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Children's reading lists

24 must-read books for 9-12-year-olds

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Features

Katie Kirby’s countdown to the return to school

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16 of the best children’s books about love

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16 laugh-out-loud funny books for 9-12-year-olds

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How to start a diary

Lottie Brooks vs The Ultra Mean Girls

From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new story from the phenomenal Lottie Brooks series! 
 
Today we brainstormed strategies to #GETAMBERBACK. Our top ideas are: 
<ul><li>Send her flowers</li><li>Hypnotise her</li><li>Kidnap her</li><li>Tell everyone she smells like lasagne </li><li>Emotionally blackmail her by making a BFF photo montage </li></ul> 
Just when Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again! Amber’s hanging out with the Ultra Mean Girl Gang at school and is completely ignoring the Queens of Eight Green. Mum’s gone back to work and expects Lottie to ‘help around the house more’, Bella keeps biting everyone and Pot Noodle will not stop sniffing every dog’s bum. DISASTER! 
 
Now Lottie has to come up with a foolproof plan to get Amber back before her friendship group is destroyed forever. What could go wrong??? 
 
Join Lottie as she battles the mean girls, takes on school injections (apparently they can go through your arm!) and even more extremely embarrassing moments. 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion' 
 
Have you read all of Lottie's embarrassing diaries? 
Book 1: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks 
Book 2: The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks 
Book 3: The Mega Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks 
Book 4: The Totally Disastrous School Trip of Lottie Brooks 
Book 5: The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks 
Book 6: The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks 
 
Other books from the world of Lottie Brooks: 
Lottie Brooks's Essential Guide to Life

Katie Kirby is a writer and illustrator who lives by the sea in Hove with her husband, two sons and dog Sasha. 
 
She has a degree in Advertising and Marketing and after spending several years working in London media agencies, which basically involved hanging out in fancy restaurants and pretending to know what she was talking about, she had some children and decided to start a blog called 'Hurrah for Gin' about the gross injustice of it all. 
 
Many people said her sense of humour was silly and immature so she now writes children's books. 
 
Katie likes gin, rabbits, over-thinking things, the smell of launderettes and Monster Munch. She does not like losing at board games or writing about herself in the third person.

From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new story from the phenomenal Lottie Brooks series! 
 
Today we brainstormed strategies to #GETAMBERBACK. Our top ideas are: 
<ul><li>Send her flowers</li><li>Hypnotise her</li><li>Kidnap her</li><li>Tell everyone she smells like lasagne </li><li>Emotionally blackmail her by making a BFF photo montage </li></ul>Just when Lottie thought life might be going back to normal, everything goes wrong again! Amber’s hanging out with the Ultra Mean Girl Gang at school and is completely ignoring the Queens of Eight Green. Mum’s gone back to work and expects Lottie to ‘help around the house more’, Bella keeps biting everyone and Pot Noodle will not stop sniffing every dog’s bum. DISASTER! 
 
Now Lottie has to come up with a foolproof plan to get Amber back before her friendship group is destroyed forever. What could go wrong??? 
 
Join Lottie as she battles the mean girls, takes on school injections (apparently they can go through your arm!) and even more extremely embarrassing moments. 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion' 
 
Have you read all of Lottie's embarrassing diaries? 
Book 1: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks 
Book 2: The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks 
Book 3: The Mega Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks 
Book 4: The Totally Disastrous School Trip of Lottie Brooks 
Book 5: The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks 
Book 6: The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks 
 
Other books from the world of Lottie Brooks: 
Lottie Brooks's Essential Guide to Life

The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks

From hilarious number one bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new Lottie Brooks story. 
 
Lottie Brooks is BACK and she's as BRILLIANT as ever! 
 
At long last Lottie and Daniel are an official couple and everything seems to be going brilliantly (except for Amber being increasingly mean and jealous, but what's new there?). 
 
Meanwhile Toby's new year's resolution is to get a dog, and for once Lottie and him see eye to eye. Pot Noodle, the cockapoo, becomes the newest member of the Brooks family. He's VERY cute but also not toilet trained AT ALL. 
 
