Clean Reads for Tweens

Young Adult and Middle Grade novels that are clean reads for tweens - older elementary to young high school. 'Clean' as in no reference to sex and limited violence however there may be some action. Use your best judgment.
 

Showing 1 - 20 of 27  There are a total of 432 valid entries on the list.

1. The Absolute Value of Mike

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Author:
Erskine, Kathryn
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Mike tries so hard to please his father, but the only language his dad seems to speak is calculus. And for a boy with a math learning disability, nothing could be more difficult. When his dad sends him to live with distant relatives in rural Pennsylvania for the summer to work on an engineering project, Mike figures this is his big chance to buckle down and prove himself. But when he gets there, nothing is what he thought it would be. The project...

2. The angel's command: a tale from the castaways of the Flying Dutchman

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Author:
Jacques, Brian
Series:
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman volume 2.
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Cary Regional - Childrens Fiction
J JACQUES
Duraleigh Road - Childrens Fiction
J JACQUES
Description:
Ben and Ned, a boy and dog gifted with eternal youth and the ability to communicate with one another nonverbally, encounter pirates on the high seas and rescue a kidnapped prince from a band of gypsy thieves.

3. Drizzle

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Author:
Van Cleve, Kathleen
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Eleven-year-old Polly Peabody knows her family?s world-famous rhubarb farm is magical. The plants taste like chocolate, jewels appear in the soil, bugs talk to her, and her best friend is a rhubarb plant named Harry. But the most magical thing is that every single Monday, at exactly 1:00, it rains. Until the Monday when the rain just stops. Now it?s up to Polly to figure out why?and whether her brother?s mysterious illness and her glamorous aunt Edith?s...

4. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman

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Author:
Wolitzer, Meg
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Friendship, family, and high-stakes Scrabble come together in this compelling novel from a bestselling author
Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano don't seem to have much in common. Duncan is trying to manage his newfound ability to "read" with his fingers. April is striving to be accepted by her family of jocks. And Nate is struggling to meet his father's high expectations. But when a Scrabble Tournament brings them together,...

5. Ghost knight

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Author:
Funke, Cornelia Caroline
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Remote Storage - Childrens Fiction
J FUNKE
Description:
Eleven-year-old Jon Whitcroft and new friend Ella summon the ghost of Sir William Longspee, who may be able to protect Jon from a group of ghosts that threatens him harm from the day he arrives at Salisbury Cathedral's boarding school. Includes historical notes.

6. The islands of Chaldea

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Author:
Jones, Diana Wynne
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Cary Regional - Childrens Fiction
J JONES
North Regional - Childrens Fiction
J JONES
Description:
Aileen's family of magic makers includes Aunt Beck, the most powerful magician on Skarr, but her own magic does not show itself until a mission for the King and a magical cat help her find strength and confidence.

7. Merrow

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Author:
Braxton-Smith, Ananda
Series:
Secrets of Carrick volume 1.
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North Regional - Young Adult
YA BRAXTONS
Description:
Enduring whispers about her absent mother's alleged merrow origins after her father drowns, twelve-year-old Neen questions her identity as she becomes increasingly torn between the worlds of the sea and her island home.

8. Nightspell

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Author:
Cypess, Leah
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Here be ghosts, the maps said, and that was all.

In this haunted kingdom, ghosts linger—not just in the deepest forests or the darkest caverns, but alongside the living, as part of a twisted palace court that revels all night and sleeps through the daylight hours.

Darri's sister was trapped in this place of fear and shadows as a child. And now Darri has a chance to save her sister . . . if she agrees to a betrothal with the prince

...

9. The Rogue Crew

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Author:
Jacques, Brian
Series:
Redwall volume 22.
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North Regional - Childrens Fiction has 2
J JACQUES
Description:
The murderous and evil Razzid Wearat and his crew of vermin are on a mission to seize Redwall Abbey for themselves, and Abbot Thibb and his Redwallers must defend their home with the help of the hares of the Longpatrol and the Rogue Crew of sea otters.

10. Sammy Keyes and the art of deception

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 8.
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Description:
Seventh-grade sleuth Sammy Keyes investigates mysterious happenings at a local art gallery.

11. Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 0010
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The tenth mystery in the popular Sammy Keyes series offers more spirit and adventure than ever! Sammy accidentally makes a deadly mistake, but all clues point to her nemesis Heather, and she gets blamed. As Sammy struggles with her conscience she gets distracted helping an ailing senior citizen in her fight against urban renewal.

12. Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood mummy

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 6.
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Description:
A Hollywood actress, who had been competing with Sammy's mother for an important role, is murdered, but thirteen-year-old Sammy and her friend Marissa are on the case.

13. Sammy Keyes and the killer cruise

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 17.
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East Regional - Childrens Fiction has 2
J VANDRAANEN
Fuquay-Varina Community - Childrens Fiction
J VANDRAANEN
Holly Springs Community - Childrens Fiction
J VANDRAANEN
Description:
"Teen sleuth Sammy Keyes solves a classic locked-room mystery aboard a cruise ship"--Provided by publisher.

14. Sammy Keyes and the night of skulls

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 14.
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Cary Regional - Childrens Fiction
J VANDRAAN
Description:
Junior high detective Sammy Keyes and her friends take a detour through a graveyard on Halloween night and find themselves in the middle of a mystery involving missing people, human skulls, and a ghoulish embalmer, while school presents its own set of tricks and treats.

15. Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 0004
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Reviews:

"Sammy Keyes tries to help out a friend and ends up in a mystery that must be solved or she could lose her home...Sands gives all the characters their own voices, and makes it seem like 13-year-old Sammy is telling the story. A good choice for libraries looking for mysteries for middle school..." - School Library Journal

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AudioFile, Booklist, School Library Journal

16. Sammy Keyes and the search for Snake Eyes

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 7.
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Description:
When thirteen-year-old Sammy finds herself with an abandoned baby on her hands, she sets out to find the young mother, who may belong to a gang, and accidentally jeopardizes her position on the softball team.

17. Sammy Keyes and the showdown in Sin City

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 16.
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"When youth sleuth Sammy Keyes travels to Las Vegas to stop her mom from marrying her boyfriend's dad, she never expects she'll learn the identity of her absent father in the process"--Provided by publisher.

18. Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 3.
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Reviews:

"Sammy is serving detention at St. Mary's church where she finds herself a suspect when Father Mayhew's gold cross is stolen from the safe...Sands' voice personifies the Sammy Keyes character, with all its adolescent love, anger, and humor...Mystery fans will enjoy..." - School Library Journal

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AudioFile, Booklist, School Library Journal

19. Sammy Keyes and the skeleton man

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 2.
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Description:
On Halloween night, seventh grader Sammy stumbles onto a mystery involving a twenty-year-old family feud and some heirlooms stolen by a man in a skeleton costume.

20. Sammy Keyes and the wedding crasher

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Author:
Van Draanen, Wendelin
Series:
Sammy Keyes mysteries volume 13.
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Cary Regional - Childrens Fiction has 2
J VANDRAANEN
East Regional - Childrens Fiction has 2
J VANDRAANEN
Eva H. Perry Regional - Childrens Fiction has 2
J VANDRAANEN
Description:
When her history teacher begins receiving death threats and her own name is near the top of the suspect list, eighth-grader Sammy is determined to find the real perpetrator, but she is distracted by her mother's relationship problems, her almost-boyfriend inexplicably avoiding her, and her duties as a reluctant bridesmaid.