Best Books for 10 Year Olds

This middle-grade survival fiction series begins with a teenage boy who is the sole survivor of a small plane crash and must survive alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a hatchet. The series follows his survival and its aftermath across multiple books, and is known for its unflinching detail, emotional honesty, and deeply immersive portrayal of what it takes to stay alive in the wild.

This five-book middle-grade fantasy series is set in a modern America where the ancient Greek gods are still very much alive and active, and follows a twelve-year-old boy who discovers he is the son of one of the Olympians and is drawn into a conflict between gods that threatens to start a world war. The series is fast-paced, funny, and packed with Greek mythology adapted for contemporary readers, and launched one of the most successful franchises in modern children's publishing.

This middle-grade fantasy series follows a brother and sister who spend the summer at their grandparents' seemingly ordinary property — and discover it is secretly a preserve for magical creatures, governed by ancient treaties that are beginning to break down. The five-book series escalates from a self-contained adventure into an epic conflict involving magical preserves around the world and the forces seeking to destroy them.