Lottie soon finds having a new boyfriend and a new dog means she has little time for anyone else, leaving her best friends pretty upset. How is Lottie meant to keep everybody happy and stop Pot Noodle from pooing on the carpet?! 
 
Perfect for readers aged 9-12 and for fans of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Dork Diaries and Wimpy Kid. 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion' 
 
Have you read all of Lottie's embarrassing diaries? 
Book 1: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks 
Book 2: The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks 
Book 3: The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks 
Book 4: The Totally Disastrous School Trip of Lottie Brooks 
Book 5: The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks 
Book 6: The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks 
 
Also available now: Lottie Brooks's Totally Essential Guide to Life

From hilarious number one bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new Lottie Brooks story. 
 
Lottie Brooks is BACK and she's as BRILLIANT as ever! 
 
At long last Lottie and Daniel are an official couple and everything seems to be going brilliantly (except for Amber being increasingly mean and jealous, but what's new there?). 
 
Meanwhile Toby's new year's resolution is to get a dog, and for once Lottie and him see eye to eye. Pot Noodle, the cockapoo, becomes the newest member of the Brooks family. He's VERY cute but also not toilet trained AT ALL. 
 
Lottie soon finds having a new boyfriend and a new dog means she has little time for anyone else, leaving her best friends pretty upset. How is Lottie meant to keep everybody happy and stop Pot Noodle from pooing on the carpet?! 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion.

The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks

From hilarious bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new Lottie Brooks story. This time it's CHRISTMAS!!! 
 
Dear Santa, 
 
For Christmas this year, I would like: 
 
Two hundred KitKat chunkies (full-size not multipack) 
Baby Bella to stop shouting 'BUM' in public spaces 
A new brother who doesn't fart on me and call it a 'tasty air biscuit' 
Antoine or Daniel (I can't decide!) to surprise me on Christmas Day with a grand romantic gesture 
Cash (lots of it!) 
A new diary (I'm really getting through them!) 
 
Lots of love, 
 
Lottie xxx 
 
PS. Please could you put a chocolate orange instead of a real orange in my stocking this year? 
 
Lottie Brooks LOVES Christmas - there's presents, all the KitKat Chunkys you can eat AND no school for two weeks! But this year, Christmas might be a bit more chaotic than usual. The whole Brooks family are visiting for the festive break (along with some surprise visitors . . .), there's a Secret Santa to organise, and the hammies won't stop attacking Gavin, the Elf on the Shelf! 
 
Will Lottie survive the festivities intact or will she have to hide in the fort of shame until it's all over? 
 
Perfect for readers aged 9-12 and for fans of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Dork Diaries and Wimpy Kid. 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion' 
 
Have you read all of Lottie's embarrassing diaries? 
Book 1: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks 
Book 2: The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks 
Book 3: The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks 
Book 4: Lottie Brooks’s Totally Disastrous School-Trip 
Book 5: The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks 
Book 6: The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks 
 
Available to pre-order now: Lottie Brooks's Totally Essential Guide to Life

From hilarious bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new Lottie Brooks story. This time it's CHRISTMAS!!! 
 
Dear Santa, 
 
For Christmas this year, I would like: 
 
Two hundred KitKat chunkies (full-size not multipack) 
Baby Bella to stop shouting 'BUM' in public spaces 
A new brother who doesn't fart on me and call it a 'tasty air biscuit' 
Antoine or Daniel (I can't decide!) to surprise me on Christmas Day with a grand romantic gesture 
Cash (lots of it!) 
A new diary (I'm really getting through them!) 
 
Lots of love, 
 
Lottie xxx 
 
PS. Please could you put a chocolate orange instead of a real orange in my stocking this year? 
 
Lottie Brooks LOVES Christmas - there's presents, all the KitKat Chunkys you can eat AND no school for two weeks! But this year, Christmas might be a bit more chaotic than usual. The whole Brooks family are visiting for the festive break (along with some surprise visitors . . .), there's a Secret Santa to organise, and the hammies won't stop attacking Gavin, the Elf on the Shelf! 
 
