Bray, Libba. A Great and Terrible Beauty. Delacorte Press, 2003. ISBN 0385732317. Ages 12-14.

After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she become aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world. The author creates a seamless blend of historical and fantasy fiction, drawing readers into a world where powerful young women are deeply contrasted against the role of the Victorian woman. Unlike the society in which she lives, the Realms allow Gemma the ability to control and shape her destiny, and use her power to change the fates of others. Tween girls will relate to the story's four young women and find a little piece of themselves in each of them.

Vaughn, Matthew. (Director). (2007). Stardust [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures. Ages 12-14.

To win the heart of beautiful but shallow Victoria, Tristan journeys beyond the stony wall into the fantasy kingdom of Stormhold to recover a fallen star. There, a dying king sets his four surviving sons on a quest for the crown, and the witch Lamia seeks the heart of the star. While the book this film was based on was originally written for adults, the story of Tristan speaks to older tweens who have ever felt the need to go to the ends of the earth for the one they love. It also tells of a boy who is eager to find out what his purpose is in life and what his true origins are, something that affects many tweens today. They will also enjoy the film's magic and adventure that accompany Tristan on his journeys.

Shankman, Adam. (Director). (2002). A Walk to Remember [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures. Ages 10-14.

Love brings together what peer pressure and lifestyles seek to keep apart. Jamie is a straight-laced preacher's daughter and Landon is an unmotivated delinquent. When events thrust him into her world, he begins an unexpected journey he'll never forget. While the book this film was based on was originally written for adults, the story speaks to older tweens as well and the film does a wonderful job of conveying the beautiful romance between good girl Jamie and bad boy Landon. Tweens will relate to issues of love, relationships, and religion found in the movie, and identify with aspects of both characters as they fight peer pressure and discover who they are meant to be.

Updale, Eleanor. Montmorency. Orchard Books, 2004. ISBN 0439580358. Ages 10-14.

In Victorian London, after his life is saved by a young physician, a thief utilizes the knowledge he gains in prison and from scientific lectures he attends as the physician's case study exhibit to create a new, highly successful, double life for himself. In this tale of thievery and deceit, tweens will be drawn to the main character's desire to reinvent himself, and eventually turn away from his life of crime to one of luxury and good. The author creates a level of intrigue with her portrayal of his dual personalities, and shows Montmorency as he progresses into a mindset where he can use his skills as a thief for the greater good.

Pullman, Philip. The Ruby in the Smoke. Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1985. ISBN 0394895894. Ages 12-14.

In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby. Though Sally's quest to find her father's murder and solve the mystery of the ruby is a fantastic one set in unfamiliar times, tweens will identify with Sally's need to discover the truth and find her place in a world she has been thrust into all alone. Tweens will also enjoy the book's seamless blending of mystery, adventure, and historical fiction. While there is mild drug use, it is portrayed in a negative and harmful light.

Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk. Greenwillow Books, 2001. ISBN 0688180191. Ages 12-14.

Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students. TJ embodies many different aspects of everyday older tweens--he is multiracial, athletic, adopted, angry, and suffers from issues of abandonment. However, he takes all of these things with stride, and uses the best of them to try and save others. Many tweens will find aspects of his character that they can relate to, as well as the band of outcasts he forms his swim team with. Tweens will also be intrigued by the unconditional support of TJ's adopted, hippy parents.

Barker, Clive. Abarat. Joanna Cotler Books, 2002. ISBN 0060280921. Ages 9-14.

Candy Quackenbush of Chickentown, Minnesota, one day finds herself on the edge of a foreign world that is populated by strange creatures, and her life is forever changed. Candy's story is like many other fantasy novels involving young children--it is a story of a young girl desperate to escape the cruel realities of her world and submerge herself into another world that is the complete opposite. Tweens will relate to Candy because of this as she flees an alcoholic father and depressed mother, striking out on her own in a strange world in order to make some kind of difference.

Holm, Jennifer L., and Holm, Matthew. Babymouse: Our Hero. Random House, 2005. ISBN 978-0375832307. Ages 9-11.

Babymouse has quite the imagination, and dreams of being everyone’s hero. But when she must face Felicia Furrypaws in a game of dodgeball, it is up to Babymouse to save the day and win one for the team. Holm has created an incredibly normal and imaginative character in Babymouse. Set in the form of a graphic novel, younger tweens will delight in reading about Babymouse’s great adventures and delve willingly into her wild schemes and daydreams. Readers will cheer her on as she fights to stay alive in a game of dodgeball, and ends up surprising herself with what she can accomplish—finally becoming the hero she dreamed of.

Estes, Eleanor. The Hundred Dresses. Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1944. ISBN 978-0152052607. Ages 9-12.

Wanda Petronski is different—she has a different name, she is plain and poor, and she is shy and quiet. But Peggy, Maddie, and the other girls tease her because she claims she has one hundred dresses, even though she wears the same drab one every day. Maddie wishes they wouldn’t tease her, but does not speak up until it is too late and the Petronskis leave due to their poor treatment. Written for younger tweens, even reluctant readers with little experience reading chapter books will sail through this simple story. Girls may identify with the story more, and can learn about the cattiness and bullying that often occurs between them in real life. All readers will take away from the story the moral that just because someone is different does not make it right to tease and bully them.

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. ISBN 978-0679879244. Ages 10-14.

Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North. As Lyra is forced to grow up at a young age without a father or mother present, she takes on a motherly role when her best friend Roger is kidnapped. Selflessly attempting to save him and traveling to the ends of the world to bring him back safely, Lyra demonstrates that even in the most horrible of situations, sometimes love, compassion, and determination are all you need to find your place in the world.