I’m always looking for great fiction books for older kids and adults to enjoy. Here are some of the best books that have recently been published and that are geared for ages 9 and older. The mixed genre should have an appeal for everyone.

The Postcard, by Tony Abbott, is a great mystery involving an old yellowed postcard that 13-year-old Jason finds in the house where his grandmother lived until she recently passed away. He, along with father, has just gone down to Florida to help remove her belongings and put the house up for sale. But this is when he finds this old postcard and notices that the picture of the hotel on the card is the same featured in an old magazine he found lying around the house. The stories featured in the magazine refer to a protagonist by the name of Marnie, whom he discovers was his grandmother’s name. And so the mystery to unravel who his grandmother really was begins.

Dexter The Tough, by Margaret Haddox, starts his first day at a new school with a writing assignment. It begins with “I’m the new kid. I am tuff. This morning I beat up a kid.” When his teacher reads this beginning, she is quite surprised and tells him he needs more to this story and sends him in search of finding more. He finds the boy he hit in the bathroom. But the reader will discover more and learn much more about Dexter and why he enters school with so much anger and aggression. There is also a surprising friendship that Dexter makes with the boy he hit in the bathroom as this other boy is also very unhappy. One important element in the story that should help give kids empathy with these types of situations is that Dexter has been left with his grandmother as his parents have gone to a hospital far away to treat his father’s cancer. There are many elements to address and learn from in this quick read.

The Calder Game, by Blue Balliett, and illustrated by Helquist, is another very sophisticated mystery full of art, math and suspense. Calder Pillay is thrilled to go to England with his dad and he soon discovers that his namesake, Alexander Calder, built the fantastic sculpture that’s on display in the small English village’s town square. But without warning, both he and the sculpture go missing. The police are searching for him but his father recruits his two best friends to fly over from America to try to help locate him. There are many red herrings and hidden clues along the way, even in some of the illustrations.

Ragtag, by Karl Wolf-Morganlander, has small and non-aggressive birds, living in the heart of Boston, finding that their docile and peaceful life is about to end. The raptures in the woods nearby have lost their habitat and are coming to live in the city and dominate these small birds. There is one very small swallow, Ragtag, who is about to become the unsung hero and this fast read would be a great read-aloud.

The Return of the Homework, by Dan Gutman, is a continuation of the first book, “The Homework Machine” but you do not have to read the first book to enjoy this installment. When the four students push this powerful homework machine over the Grand Canyon in order to destroy it, they find that the main component wasn’t disabled. So they must get to it first before someone else gets to it and uses it for evil. But they, along with their teacher, stumble upon an explorer’s report and wonder if it could be true: that there is an ancient Egyptian treasure deep in the canyon. There is much humor, suspense and intrigue, as well as outstanding character portrayals, in this story.

Tentacles, by Roland Smith, is a fast-paced adventure that is full of intrigue, suspense, adventure and a mythical beast, (hence the title of the book.) The race is on to attempt to catch a giant squid deep in the waters of New Zealand before a very evil Dr. Blackwood does, to hatch special Amazon eggs and also protect Grace from her grandfather – Dr. Blackwood. I especially like the way the author always involves the moral codes of right verses wrong and love of family. All of these elements make this exciting even for the most reluctant reader.

And for you Percy Jackson fans, your waiting is over. The final adventure in the Olympian series has just been published. The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan, is just as good as the four predecessors. Percy is about to turn age 16 and at the same time a huge battle is about to take place against the Titans. Percy is part human and part Greek God and must stand against these terrible rivals along with other “half-bloods”. While in the midst of this terrible event, Percy suddenly realizes that he may be facing something worse than anything he can imagine, his own fate. I recommend that you read all 5 books in sequential order, but you can pick each one up alone and get swept up in the adventure without knowing all that has gone on previous to that book. And for the few of you who have never picked up any books within this series of books, what are you waiting for?