Will Lottie survive the festivities intact or will she have to hide in the fort of shame until it's all over?

Write Your own Diary with Lottie: activities and advice from the hilarious Lottie Brooks!

Lottie Brooks’s Essential Guide to Life

From hilarious MEGA-bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new Lottie Brooks book with a twist! 
 
Hi, Lottie Brooks here! I’ve just found out that you’ve all been reading about my most EMBARRASSING moments for years . . . it’s meant to be my TOTALLY SECRET PRIVATE DIARY!! 
 
Seems like it’s only fair then that it’s YOUR TURN! 
 
Lottie has been sharing her most cringe-inducing moments for years, and this book sums up all of Lottie’s knowledge and wisdom for a totally ESSENTIAL guide to life. Lottie and her friends are here to help you through those tweenage years with their best advice on school, friendship, crushes and, most importantly, SNACKS. 
 
Filled with BRAND-NEW stories and Lottie inspired activities, plus space for you to write and draw as well, grab a pen (and maybe a KitKat Chunky, for energy) and get ready to learn from Lottie! 
 
What will you find inside: 
<ul><li>Tips and advice from Lottie</li><li>Hilarious activities including Would you Rather, design your Drink of Dreams, list your top snacks, quizzes and more!</li><li>Space to write and illustrate your very own diary</li><li>Takeovers from Jess and Amber</li><li>Mum’s guidance on the ‘Amazing Journey to Womanhood’ (hmm, actually you might want to skip that page)</li></ul>

Lottie Brooks's Totally Disastrous School-Trip

Lottie Brooks continues to navigate the many perils of growing up in this fantastically funny illustrated series for a 9-12 audience, filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and plenty of lols. 
 
Woe is me. So much is wrong in my life... 
 
Still look like a tomato 
Am stuck indoors whilst my friends go bowling without me (rude) 
My parents are leaving me to go out on a 'Date Night'. GROSS! 
 
After a summer of meeting handsome French boys and getting a tiny bit sunburnt. OK, fine - a lot sunburnt, Lottie's heading off on a week-long residential school trip. A whole week away from embarrassing parents and Toby's tasty air biscuits! 
 
But the trip soon turns into a total disaster. The other girls staying at the camp are MEGA-MEAN, best friend Jess is spending all her time with new girl Isha, and Lottie's diary gets stolen! 
 
Who knew a school trip could cause so much DRAMA?! 
 
Perfect for fans of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Dork Diaries and Wimpy Kid. 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion' 
 
Have you read all of Lottie's embarrassing diaries? 
Book 1: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks 
Book 2: The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks 
Book 3: The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks 
Book 4: Lottie Brooks’s Totally Disastrous School-Trip 
Book 5: The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks 
Book 6: The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks 
 
And also available from Lottie: Lottie Brooks's Totally Essential Guide to Life

Lottie Brooks continues to navigate the many perils of growing up in this fantastically funny illustrated series for a 9-12 audience, filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and plenty of lols. 
 
Woe is me. So much is wrong in my life... 
 
Still look like a tomato 
Am stuck indoors whilst my friends go bowling without me (rude) 
My parents are leaving me to go out on a 'Date Night.' GROSS! 
 
After a summer of meeting handsome French boys and getting a tiny bit sunburnt. OK, fine - a lot sunburnt, Lottie's heading off on a week-long residential school trip. A whole week away from embarrassing parents and Toby's tasty air biscuits! 
 
But the trip soon turns into a total disaster. The other girls staying at the camp are MEGA-MEAN, best friend Jess is spending all her time with new girl Isha, and Lottie's diary gets stolen! 
 
Who knew a school trip could cause so much DRAMA?! 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion.

The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks

Lottie Brooks is BACK for more extremely embarrassing adventures as she goes on holiday and gets her very first boyfriend! 
 
THINGS THAT ARE RUBBISH IN MY LIFE: 
· Have the most disgusting little brother in the entire world 
· Have to get braces when am on the brink of having my first kiss 
· Mum is making cottage pie for dinner. VOM. 
 
