magee, whose name changed to Maniac Magee with the death of his parents. Children from East and West believed that Magee is a legend who could run the fastest and could help them with everything for them.

8. Charlie and the chocolate factory by Roald Dahl   

             

This is yet another brilliant piece by Roald Dahl. Charlie and the chocolate factory could be the sweetest book your child will ever read. The book is full of surprises which every child would dream of confronting.The story centres on a poor little boy Charlie who luckily gets a golden ticket to the very popular chocolate factory along with unlimited goodies supply with another bunch of children. It is definitely one of the heart filling stories for children to understand the real worth of life.

9. Ramona Quimby series by Beverly Cleary

             

Beverly Cleary is famous for her famous Ramona Quimby- a favourite of children around the world. The brilliance of this book is its close connection to the real life.The series unfolds through Ramona's life from nursery to 4th grade. The situations she goes through includes parents losing the job, financial crisis at home, death, bullying, divorce, marriage, complex siblings relationships, the addition of an unexpected new sibling and every other issue a school girl from a middle-class family would encounter. The book series isn't about repressing emotions but real life, eye-opening instances for children to get inspired and overcome their inhibitions and fears. 

10. A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

          

Michael Bond's Paddington is America's most adoring bear for the past 40 years. In the book, he is found by Browns on a railway platform, London. With a hat and a note around the neck saying- " Please look after this bear. Thank you", Paddington befriends the family so effortlessly. After that home wasn't the same for both, though Paddington is so polite and is able to address people as "Miss', "Mr", and "Mrs".  The kind story of Paddington is witty at the same time, for this boor bear has a brilliant talent of inviting trouble from every corner.

11. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

            

Natalie Babbit's most interesting story is equally magical and full of life. The locale and woods play important roles in this story as much as the characters. Time and life threats are portrayed intricately in this book. Also, it touches the concept that living exterior to the rules of time doesn't mean a life beyond rules of human compassion and feeling.

12. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

            

C. S. Lewis' Narnia is a fantasy character with whom the dreamers all over the globe are head over heels in love with. The story is set in the fictional fantasy realm of Narnia where mythical beasts, charming beauties and mysterious talking animals exist. Various children who play the roles of a narrator unveils the history of that world. The book completes a full circle around the history of Narnia, from its creation to its eventual destruction.

13. Stuart Little by E. B. White

                        

E.B White's witty piece of literature has been the favourite of little ones and the adults alike since its release.Stuart Little is the story of a mouse born in a human family. Though the family is sceptical about the presence of a mouse in the family eventually they understand the power of Stuart. The parallel plot is between Snowbell- the cat and Stuart. Though Snowbell has natural instincts to chase Stuart he suppresses his urge, since he understands his family connections. Stuart Little is funny, thought-provoking and intelligent.