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Great Novels for Intermediate Readers

Here are some of my favourite novels for older readers. If you have a favourite novel that you would like to recommend, visit my blog and let me know all about it. I might add it to this list or feature it on a future episode of Bookmarks!

Indigo Blue by Cathy Cassidy

Veteran Bookmarks reporter, Kaitlyn, really enjoyed this novel and recommends it for children ages 10 and up. Indigo, her little sister, and her mother are starting a new life in a new house with little money. The family must stick together and support each other, especially when the mother is in a car accident and lands in the hospital.

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

Penguin Books

Ages 10+

If you have ever wondered what Anne's life was like before she was adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables, Before Green Gables is a wonderful prequel to the Canadian classic, Anne of Green Gables. Budge Wilson, an award-winning Canadian author, was given permission by the Montgomery estate to invent a history for Anne that begins with the early days of her parents' marriage and continues until she steps off the train at Bright River to meet Matthew. Wilson has taken the few details that L.M.Montgomery slips into the "Anne" books and expands on them to create a marvellously believeable background. We learn about why Anne has such an expansive vocabulary, how she imagines her world around her, and where she inherits her characteristic hair, nose, and freckles from! Any fan of Anne will be thrilled with this special addition to the series - and if you are new to Anne, it makes a great introduction to one of the most beloved heroines of all time.

Johnny Kellock Died Today by Hadley Dyer

HarperTrophy Canada $12.99

Ages 10 +, 152 pages

Winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award, and short-listed for the Red Maple children’s choice award, Johnny Kellock Died Today, is destined to become a Canadian classic.

Set during a hot Nova Scotian summer in the 1950’s, this is a story full of secrets for 11 year old Rosalie Norman – secrets she must keep as well as secrets no-one in her family wants her to uncover. The greatest secret of all seems to revolve around the mysterious disappearance of her charismatic older cousin, Johnny Kellock. With the help of her new friend, David “the Gravedigger”, Rosalie slowly uncovers the truth about her family, learns about the ties that bind them together, and figures out where she fits into the world of grown-ups.

Don’t be fooled by the title – Johnny Kellock Died Today by Hadley Dyer is a beautiful, warm Canadian novel full of wonderful characters and gentle humour.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Emily of New Moon by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Dancing in the Snow by Jean Little