Finally summer has arrived and Lottie has BIG plans - scrolling through Instagram, dreaming about MEGA-crush Daniel and sunbathing by the pool on their family holiday to France. 
 
Then Lottie meets new CRUSH Antoine. The language is a tiny bit of a barrier but does it matter when he's THAT good looking? 
 
Perfect for readers aged 9-12 and for fans of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, Dork Diaries and Wimpy Kid. 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book ever' 
Katie has managed to capture the essence of what this group think and feel in a positive, life-affirming fashion' 
 
Have you read all of Lottie's embarrassing diaries? 
Book 1: The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks 
Book 2: The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks 
Book 3: The Mega-Complicated Crushes of Lottie Brooks 
Book 4: Lottie Brooks's Totally Disastrous School-Trip 
Book 5: The Completely Chaotic Christmas of Lottie Brooks 
Book 6: The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks 
 
Available to pre-order now: Lottie Brooks's Totally Essential Guide to Life

Lottie Brooks is BACK for more extremely embarrassing adventures as she goes on holiday and gets her very first boyfriend! 
 
THINGS THAT ARE RUBBISH IN MY LIFE: 
· Have the most disgusting little brother in the entire world 
· Have to get braces when am on the brink of having my first kiss 
· Mum is making cottage pie for dinner. VOM. 
 
Finally summer has arrived and Lottie has BIG plans - scrolling through Instagram, dreaming about MEGA-crush Daniel and sunbathing by the pool on their family holiday to France. 
 
Then Lottie meets new CRUSH Antoine. The language is a tiny bit of a barrier but does it matter when he's THAT good looking? 
 
Readers LOVE Lottie Brooks: 
My daughter couldn't put it down and read it in 2 days. Read at breakfast, walking downstairs, tea time, in the bath. 
My 9-year-old daughter devoured it in two nights, and all I could hear from her was giggling and the occasional "Mum! Listen to this! This is SO me!". 
My 12 year old reluctant reader took this book, read 100 pages in one night and proclaimed it 'the best book eve

Katie Kirby

Celebrating 85 years of Sparking Imaginations 
 
A beautiful clothbound edition of the much-loved modern classic The Extremely Embarrassing Life of Lottie Brooks. Bound in real cloth with two coloured foils and sprayed coloured edges, this deluxe edition is a perfect gift or collector’s item. Part of an eight book set published to mark the 85th anniversary of Puffin Books. With a brand-new foreword from Nadia Shireen. 
 
 
Lottie Brooks is 11 ¾ and her life is already officially over - not only is she about to start high school without any friends or glamorous swooshy hair, she's just discovered she's too flat-chested to wear A BRA! She might as well give up now and go into hibernation with her hamsters Sir Barnaby Squeakington and Fuzzball the Third. 
 
Lottie navigates the many perils of growing up in this fantastically funny illustrated series for a 9-12 audience, filled with friendship, embarrassing moments and plenty of lols. 
 
 
Collect all eight titles in the Puffin Clothbound 85th Anniversary Collection 
 
THE STORY OF TRACY BEAKER by Jacqueline Wilson with a foreword by Beth Lincoln 
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Kinney with a foreword by Dapo Adeola 
CHARLOTTE’S WEB by E.B. White with a foreword by Jordan Lees 
MATILDA by Roald Dahl with a foreword by Robin Stevens 
THE EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING LIFE OF LOTTIE BROOKS by Katie Kirby with a foreword by Nadia Shireen 
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan with a foreword by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak 
PIG-HEART BOY by Malorie Blackman with a foreword by Adam Kay 
WONDER by R.J. Palacio with a foreword by Tom Fletcher

Katie Kirby

Books by Katie Kirby

Series by Katie Kirby

Lottie Brooks8 Books

Puffin 85th Anniversary Clothbound Collection8 Books

Articles featuring Katie Kirby

24 must-read books for 9-12-year-olds

Katie Kirby’s countdown to the return to school

16 of the best children’s books about love

16 laugh-out-loud funny books for 9-12-year-olds

How to start a diary

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